Was your phone imaged by border agents? They may still have the data

Enlarge / After arriving from China, Wenhong Chen and Funina Wu, from Frederick, Maryland, are photographed at Dulles as part of the US Customs and Border Protection's newly implemented biometrics system. (credit: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

A new report by the Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog has concluded that the agency does not always adequately delete data seized as part of a border search of electronic devices, among other concerns.

According to a new 24-page document released Tuesday by DHS' Office of Inspector General, investigators found that some USB sticks, containing data copied from electronic devices searched at the border, "had not been deleted after the searches were completed."

Investigators checked an unspecified number of drives across five ports of entry around the country.

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