HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SEARCH A LAPTOP IN CANADA? A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Abstract

The Canadian government has a policy of searching laptop computers at airports and other border crossings. It is considered an outrageous policy by those who have been subjected to this gross invasion of privacy, and it has drawn some press attention. The Canadian courts have yet to rule on the constitutionality of this policy. The present article reports on one person’s experience (the author’s) and makes a conservative estimate of the cost of this policy to the Canadian people, both monetary and nonmonetary. The conclusion is that the cost of searching laptop computers is high while the benefits of doing so are low or nonexistent.