EFF: Protect Your Computer and Phone from Illegal Police Searches

[L. Coyote]

https://www.eff.org/press/archives/2011/06/27?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
June 27th, 2011
Protect Your Computer and Phone from Illegal Police Searches
EFF Releases 'Know Your Digital Rights' Guide to Your Constitutional Liberties


San Francisco - Your computer, your phone, and your other digital devices hold vast amounts of personal information about you and your family. Can police officers enter your home to search your laptop? Do you have to give law enforcement officials your encryption keys or passwords? If you are pulled over when driving, can the officer search your cell phone?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has answers to these questions in our new "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, including easy-to-understand tips on interacting with police officers and other law enforcement officials.

"With smart phones, tablet computers, and laptops, we carry around with us an unprecedented amount of sensitive personal information," said EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury. "That smart phone in your pocket right now could contain email from your doctor or your kid's teacher, not to mention detailed contact information for all of your friends and family members. Your laptop probably holds even more data -- your Internet browsing history, family photo albums, and maybe even things like an electronic copy of your taxes or your employment agreement. This is sensitive data that's worth protecting from prying eyes."

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you from unreasonable government searches and seizures, and this protection extends to your computer and portable devices. In EFF's "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, we outline various common scenarios and explain when and how the police can search the data stored on your computer or portable electronic device -- or seize it for further examination somewhere else -- and give suggestions on what you can and can't do to protect your privacy.

"In the heat of the moment, it can be hard to remember what your rights are and how to exercise them," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "Sometimes police can search your computer whether you like it or not, but sometimes they can't. We wrote this guide to help you tell the difference and to empower you to assert your rights when the police come knocking."

For the full "Know Your Digital Rights" guide:
https://www.eff.org/wp/know-your-rights

For a one-page summary to print and post:
https://www.eff.org/files/EFF_Police_Tips_2011.pdf

[iwishiwas]

1. Thanks for the link.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Excellent info to have.

For anyone who still cares about the concepts of privacy and Bill of Rights.

[L. Coyote]

3. important to know also

[JonLP24]

4. I really like these EFF guys

K&R.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. This may be a good place to ask a question.

Say I need to send a file via email from point A to point B, but I don't trust the ISP or cable provider. What is the best way to accomplish my goal? Do I make up an e-mail address on gmail, for instance, and post from another computer?

Does anybody have a better idea?

[pokerfan]

8. encryption

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_encryption

[backscatter712]

9. Bingo. Though these days, GnuPG is a better alternative.

The encryption not only prevents eavesdroppers from being able to read your data, but also provides a way to make sure the messages you send and receive are authenticated - in other words, they're from who they are claimed to be from, and haven't been tampered with.

[pokerfan]

10. I figured it was covered in the PGP article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy#OpenPGP

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Is this something that automatically opens when the person who it's intended to

receives it? Or does the other person have to have the code, like PGP?

Do you have a direct link to a safe place that offers it?

[L. Coyote]

11. Your own domain is a good solution

so you can set up your own e-mail accounts such as [e-mail]

[BlueIris]

6. Thanks for posting. nt

[Kaleko]

7. K & R

[gvstn]

12. Good info

Sadly, the are huge exceptions to our protections from unreasonable search and seizure. The police seem to have a lot of leeway in many circumstances.

Q: The police pulled me over while I was driving. Can they search my cell phone?

A: Maybe. If the police believe there is probably evidence of a crime in your car, they may search areas within a driver or passenger's reach
where they believe they might find it - like the glove box, center console, and other "containers." Some courts have found cell phones to be "containers" that police may search without a warrant.

I'm shocked at the first part; I'm still hoping the courts eventually rule against the cell phone part.

[pinboy3niner]

13. You inspired another thread:

Posted in GD by Morning Dew:

"Don't Talk to the Police"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1382729#1382748

[AverageJoe90]

14. Nice info.

I've always liked the EFF. Internet freedom f0r teh w1n. =)

[somone]

16. Recommended

Great job by the EFF