SPOTLIGHT: DHS laptop airport searches rare

There has been a great deal of controversy about the ability of U.S. border and airport agents to seize and conduct warrantless searches of laptops and other electronic devices of travelers. But the Department of Homeland Security's annual privacy report card maintains that these searches are occurring less frequently than some privacy and civil rights advocates might have feared. Of the more than 144 million travelers who arrived at U.S. ports of entry between Oct. 1, 2008, and May 5, 2009, searches of electronic media were conducted on 1,947 devices--including 696 laptops. Of those 696, 40 had in-depth searches, the DHS said. Article