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In the first week of January I'm leaving a Software Engineering gig for a US defense contractor to move to New Zealand. Due to the expense of shipping, my wife

In the first week of January I'm leaving a Software Engineering gig for a US defense contractor to move to New Zealand. Due to the expense of shipping, my wife and I are only bringing what we can carry, and we've taken special care to fit as much of our lives as possible into our electronic devices. Search/seizure of these devices would be horrible and violating on so many levels. This news is absolutely terrifying to me. Edit: I wrote this as a quick knee-jerk without much thought, and now that I read it again I see the sad irony. This is being done to prevent terror? Someone needs to do a risk/reward analysis here... Edit 2: I appreciate everyone offering up solutions here, but really the only solution would be either to not go, or to not carry any devices at all. Encryption can't prevent me from being detained and my property from being confiscated. Given that the issue here is a violation of personal space rather than one of having something to hide, encryption will only increase the impact which such an event would have on my wife and me. If such an event were to occur and I was using strong encryption to protect my data, I'd be asked for any encryption keys, detained for much longer, and if I refused to cooperate in any way I'd have my things permanently confiscated and face refusal of entry. If I find myself in this situation, I'll be looking to minimize impact. I'll cooperate while trying as best as I can not to compromise my values, and then raise hell after the fact.

erjjones 13y ago
Ship your stuff before you go
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  Because customs doesn't search shipments? No. If my stuff is searched/seized, I'd rather be aware of it happening.
  - utunga 13y ago
    Dude on a practical level this might be your best bet.
- patrickdavey 13y ago
  And ship the encryption key separately so that you really cannot decrypt it . Or transfer it across once you're in the country.
  - benjamincburns 13y ago
    See my post above. This won't do anything for me. The issue isn't that I don't want people to see my data, it's that I don't want my "space" forcibly invaded. Further, carrying an encrypted laptop (or shipping encrypted storage) will only increase the levels of both "forced" and "invaded" [1] I'd experience were I to face this kind of situation. Also, I like my hardware. If they can't see what's on there, they can seize it and destroy it, and I'm sure I wouldn't be compensated. 1: http://xkcd.com/538/ http://xkcd.com/538/
signed0 13y ago
Encrypt the files you take with you. For good measure make a full backup and leave it behind with someone you trust.
- X4 13y ago
  But encrypt it as strong as possible, with password + private-key.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  Yes, I have multiple backups, and I intend to leave copies in places where they are retrievable through various means. However the issue isn't losing the data, although losing my expensive hardware (to which I have an irrational emotional attachment) would definitely leave me quite irate. The issue is my privacy. It's not even that I have things which I feel some strong need to hide, but that my devices are inherently personal to me. Having gone through so much effort to fit yet more of my life into them has only strengthened this impression. The thought of having them forcefully confiscated and rifled through is makes me visibly agitated and angry. If you come to my house and rifle through my underwear drawer, I don't care that you've seen my underwear. I care that you've invaded a place which consider to be private and exclusive to me and me alone.
- umami 13y ago
  Customs can request the encryption keys from you and did in this case. So not only encrypt everything, but use a hidden volume as well. http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/plausible-deniability http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/plausible-deniability
  - MichaelGG 13y ago
    Another way is to provide part of the key to someone that's not travelling. This person should not release the key to you until they're satisfied you've successfully completed your trip. You don't know the key, so you can't release it, and you'd have good proof to that effect.
    - 13y ago
X4 13y ago
Can you ask your contractor to add a special label to it? I don't mean like: "Government Data - Fragile". But maybe they can manage that for you. A friend of mine could ship stuff with a military airplane, because his dad worked for the us army.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  No. I appreciate the thought, but there are a few things wrong with these ideas. First, I'm ending my (albeit short) career as a defense contractor before I move to New Zealand. While I still have strong professional relationships with my former colleagues, it would be out of line for me to ask them for help here. Second, even if I did ask, they can't really help. Labeling or mislabeling drives, etc, just draws attention as using any kind of official labeling would make it look like I'm carrying government-owned material. I'm not, and I have no intention of doing so. Further, I'm pretty sure use of such official labels would be very illegal. If I was caught I'd be sent home where I'd expect to face some nasty fines and/or jail time. Finally, I'm not sure what your friend's dad does for the Army, but unless his dad is an officer or enlisted service member (and maybe even if he is), chances are there's some misappropriation going on there. Either way, I'm not the kind of DoD contractor who can just call in a "hey, just stick this in a military cargo shipment" kind of favor. If I was, I'd either be much more relaxed, or much more nervous about quitting my job to move to a foreign country...
