warrantless searches

David House, who had his electronic devices seized when entering the country, successfully pushed to get the government to release information about its warrantless searches. Elise Amendola/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Elise Amendola/AP

The Two-Way

U.S. Defends Warrantless Searches Of Electronic Devices At Border

September 10, 2013 • Documents released this week show how U.S. border agents can seize laptops, cameras, cellphones and other digital devices, then download data before returning them. The practice raises questions about invasions of privacy and civil liberties.