Idahoans Traveling Abroad Might Be Having Cell Phone Data Stolen

Having recently returned to the United States from abroad, learning that my cell phone contacts, texts, and other personal information might now be stored in a government database for inspection is a little unnerving. I'm all for border security and preventing terrorist plots, but it's still an assault on privacy if this type of personal data theft is really occurring.

A post on the Instagram page of Wired recently caught my attention. Wired is a site that's geared toward gadgets and electronics and has nearly two million followers. The post detailed the allegations by a U.S. senator against our country's customs and border patrol for storing cell phone data from Americans traveling and returning from abroad.

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The information shared by Wired also alleged that our cellphone data is being stored by the Department of Homeland Security, and as many as 2,700 personnel of the DOHS might have access to it.

I returned from Mexico just a few weeks ago and had to check my bags and cell phone numerous times during the ship's boarding and debarkation process. I carried my phone primarily for pictures and kept it concealed in a bag when I wasn't using it. There was a weird level of paranoia when entering security checkpoints in Mexico too.

Our country's border patrol and customs agents should be doing everything in their power to prevent another terrorist attack the likes of 9/11, but it's still weird to think I'm having my personal information and communications possibly sifted through by these agents.