User:Kaet/VisitingUS

What I said

In wikimedia meetup 2005 I said

• User:Kaet Potentially anywhere, though I'd prefer Europe, but that's just be being lazy. I'd be most concerned with visiting the US, Egypt or China as I'd be concerned about government detention and stuff (I don't wanna go on a holiday and end up in prison!).

To which there was a (perfectly reasonable) reply.

• With the marginal exception of China, it's not at all likely that you'll be arbitrarily tossed in the slammer in any of those countries. Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. doesn't lock up random tourists, and unless you're doing something shifty like traveling from Pakistan on a Syrian passport you have no cause for concern. (Even if you did find yourself on the wrong side of steel bars, I imagine your government would intervene in short order, and if not, we'd orchestrate a WikiBreakout.)

Why I said it

Normally, this wouldn't concern me. But if there was a wikipedia meetup I'd probably take along some wikipedia stuff I've been doing, or want to discuss it, or work on it, at the convention. Unfortunately the things I tend to edit tend to be frowned upon by foreign governments, particularly if they are scanning for "national security" type things.

Here's an example, to show I'm not just a paranoid freak. The page I'm ediging at the moment is on biochemistry, muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. At the moment my bookmarks list is filled with stuff on atropine, scopolamine, acetylcholineesterase, Cholera Toxin extract, experemental biochemical procedures, clinical indications and treatments, syntheses for bioactives, and so on, and I don't mean stuff of of CNN, I mean proper scientific papers, and so on. The subject itself, a backwater of biochemistry, is innocent enough, but I've no Univeristy biochem affiliation, I'm studying no course, teaching none. I also draw lots of chemical diagrams for wikipedia, including ones for pages on illegal drugs and pesticides, and correct some facts on those pages, and extend them. If you search hard enough in my wikipedia directories you'll probably find stuff on PBO and Organophosphates and Carbamates from the past.

I know that in the US you've got first ammendment rights, but as a foreigner, even one on a British passport, I don't know that I'm safe. I know that there are Britains being held without trial over there, so it's clearly no blanket exemption (nor would I expect it to be). So, if I go I don't know I'd be comfortable bringing along any material, or discussing much what I've been doing. Which makes me sound like a paranoid freak, I know but whilst it's unlikely it's kind of a big downer if it does happen. I know that people have been held for having stupider things in their posession recently, and they've been let go again with apologies, but it kind of puts a damper on your holiday! Even being held for twenty four hours by immigration, which a friend of mine travelling on a UK passport, born in London, with better reasons and affiliations than me was recently, because of apparent "war on terror" related things found on his laptop (concerning cryptography). He was let off with full apologies (they had to get a guy who knew about these things flown in from somewhere) but it still puts a damper on a holiday!

I'm not saying this to get across some point, or whatever, I'd love to visit the US, I've always wanted to go to New York and Las Vegas, and Atlantic City too, but I don't think I can really feel safe there at the moment particularly with any wikipedia stuff along with me.

Commnents?

Are my worries founded?