S.T.O.P. Condemns Secret CBP Cellphone Database

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Secret CBP Cellphone Database (New York, NY, 9/15/2022) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns revelations of a secret U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cellphone and computer database that includes data from up to 10,000 devices per year. Today, the Washington Post reported that CBP officials disclosed the database of seized devices to congressional staff this summer. CBP routinely uses its border search authority to take devices without a warrant, even though a warrant is otherwise required to search a cellphone or computer in the United States. SEE: The Washington Post - Customs officials have copied Americans’ phone data at massive scale https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/15/government-surveillance-database-dhs/ “Our rights shouldn't stop at the border,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. "CBP is abusing this constitutional loophole to do an end-run around the 4th Amendment. For years, we've warned that CBP will use its powers to help other law enforcement agencies target travelers. This sprawling database proves that CBP's searches were never about finding contraband, but were always just a way to avoid the Constitution. The Biden Administration and Congress must act to stop these searches and purge this database.” In July, S.T.O.P. condemned President Biden’s $1.5 billion “smart border” deal with Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador as a “dumb idea.” Earlier this year, S.T.O.P. condemned expanded immigration surveillance under the Biden Administration, including a $7.2 million contract allowing ICE to purchase 10,000 smartphones configured to track migrants processed at the southern border with GPS and facial recognition. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Biden-Mexico ‘Smart Border’ Deal As ‘Dumb Idea’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/7/13/stop-condemns-biden-mexico-smart-border-deal-as-dumb-idea Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Expanded Biden Admin Surveillance, Warrantless FBI Searches, ICE Tracking Devices https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/5/2/stop-condemns-expanded-biden-admin-surveillance-warrantless-fbi-searches-ice-tracking-devices The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. -- END -- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.