The PC Privacy Battle at the Border Nov 13, 2009, 22 :34 UTC (12 Talkback[s]) (2307 reads) (Other stories by Richard Adhikari)
"Staff members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agencies have the authority to seize electronic devices at U.S. ports of entry, examine the information they contain, and destroy copies of that information.
"That authority comes from a DHS policy publicized July 16 that sparked opposition from several civil liberties organizations last year. It also led to the tabling of Senate Bill S. 3612, also known as the "Travelers' Privacy Protection Act," in the U.S. Senate Sept. 26. The act was introduced by Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and cosponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Daniel Akaka (D-Hi.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Little progress has been made so far.
"CBP issued a new directive on border searches Aug. 20 to clarify matters. This directive states that CBP officers can perform searches whether or not they have cause to suspect the targets of the searches."
