Author Archives: Grant Gross

Aaron Gach wasn’t expecting U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to demand to search his smartphone when he returned to San Fransisco from Belgium in February.

The artist and magician, a U.S. citizen, had just attended an art event near Brussels and was targeted for advanced screening by CBP after his flight landed in the U.S. During a series of questions from CBP agents (“Did you pack your bag yourself?”), they repeatedly asked to search his smartphone, Gach said.

“Do you understand that if you choose not to unlock your phone we may need to detain your other personal effects?” one agent told him, according to a description of the encounter that Gach posted online.

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Aaron Gach wasn’t expecting U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to demand to search his smartphone when he returned to San Fransisco from Belgium in February.

The artist and magician, a U.S. citizen, had just attended an art event near Brussels and was targeted for advanced screening by CBP after his flight landed in the U.S. During a series of questions from CBP agents (“Did you pack your bag yourself?”), they repeatedly asked to search his smartphone, Gach said.

“Do you understand that if you choose not to unlock your phone we may need to detain your other personal effects?” one agent told him, according to a description of the encounter that Gach posted online.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

During the past two years, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has targeted ever larger numbers of travelers’ smartphones and laptops for searches as they cross the border into the country.

U.S. courts have generally upheld a so-called border search exception to the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, allowing CBP to search electronic devices without a court-ordered warrant. In April, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation to require warrants to search devices owned by U.S. citizens and other legal residents, but for now, the law allows for warrantless device searches.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

During the past two years, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has targeted ever larger numbers of travelers’ smartphones and laptops for searches as they cross the border into the country.

U.S. courts have generally upheld a so-called border search exception to the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, allowing CBP to search electronic devices without a court-ordered warrant. In April, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation to require warrants to search devices owned by U.S. citizens and other legal residents, but for now, the law allows for warrantless device searches.

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Qualcomm, in a smartphone chip licensing spat with Apple, will reportedly ask a U.S. government agency to ban the import of iPhones into the country.

Qualcomm plans to ask the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban imports of iPhones, which are built in Asia, according to a Bloomberg Technology report. The news report cited an unnamed person familiar with Qualcomm’s strategy. 

A Qualcomm spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the news report.

The USITC has the power to ban imports into the U.S. for patent infringement, and the agency is frequently used by patent holders as an alternative or addition to slow-moving patent infringement lawsuits in U.S. courts.

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Qualcomm, in a smartphone chip licensing spat with Apple, will reportedly ask a U.S. government agency to ban the import of iPhones into the country.

Qualcomm plans to ask the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban imports of iPhones, which are built in Asia, according to a Bloomberg Technology report. The news report cited an unnamed person familiar with Qualcomm’s strategy. 

A Qualcomm spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the news report.

The USITC has the power to ban imports into the U.S. for patent infringement, and the agency is frequently used by patent holders as an alternative or addition to slow-moving patent infringement lawsuits in U.S. courts.

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