ACLU Files Lawsuit on Border Laptop Searches
August 31, 2009 – 5:50 am
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in New York Federal Court on Wednesday, to retrieve on the U.S Customs Border and Protection’s (CBP) laptop searching policy. Until the court makes a determination of whether the Freedom of Information Act prohibits this type of searching, the rights of individuals remain unclear. “Travelling with a laptop shouldn’t mean the government gets a free pass to rifle through your personal papers”, ACLU staff attorney Catherine Crump said. Based on the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable search and seizure, those travelling with laptops should have protection.
Under the current policy, CBP claims the right to search all files saved on laptops. This includes personal financial information, family photographs and lists of Web sites travelers have visited. In addition, CBP’s policy pertains to searches of “documents, books, pamphlets and other printed material and all other electronic or digital storage devices such as computers, disks, and hard drives are also possible objects for warrantless searching. This policy covers all individuals, whether or not they are U.S. Citizens, crossing the border or travelling overseas.
For more information please click: ACLU sues CBP re border laptop searches
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