  - X4 13y ago
    hmm, sorry. I thought that shipping the package using the regular air-mail service of the government would be an option. You can still save the data on a VPS and encrypt it, then download & decrypt it, when you're back at your new country. Would that be a viable option? I understand that you're more concerned about your equipment, but this could at least get you going until you get your stuff back; I mean in the worst case scenario.
ams6110 13y ago
Upload everything to a server before you leave. Download it when you get there. Take no devices across borders except a throwaway phone for emergencies.
- javajosh 13y ago
  On it's face, this is not good advice, particularly as electronics are rather more expensive in NZ than in the states. However, it is entirely possible to sell all of your electronic gear (ebay, craigslist, amazon) and buy it again, at a cost. Of course, this is a great deal of pain to go through, and it strikes us all as egregious, unnecessary, and unjust. It's not clear, however, why if customs can demand your passwords to your devices, why can't they demand your passwords to remote servers? In any event, it is important to protest in the strongest possible way these encroachments upon our individual liberties. It's shocking that this needs to be repeated in 2013 in the West, but a citizen should not be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, and mere suspicion does not constitute due process. The state cannot be allowed to continue violating these rights. I've spent some serious time in NZ, and was deeply impressed with the humanity of it's government and it's governmental workers. It is heartbreaking to see this Americanism make its way to a more innocent land. Don't give in to this, Kiwis. Protest. Write letters to your representatives. Keep your dignity and your common sense. Don't let your security forces (at the border or anywhere else) do this sort of thing to visitors.
  - benjamincburns 13y ago
    > It's not clear, however, why if customs can demand your passwords to your devices, why can't they demand your passwords to remote servers? I don't know that there's any legal mechanism in their favor (I'm not very familiar with NZ law on this level), but there's a simple physical mechanism they have going for them. If you refuse to provide passwords to your devices, they can simply refuse to return them to you when they're done with their "inspection". If you're a citizen and you refuse to provide passwords to remote accounts, they have no lasting leverage. If you're not a citizen, they can simply deny your entry. Edit: > I've spent some serious time in NZ, and was deeply impressed with the humanity of it's government and it's governmental workers. It is heartbreaking to see this Americanism make its way to a more innocent land. Two things... First, this is the kind of thing that had us moving there in the first place [Edit: for clarity, this wasn't an initial reason for our move, or even why we selected NZ, but it's definitely in the "pros" column]. I'm displeased with the adversarial/entitled tack that my country's government sometimes takes with its people, and I'm still hopeful that this is different elsewhere. Second, I find it really sad that you'd label this "Americanism." I don't think it's entirely inaccurate to say that this is becoming a part of our culture, but there is still tons and tons of good which can be ascribed to that label as well. I hope that the bad isn't dwarfing the good to the extent where the term "Americanism" becomes synonymous with "McCarthyism."
lettergram 13y ago
I doubt his cell phone could be used directly in terrorism. Seems to me this isn't an attempt to prevent terrorism.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  Assuming his devices are in some way useful for gaining information on Snowden, preventing further leaks, or similar, there's a shaved yak chain of what-ifs which ends with the idea that the fewer details the terrorists have about how we prevent terrorism, the better off we are. But I'm not saying this is valid justification by any means.
- lostlogin 13y ago
  I'm not sure that's the point. My shoes still get taken off me.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
utunga 13y ago
If you have backups of everything maybe you can get a decent level of business insurance that would see them replace your hardware should they take it and then take the time to wipe and replace with generic build before travelling if you are really worried about privacy? It still totally sucks though, don't get me wrong.
001sky 13y ago
At the US border, the "border search exemption" enables warrantless bypassing of the 4th Amendment's restriction on search[1], and US vs Ramsey extends this to mail/parcel.[2] There is an EFF guide on the topic here for anyone interested, with more particular advice: https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-tra... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception [2] http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/criminal-procedure/criminal-procedure-keyed-to-saltzburg/searches-and-seizures-of-persons-and-things/united-states-v-ramsey/2/ http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/criminal-procedure/crimin...
Taniwha 13y ago
