CBP Device Searches More than Doubled in FY 2016 and Continue Rising

Device searches by Customs and Border Protection more than doubled in FY 2016 over the prior fiscal year and are continuing to rise, show agency figures released Tuesday. In the first six months of FY 2017, electronic devices of nearly 15,000 international travelers to the U.S. were searched, and in recent months, the monthly total was higher than that of the year-ago period. CBP said the searches affected less than 0.0008 percent of the nearly 190 million travelers who have come this fiscal year. In FY 2016, electronic devices of more than 19,000 travelers -- representing 0.005 percent of the 391 million travelers -- were searched, while in FY 2015 that number was about 8,500 travelers, or 0.002 percent of 383 million travelers. Privacy and civil liberties groups have criticized the policy and practice (see 1703170019 and 1702210007). In Congress, lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require law enforcement to get a warrant based on probable cause before they could search a U.S. person's device (see 1704050030).