Warrantless gadget searches at the border aren’t unconstitutional

The government’s right to search travelers’ electronic devices at the border was upheld in a ruling released by a federal judge on Tuesday, which dismissed a lawsuit challenging this policy. Judge Edward R. Korman claims that “there is not a substantial risk that their electronic devices will be subject to a search or seizure without reasonable suspicion”.

A United States district judge has ruled that gadget searches upon crossing into the US aren’t a breach of the First and Fourth Amendments. In 2010, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Press Photographers and grad student Pascal Abidor challenged the 2008 ruling that authorizes unwarranted device search-and-seizures, saying that they exist to counteract protected speech and certain confidentiality privileges. However, district judge Edward Korman remarks that because the chance of the searches is so low (he estimates odds of less than five in a million, although the government’s count has been disputed) there aren’t any grounds for dismissing the rulings.