I'm a Kiwi - I travel a lot - it's pretty terrifying to us too - we're all pretty flabbergasted by this news story - I expect there's going to be a big fuss tomorrow Normally NZ customs care most about biosecurity issues - to avoid their notice don't bring in loose food - eat it on the plane or toss it - wash your muddy boots/tent/hiking gear - that cute beagle sniffing at your bags on the carousel is looking for food, not drugs (the scary german shepherds are probably doing that out the back). Packaged food is usually OK - but if you're unsure ask - at the very least declare stuff you're not sure about - I almost got dinged for bringing mooncakes back from Taiwan one year, turns out they're bad because they're too eggy, I was let off because I'd declared them (as 'cakes' rather than 'mooncakes', who knew I was supposed to). They have amnesty bins you can drop that apple in at the last minute without worry. I suspect this is a one-off - probably the NSA thought he was someone else and leaned on the NZ government - but do do what others have suggested - encrypt your sensitive stuff, leave it on an overseas server and pull it in when you get here - remember the NSA WILL look at it because much of our internet traffic passes through the US so encrypt what you care about.
- rodgerd 13y ago
  Most Kiwis are pretty ignorant of exactly how powerful customs are. The legislation they're citing this action as being taken under, the objectionable publications, gives phenominal powers to customs. I have a bit of experience with this because I know comics collecters who had huge collections seized in the 90s and never returned on the strength of their having a copy of Frank Millar's (then illegal in NZ) Hard Boiled. They had no recourse on this.
- mkingston 13y ago
  "it's pretty terrifying to us too" Isn't it? This story upsets me quite a lot. I've recently moved to the UK, but certainly plan on returning, intermittently or otherwise, and do not want to be subjected to this. "probably the NSA thought he was someone else and leaned on the NZ government" We told them to take a hike with the nuclear warships etc.; I wish we'd do the same with their data collection regimes. Unfortunately I definitely don't see that happening under Labour or National; and probably not under any of the parties either :(.
rodgerd 13y ago
This is not strictly on-topic, but let me note that American friends have told me they wish they'd brought more stuff with them when they moved here. The shipping and 110V/240V transformers would have cost less than it did to replace whiteware and the like.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  Thanks for the advice. We've tried to optimize what we intend to carry toward those sorts of things, and a transformer or two is on the list. Otherwise my wife and I are quite happy living a rather spartan lifestyle; for instance, another of our shared dreams is to build a tiny, off-grid, house.
gnaffle 13y ago
Actually, what you should do is to carry laptops and phones without much data on them, and during the travel store your real data encrypted somewhere online. The real risk here is losing your electronic equipment for an extended period of time.
billforsternz 13y ago
In practical terms you have little or nothing to worry about, and absolutely no reason to be "terrified". This is likely a one-off incident, a clumsy interaction from a clueless airport guy. From the same team of geniuses who got reamed out recently when they confiscated a sick toddler's medical device at X-Ray because they were worried it was a bomb. Assuming you are not an international terrorist or similar, the NZ government has absolutely no interest in the contents of your phone, computers etc. Also, on the one in a thousand chance that you are inspected at customs; Don't raise hell after the fact. It's not the NZ way, relax and save your stress for the real worries in life, which we all run into in the fullness of time.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  Apologies for not being more precise. I've been inspected by customs before. The whole discourse was short, only minorly inconveniencing, and the people I dealt with were pleasant and professional. At the end of it I thanked them for doing their jobs so well. I wouldn't "raise hell" after such an event. However, were my possessions to be searched and confiscated in such a violating manor as described by the NZ Herald article, I'd most certainly be filing complaints, and perhaps speaking to the press. This is all that I meant by "raising hell." I'm worried not because I'm an international terrorist, but because at the end of next week I'll be a former US defense contractor who is immediately departing the US after quitting his job. I'm sure this raises some red flags. I have every intention of complying with my employer's and government's policies regarding all of the procedures for leaving my position, but with this level of institutional paranoia I'm still worried. That said, if I were to bet I'd say this fear is as irrational as you suggest and everything will go fine.
  - billforsternz 13y ago
    Thanks for this sensible follow-up. If something outrageous happens at the airport, as you say raise hell, why not. My comment came from being a well travelled kiwi, who always feels the warm glow associated with arriving in perhaps the sanest place in the world when I get home. I am not an Aucklander, but Auckland International Airport represents to me "home at last - nothing more to worry about now". Actually I feel a bit the same at Melbourne or Sydney if I get to stop off there on the way back - a nothing really crazy can happen now kind of relief. So, enjoy your trip. Don't worry as outrageous incidents at our airports are really really really rare - dollars to donuts you'll be welcomed as if you are coming home too. If you come to Wellington and are so inclined message me and I'll buy you a beer (or a coffee) and welcome you personally :-)

