Appeals court rules officers can search phones at border without warrant or probable cause

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An Appeals Court ruled Thursday that officers working at the U.S. border can search travelers’ phones without a warrant, probable cause or reasonable suspicion.

The case was brought by an individual who had his phone searched and was later convicted of bank fraud and money laundering, Newsweek reported.

“Today’s decision leaves Americans’ most sensitive information open to search at the border without any suspicion at all,” said Scott Wilkens, senior counsel at the Knight First Amendment Institute, said in a statement.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told Newsweek that the ruling was “common sense” and would help enforce laws against terrorism, child exploitation, drug smuggling and national security threats.