[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6588 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6588

 To preclude searches of laptop computers and similar devices based on 
  the power as sovereign to search at the border or upon entry to the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2008

Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To preclude searches of laptop computers and similar devices based on 
  the power as sovereign to search at the border or upon entry to the 
                             United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Electronic Device Privacy Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. BORDER SEARCHES OF LAPTOPS.

    (a) Generally Prohibited.--No person acting under the authority of 
the United States shall have any authority, derived from the power of a 
sovereign to search at borders or upon entry to the territory of that 
sovereign, to require that any person entering the United States submit 
to a search of the electronic contents of that person's laptop computer 
or similar device.
    (b) This Section Does Not Prohibit Searches Based on Other Lawful 
Authority.--Subsection (a) shall not be construed to in any way limit 
or affect any search based on lawful authority other than the power of 
a sovereign to search at borders or upon entry to the territory of that 
sovereign.
    (c) Definition.--As used in this Act, the term ``laptop computer or 
other similar device'' means a computer of the sort generally 
recognized as being a laptop computer, and includes any other 
electronic device normally used for electronic mail or messaging, or 
storing electronic data.
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