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Border search exception : confiscating your cellphone is legal!

January 2, 2014 by Denis 6 Comments

Border Search Exception.

Border Search Exception

Border Search Exception

International travelers, be forewarned: the US federal court decision announced on New Year’s Eve did not seem to attract a lot of attention, but its impact should be of interest to all of you. The court upheld the government’s right, at the borders, to inspect and copy the contents of travelers’ laptops and other electronic devices without the need for reasonable suspicion, even if that means confiscating the devices for the days or weeks necessary to perform such inspections.

Known as the “border search exception”, this tenet of US law allows for “routine” search and seizures at international borders and their equivalents (e.g. airports with international flights) and has been consistently upheld by the US Supreme Court.

What is relatively recent is not only the application of the border search exception law to electronic devices, but the right of the government to confiscate the laptop, cellphone or other electronic device for days or weeks (11 days in the case just decided by the federal court), as well as the government’s right to copy everything it finds on the devices. And US customs agents do not need reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing; no particular justification is needed. All the more reason to treat the border agent with attentive and obedient respect!

At the moment, the fact that these searches are rarely performed is the best protection we all have; if the seizure of travelers’ laptops or cellphones were to become more commonplace, the need for reasonable suspicion would very likely become a legal requirement of the border search exception law.

Under current law, it is  assumed that you are aware that you could be searched when crossing international borders (either at the US border or, perhaps with much more certainty, at the foreign entry/exit point). It is further assumed that, armed with this knowledge, you had the option of taking precautions to mitigate the possible eventual search or seizure of your laptop or cellphone.

The obvious conclusion: don’t carry with you on your laptop, cellphone or ipad any data you do not wish to share with anyone else, and be ready to lose the use of those devices for a couple of weeks.

Take this warning as an incentive to finally clean up your laptop or your cellphone of all that useless or perhaps compromising data you’ve been accumulating over the years. Also make sure you have a full backup of all the data you care about, or alternatively, that you are a user of cloud services and  have access to all of your data from devices other than the ones you are carrying with you. On the other hand, if you are really paranoid about this, you can simply travel with a laptop free of data and use gotomypc.com or some other remote access software to connect to your computer back at the office or at home during your trip.

Safe travels with your electronic devices!

Stay tuned to BonVoyageurs.com for more Countries of the World as we share our joie de vivre from around the world.  Luxury escapes and city breaks to Quebec City, New York, Washington, Buenos Aires. In Europe, places like Paris France, Nice France, Provence and the Cote d’Azur (French Riviera), Tuscany and Florence in Italy, Rome, Napoli and the Amalfi Coast. In Asia, countries like China, India, Nepal and so much more!

Filed Under: Travel Tips Tagged With: airports, American Civil Liberties Union, around the world, Border search exception, Canada, cellphone, city breaks, Edward R. Korman, Electronics, ipad, Joie de vivre, Laptop, luxury escapes, Mexico, Quebec City, Reasonable suspicion, Travel, United States, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

« New Year’s Day falls on January 1st since when?
Quebec Flag : Can you guess where this photo was taken? »

Comments

  1. Donald Smith says

    January 9, 2014 at 10:25 am

    Are you completely loonie? The (now totally forgotten) Constitution forbid unreasonable searches or seizures for a reason; protection of people’s privacy. The current bunch in D. C. have been destroying all vestiges of public service and inherent rights over the last few decades. You appear to think that we should adapt to this new intrusion, along with the other absurdities of supposed enhanced ‘security. At what point would you decide that these supposed ‘public servants’ have become people controllers?

    Reply
  2. Denis says

    January 9, 2014 at 11:04 am

    The Supreme Court has consistently held that searches and seizures at the border are legal. Any reasonable person would recognize that you do not have the same privacy rights when crossing an international border as you do in your home.

    Reply
  3. haroon says

    January 11, 2014 at 11:37 pm

    Confusion here maybe due to misunderstandings.

    I believe the constitution of rights applies to rights of US Nationals and Citizens and not visitors.

    Also the law at borders is complex as different laws apply pre and pro immigration/ border control.

    When arriving at an airport before border control, you are legally not in the country !

    Hence Ed Snowden was in limbo but untouchable, had he been arrested, it would have required changes to worldwide transit laws.

    Reply
  4. Elias says

    January 12, 2014 at 2:02 am

    Just another reason for not traveling to the US anymore. I don’t feel welcome and this will be just another blow to the tourist industry. Goodbye America, my vacation money will be spent elsewhere 🙂

    Reply
  5. Jtumala says

    July 27, 2015 at 11:27 pm

    Do you actually get your items back and who pays for the shipping costs? Does anybody know?

    Reply

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TOP 10 travel experts and influencers on social media and rated as one of the most influential travel bloggers in the world, Denis and Lynn Gagnon have been circling the globe for more than 45 years. Former international business travelers, they know how to travel - with class, comfort, and style. Members of the National Press Club, PTBA , NATJA and SATW. Wish to connect? Email them at [email protected].

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