Take Care When Crossing the Border

In a little noticed announcement (.PDF) in July, 2008, the U.S. Government gave border patrol officers (U.S. Border and Customs Protection (CBP)) the right to search or seize laptops from people crossing the border. The document gives the officers the right to search and seizure without cause of any sort.

CBP is responsible for ensuring compliance with customs, immigration, and other Federal laws at the border. To that end, officers may examine documents, books, pamphlets, and other printed material, as well as computers, disks, hard drives, and other electronic or digital storage devices.

In the course of a border search, and absent individualized suspicion, officers can review and analyze the information transported by any individual attempting to enter, reenter, depart, pass through, or reside in the United States, subject to the requirements and limitations provided herein.

But in spite of the high flying words about limitations there is very little within the document to prevent any border patrol officer from perusing all the private data on any digital storage device. They may even request translation or decryption assistance at their discretion.

Once again we see the Department of Homeland Security prying into our lives without a care to the Constitution or its protections we are granted. To the traveler, beware. Big Brother is watching your every step.

Peace.