Customs and Border Protection agents once again have a green light to freely search the phones and computers of people entering the country, including U.S. citizens
According to Reuters, on late Tuesday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that both "basic" and "advanced" searches of electronic devices were permitted by border agents — without a warrant. This stands in stark contrast to a 2019 court ruling, which declared suspicionless searches unconstitutional.
It's important to note that the advanced search, as defined here, permits copying the data off a person's phone or computer for later analysis.
Thankfully, according to the ACLU, this ruling does not apply to the so-called border zone, which the ACLU cautions the government interprets as spanning 100 miles from the U.S. border. Instead, Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, confirmed that Tuesday's ruling only applies to those in the process of crossing the border (which is still a lot of people, to be fair).
iRobot Roomba Essential Vac Q011 Robot Vacuum Cleaner—$159.99(List Price $249.99)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet—$142.49(List Price $219.99)
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case—$168.99(List Price $249.00)
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker With 6-Months Membership—$99.95(List Price $159.95)
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Midnight, S/M, Sports Band)—$279.99(List Price $399.00)
"Warrantless and suspicionless electronic device searches can give border officers unfettered access to vast amounts of private information about our lives," explained Bhandari in an emailed statement. "We are disappointed with the ruling and evaluating all options to ensure we don't lose our privacy rights when we travel."
Tuesday's ruling goes so far as to say that CBP agents don't even need to suspect any wrongdoing to conduct a basic search. In 2019, the ACLU found that CBP agents more or less searched people's electronic devices whenever they felt like it.
SEE ALSO: WTF: A hacker tried to remotely poison a Florida city's water supply
The decision, notes the EFF, follows the warrantless search of 10 U.S citizens and one lawful permanent resident's devices by CBP when they reentered the country in 2017. One of the people in question was a NASA engineer, who was reentering the U.S. after a solar-powered car race in Chile.
TopicsCybersecurityPrivacy
(责任编辑：探索)
Carlos Beltran made a very interesting hair choiceOMG, look at these original 'Legend of Zelda' design documentsFord announces nextPeople are freaking out over this Instagram pic of Drake and J.LoSingapore gets world's first driverless taxisSatisfy your Olympics withdrawals with Nike's latest app
Following in the footsteps of last year's successful launch of Nike's Tech Book is back in its secon
...[详细]Honorary 6th grader Bernie Sanders put a Trump tweet on a giant poster and brought it to Senate
Healthcare for millions of Americans is in jeopardy, and Senator Bernie Sanders is fighting back wit
...[详细]Woman gets horny guy to kiss a tractor for a chance at nude pictures
Oh, the embarrassing lengths some people will go for a naked picture.Twitter user @ktyshrmn shared a
...[详细]Augmented reality app from IBM and NY Times tries to make history fun
Using virtual reality to immerse people in history has become increasingly common in recent months,
...[详细]Tyler, the Creator helped Frank Ocean celebrate 'Blonde' release in a delicious way
The release of Frank Ocean's 。 Blonde
。is a cause for celebration to the fans who waited four years fo
...[详细]For the first time ever, a non
Watch out, GameCube controller, the Smash Box is coming to a major。 Super Smash Bros. Melee 。tourname
...[详细]Woman smuggles cat in her carry
Oh, Canada. 。A cat-loving woman has been sent home by New Zealand customs officials after they found
...[详细]10 tips for new writers from a self
It's that time when many people look to the year ahead as an opportunity to reassess their goals. If
...[详细]More than half of women in advertising have faced sexual harassment, report says
If you are a woman in advertising, chances are you've faced workplace sexual harassment at one point
...[详细]Taco Bell teases a hungry nation with spicy lava chicken chips
It's not even the end of the first week of 2017 and Taco Bell has already ushered in yet another rea
...[详细]Australian football makes history with first LGBT Pride Game
Jury trial to decide whether the 'Star Trek' fan film boldly went too far