Think Twice Before Crossing Borders with Your Valuable Information, Part II
August 15, 2008
From WashingtonPost: Federal agents may take a traveler’s laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.
Also, officials may share copies of the laptop’s contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It’s worth noting that the usual suspects (including the monster under the bed), are trotted out in defense of this policy declaration. In fact, I’d be surprised if they weren’t mentioned as justification.
Now you know: you have no right to privacy when crossing a U.S. border. None. What to do? Don’t carry your company’s or your personal information with you on your electronic devices and make plans to access your data securely once you arrive at your destination.