erjjones 13y ago

Ship your stuff before you go

benjamincburns 13y ago
Because customs doesn't search shipments? No. If my stuff is searched/seized, I'd rather be aware of it happening.
- utunga 13y ago
  Dude on a practical level this might be your best bet.
patrickdavey 13y ago
And ship the encryption key separately so that you really cannot decrypt it . Or transfer it across once you're in the country.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  See my post above. This won't do anything for me. The issue isn't that I don't want people to see my data, it's that I don't want my "space" forcibly invaded. Further, carrying an encrypted laptop (or shipping encrypted storage) will only increase the levels of both "forced" and "invaded" [1] I'd experience were I to face this kind of situation. Also, I like my hardware. If they can't see what's on there, they can seize it and destroy it, and I'm sure I wouldn't be compensated. 1: http://xkcd.com/538/ http://xkcd.com/538/

signed0 13y ago

Encrypt the files you take with you. For good measure make a full backup and leave it behind with someone you trust.

X4 13y ago
But encrypt it as strong as possible, with password + private-key.
benjamincburns 13y ago
Yes, I have multiple backups, and I intend to leave copies in places where they are retrievable through various means. However the issue isn't losing the data, although losing my expensive hardware (to which I have an irrational emotional attachment) would definitely leave me quite irate. The issue is my privacy. It's not even that I have things which I feel some strong need to hide, but that my devices are inherently personal to me. Having gone through so much effort to fit yet more of my life into them has only strengthened this impression. The thought of having them forcefully confiscated and rifled through is makes me visibly agitated and angry. If you come to my house and rifle through my underwear drawer, I don't care that you've seen my underwear. I care that you've invaded a place which consider to be private and exclusive to me and me alone.
umami 13y ago
Customs can request the encryption keys from you and did in this case. So not only encrypt everything, but use a hidden volume as well. http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/plausible-deniability http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/plausible-deniability
- MichaelGG 13y ago
  Another way is to provide part of the key to someone that's not travelling. This person should not release the key to you until they're satisfied you've successfully completed your trip. You don't know the key, so you can't release it, and you'd have good proof to that effect.
  - 13y ago

X4 13y ago

Can you ask your contractor to add a special label to it? I don't mean like: "Government Data - Fragile". But maybe they can manage that for you. A friend of mine could ship stuff with a military airplane, because his dad worked for the us army.

benjamincburns 13y ago
No. I appreciate the thought, but there are a few things wrong with these ideas. First, I'm ending my (albeit short) career as a defense contractor before I move to New Zealand. While I still have strong professional relationships with my former colleagues, it would be out of line for me to ask them for help here. Second, even if I did ask, they can't really help. Labeling or mislabeling drives, etc, just draws attention as using any kind of official labeling would make it look like I'm carrying government-owned material. I'm not, and I have no intention of doing so. Further, I'm pretty sure use of such official labels would be very illegal. If I was caught I'd be sent home where I'd expect to face some nasty fines and/or jail time. Finally, I'm not sure what your friend's dad does for the Army, but unless his dad is an officer or enlisted service member (and maybe even if he is), chances are there's some misappropriation going on there. Either way, I'm not the kind of DoD contractor who can just call in a "hey, just stick this in a military cargo shipment" kind of favor. If I was, I'd either be much more relaxed, or much more nervous about quitting my job to move to a foreign country...
- X4 13y ago
  hmm, sorry. I thought that shipping the package using the regular air-mail service of the government would be an option. You can still save the data on a VPS and encrypt it, then download & decrypt it, when you're back at your new country. Would that be a viable option? I understand that you're more concerned about your equipment, but this could at least get you going until you get your stuff back; I mean in the worst case scenario.

