US/Customs and Border Protection
 US/Customs and Border Protection    | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | CBP |
| Predecessor | • United States Department of Agriculture • United States Border Patrol • United States Customs Service |
| Headquarters | Ronald Reagan Building, Washington D.C. |
| Staff | 62,450 |
| Exposed by | John Carman, Sandy Nunn |
The United States Customs and Border Protection is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs, and immigration.
Seizure of electronic devices
On entering USA, the CBP may seize electronic devices and send them off to a forensics lab for tests that could take weeks or months, and require that people who enter pay to get their devices returned, even if no wrong doing is found or alleged. While observing that "the vast majority of staff to be pleasant and competent", The Register advised would be visitors to the USA: "in short, don't bring any data or software into the country you don't want to surrender to border officials."[1]
Mass Surveillance
On March 11, the US Customs and Border Protection rolled out a new mass surveillance project at Washington DC airport, using computers to recognize people's faces in real time. This is reportedly only the first of at least three "Targeted Biometric Operations" experiments.[2]
