In some cases, even exposing access to some types of data is sufficient to trigger liability, especially in cases where this data is that of customers, employees, or patients. Whether or not the TSA crawls through every file is immaterial. Why do you think all those companies are getting their asses fined for losing laptops - even though there’s no proof they fell into nefarious hands, or had the data on them compromised?

This, by the way, is not being driven by computer people - although I think they have a better understanding than most on the ways information can be used as a weapon. In fact, the paranoia is being driven by lawyers. It’s being driven by giant lawsuits that cost companies millions of dollars when someone from accounting loses a laptop with employee names and Social Security numbers - numbers that can be used to enable identity theft. It’s being driven by the massive PR nightmares that befall any company that loses a backup tape off the back of a truck. It’s being driven by technology companies whose intellectual property is extremely time sensitive in a market that is becoming more and more competitive.

You make a good point, however: it’s not reasonable for the TSA to look at, recognize, and copy every file. That’s why this is a dangerous move - it opens the door to the next logical argument you’ll hear from the TSA: “To protect the US, we need to copy everything on people’s drives as they come in and out of the US, after which the data will be examined more thoroughly.”

It sounds ludicrous, but then again so does wiretapping the phone calls and email of normal citizens without a warrant.

Your central thesis is a variant of the old “if you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t need to worry about this” chestnut. Computers have become the vessels for our private thoughts and lives - humans inherently have a need for privacy. Poor you, the passwords are annoying? Turn them off then. And while you’re at it, why not stop bothering to lock your home and car doors, and leave the blinds in your bedroom open?

After all, you’ve got nothing to hide, right?

The upshot of this is that those of us who simply want to use computers get really annoyed at having to type in all sorts of stupid passwords every freaking time we want to do anything. The truth is that NO ONE WANTS WHAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR LAPTOP! Even if you happened to have a file entitled “Credit card and banking information with associated pins” it’s unlikely the border guard cares. Your all time high score on Minesweeper or Scorched Earth is certainly safe and your work-related material won’t be up on YouTube courtesy of customs any time soon.

That’s really not a pleasant experience.

First, I also uninstalled Quicken, and reinstalled it without letting it update in any manner. (I unplugged my network cable) And I don’t know how long this will last. But tonight it worked.

It might also be possible to download the MONEY format file, and hack it so that you can import into Quicken 2005. But I don’t know how to do that yet. Start web searching.

Thanks!