Senate Hearing On Laptop Seizures At US Border

Slashdot notes that at a senate hearing, privacy advocates and industry groups will press lawmakers to take action to protect the privacy of Americans returning home to the United States.

According to travel and privacy analysts scheduled to testify before a Senate panel today, U.S. Customs and Border Patrols' routine of seizing laptop computers and other electronic devices from American travelers returning to the United States without notifying them of what will happen to the data could negatively affect the U.S. economy.

Peter Swire, chief counselor for privacy under President Bill Clinton, said he plans to tell the subcommittee how laptop searches are similar to the failed encryption policies of the 1990s.

“The government policy violates good security practices,” he said. “It asks for password and encryption keys, which people are trained to never reveal. It violates privacy, chills free speech and compromises business secrets."

See details at nextgov.