Napolitano Grilled On Laptop Searches
In her first hearing before Congress since being confirmed, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was grilled about U.S. government policies for screening laptops and other high-tech gadgets at airports and whether she would address concerns from people who have had their laptops taken away at airports and examined. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., plans to reintroduce legislation on the issue. When asked by Sanchez to describe border control agents' abilities in this arena, Napolitano said the "law here is very straightforward." The federal government has broad authority to search at the border. However, existing statutes do not specifically answer whether agents should search laptops and what elements should be included in a search, she said. Napolitano said she is still looking into the issue and noted there are "a number of issues we handle that have really key privacy concerns inherent in them." She also answered questions about a 2012 deadline for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo containers in foreign seaports and whether she believes the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be moved out of the department. -- Juliana Gruenwald
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