In a decision that will impact travelers with laptops, a U.S. federal appeals court set forth a decision that has profound impact upon issues of security and privacy:

“SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. Customs inspection of a laptop computer that found child pornography does not constitute an unreasonable search and seizure, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Monday.”

link: Court says search of laptop with porn is legal

One’s initial reaction to this case may be biased due to the fact that this matter involves illicit child material. However, that matter aside, this ruling sets the precedent that the contents of a laptop are not private. A laptop and its contents become searchable items through travel checkpoints. The ruling establishes that matters of security trump privacy. In effect, laptops are now open to any security inspection. Reasonable suspicion is not necessary. Everyone is suspect.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

Tags: privacy, security, laptops, inspections, court ruling, travelers, precedent