October 2, 2008
“Bill Would Limit Customs’s Laptop Seizures”
Bill Would Limit Customs’s Laptop Seizures – Yahoo! News
Democrats in Congress are proposing legislation to limit the authority of customs agents to search and duplicate Americans’ laptops, PDAs, and other electronic devices at border crossings.
ADVERTISEMENTThe move follows the release of documents showing that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency broadly expanded the authority of agents to search and duplicate materials from travelers entering the country without the requirement of reasonable suspicion.
Two Democratic senators, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Maria Cantwell of Washington, have cosponsored a bill that would require customs agents to establish a “reasonable suspicion of illegal activity” before searching the contents of laptops or other devices carried by U.S. citizens entering the country. The measure would also limit the amount of time that officials can detain laptops and other devices without a court order and forbids the use of race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin in search selection. A similar bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
Now this is a bill I can support!


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