Laptop Border Searches

This letter was sent to Senator Coleman, Senator Klobuchar, and Representative McCollum.

Dear Senator/Representative,

I am concerned about the broad rules that have been put in place for laptop and electronic device searches at the border.

The argument that we can't restrict agents by requiring reasonable cause doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Law enforcement officials inside the U.S. borders are subject to reasonable cause and search warrants and it doesn't destroy their ability to keep people safe.

We can't just consider the successes the border patrol claims to have had because of unrestricted laptop searches, we have to also consider the privacy implications of such rules. A laptop is much more personal than a traveler's bag - it may contain the keys to financial accounts or stored email. Unlike the contents of a person's bags, a laptop's contents could allow the border patrol officers to read your email, log into your credit card account, list everyone you know and everywhere you expect to be in the near future.

One of the cornerstones of a democracy is not simply trusting those in charge of keeping the peace to follow the rules without oversight.

I urge you to work to put in place rules that would restrict the circumstances that the border patrol can seize and copy a traveller's device, and make sure there is a limit on the period of time the image of the device can be kept.

This letter has been published on http://openletters.megancarney.com.

Sincerely,

Megan Carney