US Customs stores duplicates of travelers' phone and laptop contents — including medical records, photos, and calendar appointments — without much oversight, report says

Thousands of international travelers' electronic data is hidden in a US Customs and Border Protection database and can be seen by thousands of its workers for up to 15 years, according to The Washington Post.

One of the country's largest law enforcement agencies, with a workforce of roughly 60,000 people, is not required to have a warrant to search phones, tablets, or laptops.

In a Thursday letter to the agency, Sen. Ron Wyden said that innocent Americans should not be tricked intounlocking their phones and laptops.

Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, recently shed light on the agency's habit of storing data from seized electronics, which include contacts, messages, calendars, photos, social media posts, and medical and financial records

Information in the database can be forwarded to other agencies. "Copies of documents or devices, which are retained in accordance with this section, may be shared by Customs and Border Protection with Federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies only to the extent consistent with applicable law and policy."

Saira Hussain is a staff attorney at the privacy rights nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Travelers' photos and license plates have been compromised in previous cyber attacks.

Lawrence "Rusty" Payne, a spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection, told the Post on Thursday that the agency follows regulations and that searches are done with care and caution.

Representatives for the Customs and Border Protection didn't reply to Insider's request for comment.