This week, the "Travelers' Privacy Protection Act" bill was introduced to both the United States House of Representatives as well as the Senate. According to The Mac Observer, the law seeks to curtail the ability of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to demand passwords as well as seize and search assorted electronics without probable cause.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI)?introduced S. 3612 along with Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). In the house, Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced H.R. 7118.

"The Bush administration has sought to undo over twenty years of legal protections by searching personal electronics without probable cause," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "We applaud the introduction of this legislation and call on Congress to act quickly on this crucial issue for travelers. In today's world, laptops, cell phones and digital cameras are the storehouses for our most personal information. We cannot allow our privacy to be breached under the guise of border security."

Additional concerns have been raised regarding the privacy of citizens not under any suspicion having their privacy as well as potential corporate proprietary and trade secret information seized upon return from travel.

"Congress cannot allow DHS and CBP to turn our borders into Constitution-free zones," added Timothy Sparapani, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel. "Americans have the constitutional right to privacy, and that includes the sensitive and personal information we keep on electronic devices."

Some travelers have responded to the issue by carrying what are essentially thin client notebooks and transferring encrypted data via the Internet before and after travel.

Stay tuned for more news on this as it develops and let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.