ams6110 13y ago

Upload everything to a server before you leave. Download it when you get there. Take no devices across borders except a throwaway phone for emergencies.

javajosh 13y ago
On it's face, this is not good advice, particularly as electronics are rather more expensive in NZ than in the states. However, it is entirely possible to sell all of your electronic gear (ebay, craigslist, amazon) and buy it again, at a cost. Of course, this is a great deal of pain to go through, and it strikes us all as egregious, unnecessary, and unjust. It's not clear, however, why if customs can demand your passwords to your devices, why can't they demand your passwords to remote servers? In any event, it is important to protest in the strongest possible way these encroachments upon our individual liberties. It's shocking that this needs to be repeated in 2013 in the West, but a citizen should not be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, and mere suspicion does not constitute due process. The state cannot be allowed to continue violating these rights. I've spent some serious time in NZ, and was deeply impressed with the humanity of it's government and it's governmental workers. It is heartbreaking to see this Americanism make its way to a more innocent land. Don't give in to this, Kiwis. Protest. Write letters to your representatives. Keep your dignity and your common sense. Don't let your security forces (at the border or anywhere else) do this sort of thing to visitors.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  > It's not clear, however, why if customs can demand your passwords to your devices, why can't they demand your passwords to remote servers? I don't know that there's any legal mechanism in their favor (I'm not very familiar with NZ law on this level), but there's a simple physical mechanism they have going for them. If you refuse to provide passwords to your devices, they can simply refuse to return them to you when they're done with their "inspection". If you're a citizen and you refuse to provide passwords to remote accounts, they have no lasting leverage. If you're not a citizen, they can simply deny your entry. Edit: > I've spent some serious time in NZ, and was deeply impressed with the humanity of it's government and it's governmental workers. It is heartbreaking to see this Americanism make its way to a more innocent land. Two things... First, this is the kind of thing that had us moving there in the first place [Edit: for clarity, this wasn't an initial reason for our move, or even why we selected NZ, but it's definitely in the "pros" column]. I'm displeased with the adversarial/entitled tack that my country's government sometimes takes with its people, and I'm still hopeful that this is different elsewhere. Second, I find it really sad that you'd label this "Americanism." I don't think it's entirely inaccurate to say that this is becoming a part of our culture, but there is still tons and tons of good which can be ascribed to that label as well. I hope that the bad isn't dwarfing the good to the extent where the term "Americanism" becomes synonymous with "McCarthyism."

lettergram 13y ago

I doubt his cell phone could be used directly in terrorism. Seems to me this isn't an attempt to prevent terrorism.

benjamincburns 13y ago
Assuming his devices are in some way useful for gaining information on Snowden, preventing further leaks, or similar, there's a shaved yak chain of what-ifs which ends with the idea that the fewer details the terrorists have about how we prevent terrorism, the better off we are. But I'm not saying this is valid justification by any means.
lostlogin 13y ago
I'm not sure that's the point. My shoes still get taken off me.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

utunga 13y ago

If you have backups of everything maybe you can get a decent level of business insurance that would see them replace your hardware should they take it and then take the time to wipe and replace with generic build before travelling if you are really worried about privacy? It still totally sucks though, don't get me wrong.

001sky 13y ago

At the US border, the "border search exemption" enables warrantless bypassing of the 4th Amendment's restriction on search[1], and US vs Ramsey extends this to mail/parcel.[2] There is an EFF guide on the topic here for anyone interested, with more particular advice: https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-tra... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception [2] http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/criminal-procedure/criminal-procedure-keyed-to-saltzburg/searches-and-seizures-of-persons-and-things/united-states-v-ramsey/2/ http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/criminal-procedure/crimin...

