Returning from vacation? The government can search your phone without a warrant.
Summary
Ars Technica reports that an Argentinian-American immigration advocate sued the federal government after a Customs and Border Protection agent allegedly searched his bags and copied data from his phone at Miami International Airport. The piece explains the border search exemption to the Fourth Amendment, highlighting CBP's stated authority to copy data from electronic devices under certain conditions, noting that such searches are rare. It also frames the case within ongoing debates about privacy, surveillance, and civil liberties at the border.