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Door staff@engadget.com (Christine Persaud) - 10 Nov 2026
If an officer were to engage in a lengthier search without reasonable suspicion, this is where things get murky. Technically, border agents can run a manual search of your phone. These searches have been deemed by the Fourth Circuit as routine and a reasonable action under the Fourth Amendment, which is what protects you against unreasonable search and seizure without a warrant.
For international travelers, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can ask to look through your phone since this falls under the border search exception. CBP can detain your phone for what is considered to be a "brief, reasonable time" if they feel the need to conduct a routine inspection, per the CBP Directive. But without a warrant or reasonable suspicion, they can only do a basic inspection, where they look at things like text messages and app activity. With reasonable suspicion, they can do a thorough inspection, which involves downloading the contents onto another device.
A proposal from late 2025 even aims to allow CBP to request five-year social media history from travelers entering from certain regions before they are permitted into the US, though this remains a proposal and is not actually law yet.
For international travelers, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can ask to look through your phone since this falls under the border search exception. CBP can detain your phone for what is considered to be a "brief, reasonable time" if they feel the need to conduct a routine inspection, per the CBP Directive. But without a warrant or reasonable suspicion, they can only do a basic inspection, where they look at things like text messages and app activity. With reasonable suspicion, they can do a thorough inspection, which involves downloading the contents onto another device.
A proposal from late 2025 even aims to allow CBP to request five-year social media history from travelers entering from certain regions before they are permitted into the US, though this remains a proposal and is not actually law yet.