Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien said the Border Services Agency violated federal law in overly invasive searches of cellphones, tablets and laptop computers, the Times Colonist reports. Therrien reviewed six citizens’ complaints that their devices were searched upon returning home from abroad, giving border officers access to documents, text messages, photos and banking details. The complaints were “well-founded,” said Therrien, who recommended writing guidelines regulating device searches — to be conducted with “reasonable grounds to suspect” a crime or customs infraction — into the Customs Act. The agency said it is “carefully reflecting” on Therrien’s proposal and will implement mandatory training for officers, establish oversight measures and enforcement updates, conduct an internal audit, and publish online guidance for travelers.
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