See if you can figure out what's missing from the bill:
Sanchez's bill would bring more routine to the search process. The bill requires the government to draft additional rules regarding information security, the number of days a device can be retained, receipts that must be issued when devices are taken, ways to report abuses, and it requires the completion of both a privacy impact study and a civil liberties impact study. Travelers would also have the explicit right to watch as the search is conducted.
Right off the bat, I noticed the following were missing:
Chances are much higher that these searches will be used to grab copyright and sex offenders, rather than terrorists. Cases like this, not 9-11, were the more probable inspiration for DHS' policies on border searches of laptops.
- Compensation for property owners if their property is damaged while in federal custody.
- Compensation for property owners' expense in returning the device to them.
- Punishment for agents who act without probable cause.
- A mandate to rigorously secure all information taken into federal custody, including contact information for those whose device is seized.
Chances are much higher that these searches will be used to grab copyright and sex offenders, rather than terrorists. Cases like this, not 9-11, were the more probable inspiration for DHS' policies on border searches of laptops.
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