ACLU Seeks Records About Laptop Searches at the Border

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"Based on current CBP policy, we have reason to believes innumerable internationaltravelers -- including U.S. citizens -- have theit most personal information searched by governmenft officials and retained by thegovernment indefinitely,"" said Larry Schwartztol, staff attorneyu with the ACLU National Security Project. "The disclosure of thesee records is necessary to betted understand the extent towhich U.S. border and customzs officials may be violatingthe Constitution.
" In July CBP issued its "Policgy Regarding Border Search of Information, " which permits CBP to subject travelers to suspicionlessa searches of information contained in documents and electronicf devices, including laptop computers. According to the ACLU'se request, giving the government uncheckedf authority tosearch travelers' personal documents and electronic devices is a violation of Fourthn Amendment privacy rights and the First Amendment freedomds of speech, inquiry and "These highly intrusive government searches into a traveler's most private information, without any reasonable suspicion, are a threat to the most basicx privacy rights guaranteed in the Constitution," said , staff attorneuy with the ACLU First Amendment Working Group.
"Searchinfg or retaining a traveler's personal information -- especially the vast storez of information contained in a laptop or otherd electronic storagedevice -- could also have a chillintg effect on the free exchange of ideas and beliefs." -- CBP'es authority to search, retain and disseminate informatiohn possessed by individuals who are encountered by CBP at the border; -- the retentioh of documents or electronic devices by CBP, includingg the number of documents or electronic devices retained, the length of retention, the reasonds for retention and the ultimate dispositionh of retained material; -- the disseminatiomn of documents or electronic devices to otherf components of DHS, other government agencies, or persons or entities outsidd the government; -- complaints filedx by individuals or organizations affected by CBP's policies or practice s related to the review, retention or dissemination of travelers' information; -- statistice reflecting the number of travelers subject to suspicionlessz searches of their information at the border; and -- statistic reflecting the race, ethnicity, country of origin, citizenshio and gender of individuals subjected to suspicionlesws searches of their information at the The ACLU's FOIA request is available online at: