U.S. border laptop searches approved

A federal appeals court has made it easier for customs officials to search through the contents of a person's laptop. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection division do not need reasonable suspicion to examine information contained on the laptop of any individual crossing the U.S. border. The court said such border searches have long been allowed for such items as a traveler's briefcase, purse, wallet or pockets. 

The decision is blow to privacy advocates and could cause problems or at least possible delays for some IT executives who travel overseas with their laptops. It is expected that this ruling will be appealed but it serves as another warning for executives to tread carefully and make sure their laptops do not contain any sensitive information or questionable material that could make a routine stop at the border a long one. The case before the appeals court, by the way, involved a man who was arrested on charges of transporting child pornography on his laptop.

For more on laptop perils:
- See this ComputerWorld article