1st Circuit Upholds Border Searches of Phones and Laptops
Border agents can turn on a U.S. citizen’s laptop, phone or other digital device, scroll through the data and then confiscate it for weeks even if they don’t have any reason to suspect that the owner is guilty of a crime, the First Circuit ruled Wednesday.
“Given the volume of travelers passing through our nation’s borders, warrantless electronic device searches are essential to … adequately protect the border,” the Boston-based court said in a decision. Requiring suspicion of wrongdoing “would hamstring the agencies’ efforts to prevent border-related crime and protect this country from national security threats.”
Source: 1st Circuit Upholds Border Searches of Phones and Laptops – Courthouse News Service
