Think Twice Before Crossing Borders with Your Valuable Information
February 11, 2008
From WashingtonPost and The Register: Maria Udy, a marketing executive with a global travel management firm in Bethesda, said her company laptop was seized by a federal agent as she was flying from Dulles International Airport to London in December 2006. Udy, a British citizen, said the agent told her he had “a security concern” with her. “I was basically given the option of handing over my laptop or not getting on that flight,” she said.
The seizure of electronics at U.S. borders has prompted protests from travelers who say they now weigh the risk of traveling with sensitive or personal information on their laptops, cameras or cellphones. In some cases, companies have altered their policies to require employees to safeguard corporate secrets by clearing laptop hard drives before international travel.
Despite the heartening news that passwords are protected by the 5th amendment in the U.S., customs agents apparently haven’t heard about this precendent. Instead they have taken their original mandate to prevent the importation of contraband into their countries and are now applying it to your data and the devices that hold it.
What to do before your next business trip or vacation? Encrypt and store your valuable data where you can access it from the internet once you get there, and/or create a hidden volume with TrueCrypt on your laptop. And don’t forget to support the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s request for clarity on this matter.
