Comment by schoen
11 hours ago
Note that border searches of electronic devices are extremely rare overall. There were some statistics from CBP implying a base rate lower than 1 in 10,000 (I think lower than 1 in 100,000) border crossings.
I do know two people who have experienced them as a result of the government taking a personal interest in them, so it's certainly not impossible. However, it's not a common experience.
I've personally experienced searches of my suitcases about four times in about 100 U.S. border crossings (as a U.S. citizen, but the people performing or directing those searches generally didn't know my citizenship status), and zero electronic device searches.
I'm European and I know plenty, albeit the minority of those I know that went to the US, so I wonder how reliable are CBP stats.
Maybe my anecdotal experience is influenced by me being in IT, but still.
But why would that be legal? The device is owned by the individual. No judge signed any warrant search for the device. I can do what I want with my device - that is a basic right of property. Imagine if border guards seize money willy-nilly.
You are allowed to refuse access to your device, and they are allowed to refuse entry to the country.
Most constitutional rights are suspended within 100 miles of a border or international airport.
Which leaves me wondering - should domestic travel be treated the same as international when it comes to securing your devices?
1 reply →
> Imagine if border guards seize money willy-nilly.
This jogged my memory, though I couldn't find the example I was thinking of. But here's an item that is pretty similar:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenaha,_Texas_asset_forfeiture...
Edit: Not on the border, btw. Just people travelling inside US. I guess it was their mistake to carry cash instead of getting a bank check or something.
> Imagine if border guards seize money willy-nilly.
no need to imagine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United...