Policy Observatory
Warrantless airport seizure of laptop is an invasion of privacy
Tue 12 May 2015, 19:11
The US government prosecuted a South Korean businessman for illegally selling technology used in aircraft and missiles to Iran. The authorities exercised the border exception rule that allows to seize and search goods and people—without court warrants—along the border and at airport international terminals.
The court ruled that the authorities illegally seized the businessman's computer at Los Angeles International Airport and that the initial seizure cannot be justified.