Airport Electronics Searches Truly Troubling

A series of events at international airport security checkpoints -- and not just the all-gadgets-out-of-bags issue that Ben reported last week -- are troubling privacy and civil liberties advocates.

In the last few months, travelers have found their cell phones and laptops seized by officials, at least temporarily. In at least one case, an engineer was asked to turn on the PC, enter his password, and allow agents to copy a record of all the web sites he had visited on the machine. The laptop was then taken away from him altogether.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Asian Law Caucus filed a lawsuit last week to demand that the government disclose border search policies regarding electronic devices. At least two dozen incidents have now been logged, 15 of which involved officers searching records of cell phone calls, files on laptops, and even the contents of MP3 players. Almost all involve "travelers of Muslim, Middle Eastern or South Asian background, many of whom... are concerned they were singled out because of racial or religious profiling."

Some travelers never receive their equipment back at all. Just imagine having to change all your passwords while your laptop is impounded by U.S. Customs. You may take every step possible to protect your data from hackers and viruses, but that'll do you no good if your computer gets taken away from you wholesale.

The issues extend beyond personal privacy and security concerns, too. In several cases, travelers have been visiting the U.S. with company-issued laptops carrying trade secrets and other proprietary information. In response, one company is now sending travelers to the U.S. with "blank laptops" that contain no data on them. All files have to be accessed via the Internet instead.

Just imagine the uproar should one of those seized laptops contain millions of customer records, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.

Alas, I'm not expecting much resolution on this issue. Despite repeated complaints and lawsuits against heavy-handed security tactics, TSA and Customs officials have never faced much more than a slap on the wrist, if that.

Given the current paranoia over border security, this is a trend that, I'm betting, actually gets worse before it gets better. Something to keep in mind if you're heading overseas.

LINK: Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches