In today’s info-centric world, it’s both fair and smart to be defensive about your digital footprint. We want to keep our information close to the proverbial chest, including obvious things like passwords and personal data as well as aspects of our social lives like social posts and photos. A little bit of digital street smarts will allow you to keep your information private in your day-to-day life, but there is one entity with a reputation for probing that may concern you: the Transportation Security Administration, better known as the TSA.
Advertisement
If you’re taking flights around the country and beyond on a regular basis, you will have more frequent run-ins with the TSA and its lengthy, occasionally obnoxious security screenings. Considering this, it’s fair to worry about whether or not the TSA would ever demand to see the contents of your phone or laptop. The good news is that inspecting your usage of an electrical device isn’t part of the TSA’s playbook, and you shouldn’t have to worry about it. The bad news is that the TSA isn’t the only travel security entity you need to be aware of in this capacity.
The TSA cannot inspect the contents of your devices
The primary aim of the TSA is to search for and seize any dangerous items or paraphernalia. To clarify, when we say “dangerous,” we mean tangibly dangerous. This includes things like weapons, drugs, explosives, and anything else that could realistically be used to inflict harm on another human being. The TSA has the authority to open a suitcase if they believe it necessary but not tounlock your phone. Even if you had information or data on your phone that could somehow be considered dangerous, that’s not the TSA’s department or interest.
Advertisement
The only reason the TSA would ever attempt to take your phone or laptop from you is if they had probable cause to believe that the physical casing of the device is being used to smuggle contraband. For example, if a laptop passed through the X-ray and they spotted a large, obvious lump beneath the case, TSA agents may request to open the case up and inspect it directly. Obviously, if you’re not a smuggler, this won’t happen, so as long as you don’t shout “there’s a bomb in my phone” at the top of your lungs, TSA agents won’t have any particular interest in what you do with your devices. In that case, though, they would definitely take your phone from you for an inspection — it wouldn’t be the strangest place a potential bomb has been detected.
Advertisement
Customs may search devices on those entering the country
While the TSA isn’t allowed to search the contents of your phone or laptop, it’s important to remember that the TSA isn’t the only game in town. If you’re traveling into the United States from a different country, you may have to go through a separate inspection from Customs and Border Protection, or CBP for short.
Advertisement
Unlike the TSA, the CBP does have the legal authority to inspect the digital contents of a phone or laptop, including messages, photos, social media activity, and so on. These searches are performed in the interest of preventing foreign threats like terrorists from entering the country freely or international criminals from smuggling dangerous or counterfeit items.
It’s worth noting, however, that these kinds of digital searches are extremely rare. In 2024, less than 0.01% of all international travelers entering the United States were subject to an electronic inspection. CBP will only search your device if they have probable cause to do so — as with the TSA, as long as you’re not acting in an overly suspicious manner and have all of the relevant documentation when traveling, it’ll be business as usual.
Advertisement
