CNN and a a lot of other outlets are reporting that JPL engineer Sidd Bikkannavar, an American-born citizen, was detained at the border when returning from racing solar powered cars overseas.
The border guards demanded he turn over his government-issued NASA phone and its PIN and held him in their detention area.
Bikkannavar also was interviewed by The Verge:
"It was not that they were concerned with me bringing something dangerous in, because they didn't even touch the bags. They had no way of knowing I could have had something in there," he says. "You can say, 'Okay well maybe it's about making sure I'm not a dangerous person,' but they have all the information to verify that."
Bikkannavar says he's still unsure why he was singled out for the electronic search. He says he understands that his name is foreign — its roots go back to southern India. He didn't think it would be a trigger for extra scrutiny, he says. "Sometimes I get stopped and searched, but never anything like this. Maybe you could say it was one huge coincidence that this thing happens right at the travel ban."
Land of the free? Home of the brave?
(Score: 3, Informative) by J053 on Thursday February 16 2017, @02:21AM
The law does not require that you give border agents access to your data. They can ask for it and they can hassle you, but ultimately they can not require it without reasonable suspicion.
Actually, it does. In Riley v. California (2013) and United States v. Wurie (2014) the US Supreme Court agreed with the Ninth Circuit that, for purposes of Customs enforcement, laptops, cell phones, and tablets are just as searchable as any other luggage.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @07:11PM
No, it does not say that.
Being searchable is one thing.
Being required to assist with the search is a completely different thing.