Parabellum. Thank you for the clarification - I believe, now, we are on the same page. Been there, done that; and will continue - to go there, and do that !
Now back to this thread. So the issues are :
1. What constitutes unlawful data ?
2. What are the legal powers of Customs and Excise, in various countries, to demand viewing personal electronic data and how can they do it ?
3. Who is watching your electronic data trail and how ?
4. What onus does Customs and Excise have to prove reasonable suspicion ?
5. What constitutes a thorough search ?
6. What rights does a pax or crew have when questioned or searched ?
7. Will this paranoia about security ever end ?
Personally, unless the Customs in OZ were acting on a tip-off (and can prove it) - the crew involved should have denied access to their data unless a written warrant was produced; I don't know the details of the search, but it wouldn't surprise me if the search wasn't fully legal from the start; however, if they got the voluntary co-operation from the crew then it's a no-brainer. Either way, once the contraband was found, the guys involved would be living a truly 'porn' experience - if you know what I mean.