The Dept. of Homeland Security has gone public with another eyebrow-raising part of their "war on terror"/get tough at the border policies: Customs and Border Protection agents can, without explanation, take away a laptop, cellphone or many other electronic devices from people entering the country. The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima reports that the feds can hold and examine the contents of these devices for however long they please. DHS has said the policy has been in place for a while, but they decided to reveal it recently out of public interest.

Predictably, and understandably, civil liberties groups, along with frequent fliers, are up in arms. So what exactly is DHS accomplishing with a policy that could make innocent travelers feel helpless and spied on? Well, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff has said that searches have uncovered "violent jihadist materials" as well as child pornography.

Left unanswered is what percentage of these searches are vital to improving law enforcement.-MB

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