Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:32:19 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Travelers Rage Over Seized Laptops

Posted Feb 7, 08 12:18 PM CST in US 

(Newser) – US border agents tell travelers there’s no difference between a laptop and a suitcase; both are fair game for searches. People crossing into the US have found their electronics confiscated, and their data copied, the Washington Post reports, all without explanation. “The government is going well beyond its traditional role of looking for contraband,” said one irate lawyer.

Two civil-liberties groups are set today to file a lawsuit inspired by 24 such cases—15 involving travelers of Muslim, Middle Eastern, or South Asian descent. Businesses are worried too, with some requiring employees to wipe laptops clean of company secrets before travel. “People are quite concerned. They don’t want proprietary business information” divulged, one activist said. “It increases the anxiety level.”

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • LAX Readies 'Strip Search' Scans

    Apr 18, 08 9:59 AM CDT
    LAX Readies 'Strip Search' Scans New technology will allow screeners at Los Angeles International Airport to scan passengers with a device that effectively looks beneath their clothes, the LA Times reports. The “whole body imaging” machines are drawing mixed reviews—a TSA spokesman praised the "brand-new security tool," but an ACLU rep compared a scan to a “high-tech strip-search.” More »

  • TSA Changes Rules on Nipple Rings

    Mar 29, 08 6:23 AM CDT
    Airport security guards who forced a woman to remove her nipple rings with pliers were following procedures, according to the TSA—but they agree it's time for some new procedures, CNN reports. Pierced passengers pulled over for inspection will in future be told they have the option of showing the piercing to a guard instead of removing it. More »

  • Woman Forced to Remove Nipple Rings at Airport

    Mar 28, 08 10:04 AM CDT
    Woman Forced to Remove Nipple Rings at Airport A Texas woman is calling for an apology after airport security in Lubbock forced her to pull out her nipple piercings with a pair of pliers before boarding her plane, the AP reports. When her chest set off the security wand, Mandi Hamlin offered to show a female guard her unremovable piercings in private, but male guards insisted they be removed. She said she could hear them snickering as she did so. More »

  • Bush Demands Europe Step Up Flight Security

    Feb 11, 08 12:50 PM CST
    Bush Demands Europe Step Up Flight Security In a move some EU officials call blackmail, the Bush administration is demanding that EU members implement a wide range of new air security measures. The US wants American air marshals on all inbound flights, an online screening permit process for all US-bound passengers, and personal information on anyone flying to or even over the country, the Guardian reports. More »

  • Critics Cry 'Privacy' Over Passport Cards

    Jan 1, 08 4:53 PM CST
    Critics Cry 'Privacy' Over Passport Cards New wireless passport cards will make it easier for Americans to cross borders between Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean—but privacy groups worry that thieves will be pinching personal data off the new ID, the AP reports. One critic called the cards "inherently insecure;" officials say safeguards are built in and personal data won't be on the cards' chips. More »

Border agents have been taking electronics, copying all the information on them, and offering no explanation. This has alarmed some people.   (Getty Images)
Fliers Lose Laptops at Airport Checkpoints   (Getty Images)
  (Shutterstock)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

privacy • homeland security • airport security • border control • electronic surveillance laws


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »