Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 2 hrs ago
US Border Searches of Phones and Laptops Rose 32% This Year
US border searches of travelers’ devices rose 32% this year, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The increase covers the first three quarters of fiscal 2026, which ran from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Agents searched a record 55,424 devices in fiscal 2025, the previous full-year period cited in the data.
Most were basic searches, which agents can start without reasonable suspicion and which can require travelers to provide their passcodes.
Agents can hold a device for up to five days if a traveler refuses to provide the passcode.
Advanced searches require reasonable suspicion and may use forensic software to unlock devices and copy data, including encrypted data.
Searches of visitors’ laptops and smartphones at the US border rose 32% in the first three quarters of the 2026 fiscal year, according to data obtained by CBC News.
The 2026 fiscal year period covered ran from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Border agents searched a record 55,424 devices during the 2025 fiscal year.
Of those 2025 searches, 47,517 were classified as basic and 4,564 as advanced.
Basic searches can be conducted without reasonable suspicion, while advanced searches require an officer to claim reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity or a national security concern.
- Who
- US Customs and Border Protection agents searched devices belonging to visitors entering the United States.
- What
- Searches of laptops and smartphones rose 32% during the first three quarters of the 2026 fiscal year.
- When
- The reported period ran from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
- Where
- At the US border.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Border agents searched a record 55,424 devices.
The 2026 fiscal year began.
The first three quarters of the 2026 fiscal year ended.
- Increase
- 32% in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2026
- Fiscal-year period
- October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026
- 2025 fiscal-year searches
- 55,424 devices
- Basic searches in 2025
- 47,517
- Advanced searches in 2025
- 4,564