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Lawsuit takes aim at US border phone searches
A lawsuit jointly filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation wants to stop arbitrary searches of US travelers’ phones and laptops when entering the US at border checkpoints.
The organizations are backing 11 people who were searched by US officials which violates First and Fourth Amendment rights, the lawsuit says.
In some cases phones and computers were confiscated without a warrant.
These searches have more than doubled in the six months to March 2017 compared to the same period the previous year.
"We absolutely believe the searches are lawful," said David Lapan, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Border agents are permitted to look through luggage without due cause but privacy advocates say that should not apply to personal devices which can store vast amounts of personal and sensitive data.
While border agents cannot force travelers to unlock phones, some plaintiffs cited intimidation by agents.
Ten of the 11 plaintiffs are American citizens and one is a permanent resident.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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