U.S. border agents searched more electronic devices during a three-month period than ever before, according to new government statistics.
The data shows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency tasked with immigration screening at the U.S. border, searched 14,899 devices of international travelers between April through June, a 17% rise on the previous record high recorded in early 2022.
Most of these searches are “basic,” where U.S. border agents demand the password to the traveler’s device and look through its contents without using equipment.
While citizens cannot be denied entry to the U.S., their devices can be seized indefinitely for refusing a device search. Visitors can decline, but they’d face rejection from the country.
The constitutionality of border searches remains a hotly debated topic, with split judicial opinions across the country, but an issue that the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to consider.
(via Wired)
