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anonymous
Q: Should I worry about having porn on my computer when I enter China?
I know porn is illegal in China but that the law is not really enforced. I thought maybe they mite be targeting foreigners though. Do they check your hard drive when you enter? Should I erase my stash?
9 years 31 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
have you ever heard of a private torrent, problem solved.
I've never heard of anyone having their laptop checked before and I've seen quite a few come and go, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened of course. I think you'll be ok though.
Aside from the risk of going blind of course 
Who needs porn in China?
You'll be fine with your porn stash, as far as it's on a hard-disk. On a side note, porn being forbidden in China is just theory, in practice, it's as ubiquitous as anywhere else.
Stiggs:
http://shanghaiist.com/2014/09/08/porn-displayed-on-tv-screen-in-zhuhai-middle-school.php
Like at this middle school.
Yes you should worry. They are specifically looking for you.
They CAN check your hard drive when you enter, if they want to. But it's not likely that they will.
I've never been checked going to China or any where,,,, going home different story. My stuff gets inspected. Last time there was a 4 hour lineup at customs, just what you want after a 20 hour flight. I had to sit for hours while customs looked at my camera, cell phone and computer. The only naughty pics were on my camera which they gave back. The cell phone and computer were sent in for inspection, then sent to Ottawa for further examination, apparently they were going to hack my FaceBook and SkyDrive etc, I couldn't get an answer if or when my things would be returned. I did get my stuff after 6 months, but I had to pay $40 return fee. There never was anythng to find, I'm very private with my jihad life. And Canada isn't a repressive society?
Are you in the porn?
mike695ca:
I also got checked in Canada. This was almost 8 years ago, and I found 50 cent porn dvds in Colombia and stocked up...... for gifts....
Anyways they spent 2 hours going through them all and only returned half. Add that with the pictures of me in a cocaine farm and it turned out to be a night in jail and a trip to the hospital for the drug mule x-ray special.
So me personally, I never travel with porn anymore, regardless of how unlikely it is. And you know what? I dont miss it! Searching for porn is much better than actually keeping it haha.
TedDBayer:
That's what I mean about Canada, I f**** hate the place. I bet when they let you go, you didn't get an ''opps, sorry''. It's getting so controled and over regulated.
Customs guys took the porn they wanted.
I hate the macho arrogant attitude most Customs and Immigration officers have, I have problem with authority and I get confrontational. I have a real smartass mouth.
icnif77:
I love Canada, especially not so cold Vancouver area. I fancy Athabasca, too
. Canadians are 'rules driven Gov.' comparable to 'unsolved USA illegal immigration mystery'.
It depends on the type of porn. I believe you have more than 2 movies with midgets in you will be imprisoned for ten years. Where as the limit for ladyboy porn is 5 movies. A Japanese guy I once knew tried to bring tenticle porn into China. His head is on a spike atop the Forbidden City.
No they won't, I enter and exit China all the time, they never checked my laptop, my phone or my camera despite the law stating that they can and that you will be fined for having porn on your computer, law is theoretical over here, rarely enforced.
For e.g. it is forbidden to jaywalk but everyone does it, recently two foreigners were arrested for jaywalking but 600000 foreigners and 1,3 billion Chinese do it all the time and cops couldn't care less even when you are in their sight.
What I told to my parents when they came to China last July : "zebra crossings are only here for aesthetic purposes."
The same applies to every laws in China, they do exist but cops don't care or are too lazy to bother with paperwork, as other public workers they can't lose their job anyway.
icnif77:
GOOG reported a person to police, while 'remotely' saw it user is holding 'child porn' few weeks ago!
Yahoo-gle 1st 6 words of my comment for more!
Laptop or files one is holding can be seen from 'distance'. No need to give your password to Entry police similar as 'open/unlock your luggage'.
Eorthisio:
Good that he got arrested but it's not that they saw his laptop's files from distance, I think it's more that Google keeps an history of its users' searches (everyone, even people with no Google Account through their IP), also many people use Google Drive and anything you put on it can be accessed by Google admin/staff.
People don't question themselves nowadays, they use Google, Facebook or even Weibo and don't think about privacy issues, on Facebook anything you post can be accessed by staff even if it's in "only me" mode. How many embarrassing photos, videos or else that spread like wildfire on the internet because people don't think before posting something online.
For searching the internet I use startpage.com, not that I search child porn but I just don't want Google, Yahoo or else to keep my search history.
Well...
Yes, you should. The reason for that is that SOMETIMES, certain individuals will be checked for one reason or another. A couple people on this forum have been checked at customs.
It could be a quota. What if they decide to randomly check? I wouldn't risk it... but then again, I've never stored porn, so...
I have heard you can bring a "reasonable" amount into China. I am not sure how much that is though. This question is kind of old though, not sure why it is being dug up.
They just stop the furtive looking foreigners and check their hands for calluses.
