Apple employee assailed by U.S. Customs, ACLU complaint claims

Apple employee Andreas Gal, former executive of Apple acquisition Silk Labs, was allegedly harangued and penalized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials when he demurred to device search requests.

Gal's run-in with CBP was detailed in an American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California complaint filed on Tuesday, reports Fast Company.

According to the filing, Gal was stopped at an unnamed checkpoint and questioned about his work and advocacy for online privacy. Whether officials followed the line of questioning before or after it was established that Gal was an Apple employee is unknown. It is also unclear where Gal was traveling to or from when he was stopped by CBP officers.

Officials subsequently requested passwords to access Gal's Apple-issued phone and computer, presumably an iPhone and Mac. As the hardware, and contents therein, are covered by a nondisclosure agreement, Gal asked if he could speak with Apple or a lawyer prior to handing over the information. The request was declined and Gal was threatened with prosecution, the report said.

CBP allowed Gal to pass, but confiscated his Global Entry card and said he would be removed from the expedited screening program.

"CBP's baseless detention and intrusive interrogation of Andreas Gal and the attempted search of his devices violated his Fourth Amendment rights," said William Freeman, ACLU of Northern California senior counsel, in a statement. "Furthermore, CBP's policies lack protections for First Amendment rights by allowing interrogation and device searches that may be based on a traveler's political beliefs, activism, nation of origin, or identity."

Gal came to Apple through the acquisition of Silk Labs, a startup focused on the development of on-device artificial intelligence technology. Previously Mozilla's chief technology officer, Gal teamed up with fellow Mozilla platform engineer Chris Jones and Qualcomm alum Michael Vines to form Silk Labs in 2015.

52 Comments

hentaiboy 14 Years · 1252 comments

About 5 years ago

Not sure that NDAs wash when law enforcement is involved.

macxpress 16 Years · 5913 comments

hentaiboy said:

Not sure that NDAs wash when law enforcement is involved.

At the same time, you're immediately put in a tough spot if you're unsure of what to do which is most likely why he wanted to speak with some at Apple and/or a lawyer. Do I give everything up and risk losing my job, or what?

Also, just because its law enforcement, doesn't give them the right to just search someone's property for very little to no reason. They're not above the law...they're there to enforce the law using legal means (proper policies and procedures).

seanismorris 8 Years · 1624 comments

Requesting to talk to a lawyer is the correct decision, and his right. Who knows what happens to the data after law enforcement exams/copies it...

The request might also be unlawful, the fact that CBP resorted to threats after he requested to speak to a lawyer suggested it was.

I’m hearing frequently that business people are refusing to come to the US on business lately. This is a US citizen being harassed, so their concerns are valid. The people that do come wipe everything before going through the boarder. CBP has also been requesting/demanding social media passwords... it’s getting close to 1984 out there.