U.S. Border Security Intensifies: Device Searches Hit New Record, Raising Privacy Concerns The number of electronic device searches at U.S. borders has climbed over 32 percent this year, setting a record and prompting questions about privacy, accountability and the scope of government authority. Travellers' phones, laptops and a variety of new devices are subject to basic and advanced inspections, while the Department of Homeland Security has offered limited transparency on the breakdown of these activities. Civil‑rights advocates urge greater oversight to protect privacy rights in an age of digital surveillance. Searches of electronic devices belonging to travellers entering the United States have risen more than thirty‑two percent this year and are on track to produce a new record, according to data accessed by CBC News from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Over the first nine months of the 2026 fiscal year (which runs from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026), CBP officers searched 52,080 devices, a sharp increase from 39,251 devices inspected in the same period a year earlier. Nearly the same tally - 52,000 devices - was reached during the first three quarters of 2026, almost matching the entire 55,424 devices searched in the previous fiscal year, which set a record during the Trump administration.In the current period, 47,517 examples of devices were subject to basic searches, meaning the officer could proceed without any reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. An additional 4,564 devices underwent advanced searches, which allow an officer who believes there is reasonable suspicion related to a criminal activity or a national‑security concern to analyze or copy data from the device.CBP has declined to reveal detailed breakdowns of where the searches occurred, such as the percentage of searches conducted along the Canadian border versus the Mexican border, the division between airport, seapoint and land crossings, or the exact numbers of travellers whose devices were examined. Likewise, the agency did not publish how many travellers - U.S. citizens or foreign nationals - underwent a search during the period in question, data typically found in CBP's annual reports.In a statements released in response to questions from the media, Jessica Turner, a public affairs officer at CBP, reiterated that, in absolute terms, the number of device searches remains a small fraction of the roughly 419 million people who entered the U.S. in 2025, equating to only 0.01 percent of all travellers. She explained that searches are intended to detect digital contraband, terrorism‑related content and information relevant to visitor admissibility, all of which play a critical role in safeguarding the nation.Privacy advocates urge congressional oversightThe substantial rise in searches has raised concerns among privacy advocates. Esha Bhandari, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, called for increased congressional oversight and accountability."The government has the power to do this, and it will exercise that authority to the detriment of travellers' privacy," she said. Bhandari noted that the aggregate data released by the U.S. government make it difficult to truly assess the extent of device inspections, especially when travelers may be questioned about political, religious or other personal interests that could prompt a search.She also highlighted that, in January, CBP updated its guidelines to broaden the scope of devices that can be searched. The new policy now includes items such as flash drives, SIM cards, GPS systems, unmanned aircraft systems, vehicle infotainment systems and smart watches, and extends the types of contraband that can justify a search to include narcotics, firearms, and the theft of proprietary information.Canadian groups cite data granularity issuesCanadian civil‑rights groups have pointed out that the lack of granularity in the data hinders the ability for external observers to judge whether the increased scrutiny of devices is warranted. Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, which focuses on cross‑border issues, said the issue is not just about land borders but also encompasses seaports, airports and even the long‑running World Cup, which brought additional movement of people across the region.She added that the degree to which the number of searches has increased remains unclear without knowledge of the full context - including the number of travelers who crossed the border during the period and the exact points of entry in play. The rise in device searches could be linked to advances in scanning technology and an increased focus on digital contraband.Legal framework lacks explicit search limitsAt the same time, the legal framework created by federal courts has yet to place explicit limits on the scope of searches conducted by CBP. While the agency insists that its actions remain rare, the surge in numbers raises questions about privacy rights, accountability and the balance between security and civil liberties in an increasingly digital world.