Suspicionless searches of electronics at the border ruled unconstitutional

Your entire life is on your phone, and that merits some basic privacy protections.

So ruled the United States District Court of Massachusetts on Nov. 12, declaring that Customs and Border Protection or ICE officials can no longer search the electronics of travelers at the border without individualized suspicion. In other words, it's officially unconstitutional for authorities to seize and search your smartphone or laptop at the border just because they feel like it. 

This, it should go without saying, is a good thing — a fact emphasized by EFF senior attorney Sophia Cope.  

"This is a great day for travelers who now can cross the international border without fear that the government will, in the absence of any suspicion, ransack the extraordinarily sensitive information we all carry in our electronic devices," observed Cope in an statement emailed to Mashable. Read more...