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Alamak... Just came across this. Hope when i go NZ in Dec, won't kanna bullied by these people... Those who are not aware, better take note. The problem is, the article doesn't really say what are the rights one has when really faced with such situations. It's mentioned the devices can be: - out of sight for minutes - confiscated and returned after a few days If go on a trip, they take your phone, then even if can get around, will sure disrupt plans and spoil the trip... https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/new-zealand-border-customs-digital-device-passwords-fine-10803570 Commentary: Know your rights when a border agent demands access to your digital deviceVisitors entering New Zealand will have to disclose passwords for their electronic devices if they asked to by customs officials, or risk being slapped with a fine - but they should also be aware of their rights, says one observer. ARIZONA: Imagine arriving in Australia or New Zealand after a long-haul flight, exhausted and red-eyed. You’ve just reclaimed your baggage after getting through immigration when you’re stopped by a customs officer who demands you hand over your smartphone and the password. Do you know your rights? Both Australian and New Zealand customs officers are legally allowed to search not only your personal baggage, but also the contents of your smartphone, tablet or laptop. It doesn’t matter whether you are a citizen or visitor, or whether you’re crossing a border by air, land or sea. New laws that came into effect in New Zealand on Oct 1 give border agents: … the power to make a full search of a stored value instrument (including power to require a user of the instrument to provide access information and other information or assistance that is reasonable and necessary to allow a person to access the instrument). Those who don’t comply could face prosecution and NZ$5,000 (US$3,220) in fines. Border agents have similar powers in Australia and elsewhere. AdvertisementIn Canada, for example, hindering or obstructing a border guard could cost you up to C$50,000 (US$38,514) or five years in prison. DEVICE INSPECTION A GROWING TREND Australia and New Zealand don’t currently publish data on these kinds of searches, but there is a growing trend of device search and seizure at US borders. There was a more than fivefold increase in the number of electronic device inspections between 2015 and 2016 – bringing the total number to 23,000 per year. In the first six months of 2017, the number of searches was already almost 15,000. In some of these instances, people have been threatened with arrest if they didn’t hand over passwords. Others have been charged. In cases where they did comply, people have lost sight of their device for a short period, or devices were confiscated and returned days or weeks later. On top of device searches, there is also canvassing of social media accounts. In 2016, the United States introduced an additional question on online visa application forms, asking people to divulge social media usernames. As this form is usually filled out after the flights have been booked, travellers might feel they have no choice but to part with this information rather than risk being denied a visa, despite the question being optional. SEARCHING SMARTPHONES AN INVASION OF PRIVACY Border agents may have a legitimate reason to search an incoming passenger – for instance, if a passenger is suspected of carrying illicit goods, banned items, or agricultural products from abroad. But searching a smartphone is different from searching luggage. Our smartphones carry our innermost thoughts, intimate pictures, sensitive workplace documents, and private messages. The practice of searching electronic devices at borders could be compared to police having the right to intercept private communications. But in such cases in Australia, police require a warrant to conduct the intercept. That means there is oversight, and a mechanism in place to guard against abuse. And the suspected crime must be proportionate to the action taken by law enforcement. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS If you’re stopped at a border and asked to hand over your devices and passwords, make sure you have educated yourself in advance about your rights in the country you’re entering. Find out whether what you are being asked is optional or not. Just because someone in a uniform asks you to do something, it does not necessarily mean you have to comply. If you’re not sure about your rights, ask to speak to a lawyer and don’t say anything that might incriminate you. Keep your cool and don’t argue with the customs officer. You should also be smart about how you manage your data generally. You may wish to switch on two-factor authentication, which requires a password on top of your passcode. And store sensitive information in the cloud on a secure European server while you are travelling, accessing it only on a needs basis. Data protection is taken more seriously in the European Union as a result of the recently enacted General Data Protection Regulation. Microsoft, Apple and Google all indicate that handing over a password to one of their apps or devices is in breach of their services agreement, privacy management, and safety practices. That doesn’t mean it’s wise to refuse to comply with border force officials, but it does raise questions about the position governments are putting travellers in when they ask for this kind of information. Katina Michael is professor at School for the Future of Innovation in Society, and School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering in Arizona State University. This commentary first appeared on The Conversation.

I wonder how much it cost to buy a road? Sounds like a good income opportunity if your area has lots of illegal parking.

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Posted without comment on opinion - for your information and consumption only http://news.insing.com/tabloid/singapore-j...ngs/id-b8723f00

Draw your own conclusions 死者的侄女（左）和妻子无法接受他去世，在殓尸房哭得呼天抢地。 中国管工疑在狮城工作被伊蚊叮死，家人来新向雇主索赔，价码节节高升，从10万到20万再增到50万，最后更扬言不赔60万就不领尸不火化！ 《联合晚报》日前报道，一名来自中国江苏的建筑工地管工周世强（43岁），疑患上骨痛溢血热症，发高烧5天后，上个月25日猝死。他的妻子、独生子、侄女急忙赶办手续，星期日抵新处理后事。 死者的家人认尸时，向记者哭诉死者的雇主处事不当，要他赔偿50万新元，若谈不妥就坚持不火化死者的遗体。 死者的侄女周云说，叔叔过世前一天还拨电回家，没想到隔天却接到他病逝的消息，令他们非常震惊。据了解，死者的家属抵新和雇主见面后，起初要求赔10万，过后增加到20万元。 她们星期一认尸时又告诉记者，要雇主赔偿50万元。不过据记者向雇主李先生询问，死者家属要求的最新赔偿是60万元。

A young food blogger who demanded that he and his three companions be given free meals at an upscale restaurant in the Joo Chiat area has sparked a huge furore online. The group of four had walked into Private Affairs, a small but exclusive eatery in Joo Chiat, for its Sunday champagne brunch promotion that costs S$68++ per person. The blogger in question, Brad Lau, who runs a food blog called Ladyironchef, had informed the management on Friday that he would be coming down to review the Sunday Brunch promotion. On the day itself, he and his partner came down at about 130pm, followed by his two other companions, each of whom came down half an hour apart. The four of them had brunch until 430pm, even when the restaurant