The American Civil Liberties Union is putting pressure on the TSA to explain exactly why it continues to search the electronic devices of US nationals on domestic flights.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco District Court after being rebuffed by the agency when requesting data under the Freedom of Information Act last year.
The ACLU is seeking discovery to get an idea of the agency’s motives and criteria for singling out individuals.
It also wants to know what training TSA officers involved in the searches are given and what equipment they use.
"TSA is searching the electronic devices of domestic passengers, but without offering any reason for the search," ACLU staff attorney Vasudha Talla told NBC News.
"We don’t know why the government is singling out some passengers, and we don’t know what exactly TSA is searching on the devices."
"Our phones and laptops contain very personal information, and the federal government should not be digging through our digital data without a warrant," Talla added.
The ACLU has also challenged US Customs and Border Protection over a similar issue for both US and foreign nationals at airport border points.
