Flutterby™! : Suspicionless search of electronics unconstitutional

Suspicionless search of electronics unconstitutional

2019-11-13 03:51:55.859783+00 by Dan Lyke 3 comments

ACLU: Federal Court Rules Suspicionless Searches of Travelers’ Phones and Laptops Unconstitutional

BOSTON — In a major victory for privacy rights, a federal court in Boston today ruled that the government’s suspicionless searches of international travelers’ smartphones and laptops at airports and other U.S. ports of entry violate the Fourth Amendment. The ruling came in a lawsuit, Alasaad v. McAleenan, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and ACLU of Massachusetts, on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without individualized suspicion at U.S. ports of entry.

[ related topics: User Interface Privacy Aviation moron Law Civil Liberties ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: Suspicionless search of electronics unconstitutional made: 2019-11-13 03:57:07.93543+00 by: TheSHAD0W

This will almost certainly be appealed, and I suspect it's going to be difficult to keep from being overturned.

#Comment Re: Suspicionless search of electronics unconstitutional made: 2019-11-13 13:29:20.758273+00 by: DaveP

Nice if it sticks, but I’ve been leery of crossing into Canada because of searches both directions. He Canadian customs officials were (in the early 2000s at least) every bit as aggressive about searching electronics as their south-of-the-border counterparts. Don’t like it, you don’t get to enter the country.

#Comment Re: Suspicionless search of electronics unconstitutional made: 2019-11-16 02:02:28.68224+00 by: meuon

I have EFF "I do not consent" stickers on my phones and devices I travel with. I've been stopped twice and asked for access:

"Sir, I'm an IT professional with access to other parties systems. Provide me with a search warrant and I will comply, after I've notified my employer so that they can notify our national and international customers that my credentials and their information has been compromised."

Both times I've been handed back my gear and told to have a nice trip.

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