For years, US Customs and Border Patrol has claimed the right to search and seize travelers’ devices when they came across America’s borders, regardless of any specific suspicion. As of last week, this repugnant practice may finally come to an end, thanks to some of my favorite organizations: the national and Massachusetts chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):
In a major victory for privacy rights at the border, a federal court in Boston ruled today that suspicionless searches of travelers’ electronic devices by federal agents at airports and other U.S. ports of entry are unconstitutional.
Read all about it on the EFF’s website, and while you’re there, consider making a donation.