If Flying into the UK, Your Phone Can Be Seized and Data Downloaded Without Suspicion

– If Flying into the UK, Your Phone Can Be Seized and Data Downloaded Without Suspicion (Liberty Blitzkrieg, July 16, 2013):

The next time you fly into Heathrow, you may want to guard your phone with your life. That, or erase all the personal data you don’t want to fall into the hands of some nosey bureaucrat. Incredibly, officers can seize your phone and retain its data for “as long as necessary” without reasonable suspicion.

From The Telegraph:

Officers use counter-terrorism laws to remove a mobile phone from any passenger they wish coming through UK air, sea and international rail ports and then scour their data.

The blanket power is so broad they do not even have to show reasonable suspicion for seizing the device and can retain the information for “as long as is necessary”.

Data can include call history, contact books, photos and who the person is texting or emailing, although not the contents of messages.

Mr Anderson said: “Information downloaded from mobile phones seized at ports has been very useful in disrupting terrorists and bringing them to justice.

Here we go again, the state claims it can do anything as long as they swear they are protecting you from some phantom enemy.

Up to 60,000 people a year are “stopped and examined” as they enter or return to the UK under powers contained in the Terrorism Act 2000.

It is not known how many of those have their phone data taken.

Of course not, providing that information would be too…well democratic, decent and reasonable.

Full article here.

In Liberty,
Mike