Now that’s a weird rule I’ve heard of. Apparently the US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement can and probably will search the electronics you have, no matter if you’re looking suspicious or you’ve done something wrong.

We know it for sure, from the Department of Homeland Security who disclosed today that without any suspicion of wrongdoing your belongings can be detained for a reasonable period of time. That’s where I understand that they can keep your laptop or maybe your iPhone for as long as they please.

However the worse part is that the Department of Homeland Security can also share your data with government agencies or other private entities if they need to translate, decrypt or “something else”. Does it apply to everyone? Yes, even US citizens. Does any good? So they say, preventing terrorism.

I suggest you have your backups done if you end up leaving your laptop with these guys and they find an interesting movie to watch or maybe a good game. I am sure me/you/we geeks are going to appreciate the efforts and measures taken to prevent terrorism. What do you think about it?

Reuters via Switched

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Filed under News
Tags: authorities, detain, DHS, electronics, suspicions, terrorism