THE CENTRAL COMPONENT OF THE TECS IS A COMPUTERIZED DATABANK THAT CONTAINS DOSSIERS ON APPROXIMATELY HALF A MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE TO BE SEARCHED MORE CAREFULLY THAN OTHER TRAVELERS. AFTER A DESCRIPTION OF THE USE OF THE TECS AND A REVIEW OF THE LAW OF BORDER SEARCHES, THE AUTHOR EXAMINES THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE TECS IN PROVIDING A QUANTUM OF CAUSE NECESSARY FOR BORDER SEARCHES. THE ARTICLE IDENTIFIES THE DANGER TO FOURTH AMENDMENT PRIVACY CREATED BY UNCONTROLLED TECS USAGE AND SUGGESTS POSSIBLE JUDICIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES THAT WOULD NOT HAMPER THE SYSTEM'S EFFECTIVENESS....TWH