[Infowarrior] - ACLU Report: Border laptop searches

[Richard Forno]

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) First Production Documents

January 14, 2010
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/customs-and-border-protection-cbp-first-production-documents

In response to the ACLU’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking  
documents about the government’s policy of searching travelers’  
laptops and cell phones at U.S. border crossings without suspicion of  
wrongdoing, the government has released hundreds of pages of documents  
about the policy. The records reveal new information about how many  
devices have been searched, what happens to travelers’ files once they  
are in the government’s possession, and travelers’ complaints about  
how they are treated by border officials.

The ACLU's analysis of the first batch of documents released by CBP  
reveals:

• In a span of just nine months, CBP officials searched over 1,500  
electronic devices belonging to travelers. Under the current policy,  
they were not required to justify a single one of these searches.

• Travelers' laptops are not the only devices at risk of being  
examined, detained, or seized by the government. In fact, cell phones  
were the most commonly searched and seized devices between October  
2008 and June 2009.

• Other types of devices that were searched and detained during this  
time period include digital cameras, thumb drives, hard drives, and  
even DVDs.

• Between July 2008 and June 2009, CBP transferred electronic files  
found on travelers' devices to third-party agencies almost 300 times.  
Over half the time, these unknown agencies asserted independent bases  
for retaining or seizing the transferred files. More than 80 percent  
of the transfers involved the CBP making copies of travelers' files.