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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Technology
Josh Taylor

Australian border force searched more than 40,000 mobile devices in five years, data shows

Border Force Australia Apple Guardian Australia Human Rights Law Centre
Australian Border Force personnel are seen at the airport
If a person refuses to comply with a request to hand over their device and a border force officer considers there to be ‘a risk to the border’, it may be seized for examination. Photograph: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Border force officers searched more than 40,000 devices, including phones, at the border in five years, new data reveals.

A freedom of information request by tech news site ITnews revealed officers had searched phones, computers and other devices at the border 41,410 times between 2017 and the end of 2021. That figure included 951 phones between May 2020 and the end of 2021.

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