US border officials are retaining Americans' phone data for 15 years after seizing it.

Without a warrant, border officers are able to copy data from travellers' phones.

In the case that a passenger's phone, tablet, or computer is ever inspected at an airport, American border authorities may

add data from that device to an enormous database that thousands of government officials can access.

Furthermore, without a warrant or the need to disclose the reason for their search, 2,700 CBP officers have access to the database.

Senator Ron Wyden wrote CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus a letter in which he provided the information in addition to stating that CBP retains any data it obtains from individuals' devices for 15 years.

Instead of enabling "indiscriminate delving through Americans' private records without suspicion of a crime," gadget searches at borders concentrate on potential criminals and security threats.

According to Wyden, CBP sometimes collects images and other private information from people's smartphones in addition to text messages, call logs, contact lists, and call history.

While law enforcement authorities must normally obtain a warrant in order to access the data on a phone or any other electronic device, there are several exceptions.

Authorities may also seize and hold people's electronics for five days if they refuse to unlock them.

The first state to enact "The clean regulations" is Illinois.