Court Tells Travelers: Leave the Laptop Behind or Risk a Search
From the Center for Democracy & Technology:
A federal appellate court ruled that the government can freely search and save the files travelers maintain on their laptops when coming back to the U.S. from an out of country trip. The case, United States v. Arnold, No. 06-50581, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 8590 (9th Cir., April 21, 2008) has put business travelers in a tizzy and may pique the attention of members of Congress. . .. . . Arnold’s case was about what officials can do at the border when they have no reasonable suspicion. Should they be able to download everything on a computer hard drive? The court reasoned that because the search of the computer’s contents occurred at the border, the same doctrine that permits CBP to search your suitcase permits its agents to cull through your computer or go trolling on your Treo or iPhone or whatever handheld electronic device you may be carrying.