*cough* Naughty things on your computer *cough*

[Unregistered]

Do your computers, hard drives etc get checked for porn by port authorities etc? I ask cause someone told me that they did and had a nifty wee program to search all your files. I'm going to be going through some rather strict countries which due to religious reasons make it illegal. I'd rather not get hauled off by the police due to a few saucy videos.

Could anyone give me an honest answer as to whether I have to worry about this and clean out my hard drive of everything?

Thanks

[Chiefy]

Personally I have never seen this done, my understanding is if they have cause for concern or a tip off then yes then can / will rummage hard drives iPods etc, but for the most part they dont.

There have been stories every now and again of people having their gear searched at airports going in / out of the mid-east, however you then hear the rest of the story and they had given the authorities probable cause for a rummage (like being plainly pished falling of the plane etc)

So box clever, dont leave images / movies running on the computer and it "should" be ok.

[GuinnessMan]

As a rough guess to where you're going then I'm with Chiefy saying that it's unlikely, but not unheard of. When it comes to the naughty video's it probably won't be customs searching, it will be the Mutawa (religious police) and them you can spot a mile off (big bushy beards....yeah I'm not joking).

Don't give them cause to search you, so be polite, respectful and don't act like a twat when going through customs and you'll be fine, but if you do want to be safe then best to get rid of it all or use an uploading site to store them on.

[Hatchorder]

There is another alternative.....

There are many pieces of software that can encrypt files. Install the software, encrypt the files and then when you have saved them change the extension to something like an mdb file - which is a Database file. They look like a DB file if you give them an appropriate name (for goodness sake do not leave the original name!), but if someone tries to open them then it just shows as a corrupted file. Choose a good password, different to all your others, and then even if they do work out what it is you just do not use the password and it stays encrypted. Providing the software uses a good algorithm such as Blowfish then it cannot be unpicked and even if they look at the code it does not show the original file name or extension.

Some software even allows you to create a self decrypting file with an exe extension. Again change the extension and it will just show as a corrupted file in the programme you try to run it in. You can then un-install the software so they have no idea what software you used to encrypt the files.

I am in no way advocating this, I am just being a realist. Some will want to risk traveling with these films, some won't. Just remember though, you are taking a risk, and you have to measure that risk against anything that may happen to you if caught.

Ian

[Unregistered]

I suppose this is has to be done for #cough# Pirated #cough# stuff to?

[inversemateria]

Hmm, kind of related, but not at the same time.. I'm due to go to sea sometime at the end of April/beginning of May. I'm pretty sure over here it's legal to rip copies of DVDs you own, providing it's for personal use and you're not gonna distribute it, but I think that'd be illegal in some other countries. So, my question: What's the deal with having ripped shows on your harddrive? Are they actually bothered about that type of stuff when you go through customs or whatever, or do they not care?

[EH75]

Another thing to mention is that in certain countries in the middle east, things which would be considered perfectly acceptable over here (a bit of tit in TV programmes etc) are considered pornographic over there, so its not just porn that you have got to be careful about. However when we were in Jeddah you could put your laptop etc in the bond for the duration of the stay if you wanted. No-body came on to check anyway though and I would be surprised if you had any trouble tbh. Probably more likely to get checked if you are signing on/off in one of these countries but as mentioned even that seems unlikely. Wouldn't worry about it too much.

[captain_hook]

As said above, download a program dedicated to encryption. Dump any files which may be deemed inappropriate into a folder with a sensible name worthy of encryption ie " passport" or something relevant and encrypt this folder with a strong password. Lets face it when we're at sea there are several instances where hard drives are swapped between crew that contain illegal material. 3 months is a long time to be stuck studying or using your imagination. Just be sensible and leave with the hard drive you came with for obvious reasons.

[waverider]

Only places I have heard of problems have being the strict Muslim countries i.e. Saudi Arabia and the UK if you have dodgy stuff (watch what the Filipino's give you) or are under 18.

[Ganner]

There is an even easier alternative dont take porn and instead of wanking all the time do your trb!