Taniwha 13y ago

I'm a Kiwi - I travel a lot - it's pretty terrifying to us too - we're all pretty flabbergasted by this news story - I expect there's going to be a big fuss tomorrow Normally NZ customs care most about biosecurity issues - to avoid their notice don't bring in loose food - eat it on the plane or toss it - wash your muddy boots/tent/hiking gear - that cute beagle sniffing at your bags on the carousel is looking for food, not drugs (the scary german shepherds are probably doing that out the back). Packaged food is usually OK - but if you're unsure ask - at the very least declare stuff you're not sure about - I almost got dinged for bringing mooncakes back from Taiwan one year, turns out they're bad because they're too eggy, I was let off because I'd declared them (as 'cakes' rather than 'mooncakes', who knew I was supposed to). They have amnesty bins you can drop that apple in at the last minute without worry. I suspect this is a one-off - probably the NSA thought he was someone else and leaned on the NZ government - but do do what others have suggested - encrypt your sensitive stuff, leave it on an overseas server and pull it in when you get here - remember the NSA WILL look at it because much of our internet traffic passes through the US so encrypt what you care about.

rodgerd 13y ago
Most Kiwis are pretty ignorant of exactly how powerful customs are. The legislation they're citing this action as being taken under, the objectionable publications, gives phenominal powers to customs. I have a bit of experience with this because I know comics collecters who had huge collections seized in the 90s and never returned on the strength of their having a copy of Frank Millar's (then illegal in NZ) Hard Boiled. They had no recourse on this.
mkingston 13y ago
"it's pretty terrifying to us too" Isn't it? This story upsets me quite a lot. I've recently moved to the UK, but certainly plan on returning, intermittently or otherwise, and do not want to be subjected to this. "probably the NSA thought he was someone else and leaned on the NZ government" We told them to take a hike with the nuclear warships etc.; I wish we'd do the same with their data collection regimes. Unfortunately I definitely don't see that happening under Labour or National; and probably not under any of the parties either :(.

rodgerd 13y ago

This is not strictly on-topic, but let me note that American friends have told me they wish they'd brought more stuff with them when they moved here. The shipping and 110V/240V transformers would have cost less than it did to replace whiteware and the like.

benjamincburns 13y ago
Thanks for the advice. We've tried to optimize what we intend to carry toward those sorts of things, and a transformer or two is on the list. Otherwise my wife and I are quite happy living a rather spartan lifestyle; for instance, another of our shared dreams is to build a tiny, off-grid, house.

gnaffle 13y ago

Actually, what you should do is to carry laptops and phones without much data on them, and during the travel store your real data encrypted somewhere online. The real risk here is losing your electronic equipment for an extended period of time.

billforsternz 13y ago

In practical terms you have little or nothing to worry about, and absolutely no reason to be "terrified". This is likely a one-off incident, a clumsy interaction from a clueless airport guy. From the same team of geniuses who got reamed out recently when they confiscated a sick toddler's medical device at X-Ray because they were worried it was a bomb. Assuming you are not an international terrorist or similar, the NZ government has absolutely no interest in the contents of your phone, computers etc. Also, on the one in a thousand chance that you are inspected at customs; Don't raise hell after the fact. It's not the NZ way, relax and save your stress for the real worries in life, which we all run into in the fullness of time.

benjamincburns 13y ago
Apologies for not being more precise. I've been inspected by customs before. The whole discourse was short, only minorly inconveniencing, and the people I dealt with were pleasant and professional. At the end of it I thanked them for doing their jobs so well. I wouldn't "raise hell" after such an event. However, were my possessions to be searched and confiscated in such a violating manor as described by the NZ Herald article, I'd most certainly be filing complaints, and perhaps speaking to the press. This is all that I meant by "raising hell." I'm worried not because I'm an international terrorist, but because at the end of next week I'll be a former US defense contractor who is immediately departing the US after quitting his job. I'm sure this raises some red flags. I have every intention of complying with my employer's and government's policies regarding all of the procedures for leaving my position, but with this level of institutional paranoia I'm still worried. That said, if I were to bet I'd say this fear is as irrational as you suggest and everything will go fine.
- billforsternz 13y ago
  Thanks for this sensible follow-up. If something outrageous happens at the airport, as you say raise hell, why not. My comment came from being a well travelled kiwi, who always feels the warm glow associated with arriving in perhaps the sanest place in the world when I get home. I am not an Aucklander, but Auckland International Airport represents to me "home at last - nothing more to worry about now". Actually I feel a bit the same at Melbourne or Sydney if I get to stop off there on the way back - a nothing really crazy can happen now kind of relief. So, enjoy your trip. Don't worry as outrageous incidents at our airports are really really really rare - dollars to donuts you'll be welcomed as if you are coming home too. If you come to Wellington and are so inclined message me and I'll buy you a beer (or a coffee) and welcome you personally :-)