Congress Must Investigate Electronic Searches at U.S. Borders (EFF)

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 01, 2008

Contact:

Marcia Hofmann
   Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   marcia@eff.org
   +1 415 436-9333 x116

Lee Tien
   Senior Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   tien@eff.org
   +1 510 501-8755

Congress Must Investigate Electronic Searches at U.S.
Borders

Broad Coalition Urges Hearings on Intrusive Search and
Seizure of Electronic Devices

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
and a broad coalition, including civil rights groups,
professional associations and technologists, called on
Congress today to hold oversight hearings on the Department
of Homeland Security's search and seizure of electronic
devices at American borders.

The press has widely reported disturbing stories about U.S.
citizens subject to intrusive searches of their laptops and
cell phones.  But a recent court decision found that
customs officials can search travelers' computers at the
border without suspicion or cause.  In a letter sent to the
House and Senate Homeland Security and Judiciary committees
today, the coalition urges lawmakers to consider passing
legislation to prevent abusive search practices by border
agents and to protect all Americans from suspicionless
digital border inspections.

"Our computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices
hold a vast amount of personal information like financial
data, health histories, and personal emails and letters,"
said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann.  "In a free
country, the government cannot have unlimited power to
read, seize, and store this information without any
oversight."

So far, the Department of Homeland Security has refused to
release its policies and procedures for conducting these
intrusive searches.  EFF and the Asian Law Caucus have
filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security to
obtain the information through the Freedom of Information
Act.

"Your privacy could be at risk even if you don't travel
yourself.  Your financial institution, your insurer, and
other enterprises hold extensive personal data about you
and your family," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Lee Tien.
"If agents of those groups travel internationally, your
information could be exposed to officials at the border or
potentially copied and stored in government databases.
Americans should know how and why electronic data is seized
and kept by the government, and who is able to access it at
the border and in the years afterwards."

In addition to EFF, the coalition signing today's letter
includes more than 40 organizations and individuals,
including the Association for Corporate Travel Executives,
the American Civil Liberties Union, the National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Rutherford
Institute, and prominent technologists such as Bruce
Schneier and Whitfield Diffie.

For the full letter to Congress:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/05/01/border-searc...

For more on EFF's suit on border searches:
http://www.eff.org/cases/foia-litigation-border-searches

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/05/01

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


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