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Returning from vacation? The government can search your phone without a warrant

411 points · 378 comments · rbanffy

  1. spiclk · · focus · HN ↗
    Does "search your phone" include any externally-hosted content that can be accessed by said phone?
    1. someonebaggy · · focus · HN ↗
      Yes of course. Basically they have ruled the entire warrant requirement for searches and prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures is suspended within 100 miles of any border or international airport (which is most of the US).
      1. galangalalgol · · focus · HN ↗
        The law makes it clear that the rules are only suspended in the customs zone of the airport and within 100 miles of the airport. They seem to follow that. The checkpoints you see in Washington state or down near the border with Mexico do not show up around denver or dfw. The reality is bad enough we don't need to exaggerate it. And they can't just grab every phone as they walk around LA either, they have to signal their dog to alert on you to give them probable cause...
        1. iamnothere · · focus · HN ↗
          The rules are not suspended within 100 miles of the airport, it’s only land and sea borders. (Look it up.) The person you were responding to is wrong and we need to push back against this becoming accepted “folk wisdom” or it will lead to more rights violations.
          1. alistairSH · · focus · HN ↗
            This.

            It's 100 miles of land & sea borders. Plus the airport zone. The airport does not create a new 100 mile zone.

            For example, ATL is not within 100 miles of a sea or land border, so the CBP zone is just the airport, not the 100 mile circle around the airport. But, ORD and LGA are both within 100 mile zones.

            Of course, it's all kind of a moot point, as the current administration seems happy enough to deploy immigration forces nationwide and Congress is spineless and incapable of pushing back.

            1. ElevenLathe · · focus · HN ↗
              Any standard that claims the entire city of Chicago to be a border zone is an absurd standard, just laughably overreaching if it were ever put in front of a fair court.
              1. iamnothere · · focus · HN ↗
                Oh it’s absolutely an absurd standard, it’s just not as absurd as some claim. It still ropes in something like 2/3 of the US population as is.
              2. alistairSH · · focus · HN ↗
                Yeah, it's pretty laughable, given Lake Michigan is fully within the US. But CBP considers all the Great Lakes as basically one giant international body of water.

                DC also, because of proximity to the Chesapeake Bay. Austin TX within 100 of the Gulf of Mexico. And on and on.

                As noted in a sibling, the 100 mile zone captures about 2/3 of the population.

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