Traveling abroad with high end cryptography devices and software

11/14/2017 1:14:37 PM

A discussion about what rights you have or don’t have isn’t a discussion you want to have with a customs officer who barely speaks your language. It takes time and nerves for both you, them and anyone waiting in line behind you. And when you annoy them too much with being a smart-ass about the local search-and-seizure laws, they will see what they can legally do to inconvenience you as much as possible (and maybe even illegally if they know they can get away with it). When it turns out that your rights were indeed violated by the customs officers, then all you can do about it is complain afterwards. That might result in the customs officer getting into trouble, but that won’t get you back your time and dignity.

It’s really not worth it.

The best way to avoid that trouble is to:

  1. encrypt any sensitive data
  2. upload the encrypted data to a server
  3. delete the data from your device
  4. travel to your destination
  5. show them the clean device at the border
  6. download and decrypt the data
11/13/2017 9:46:58 PM

Some countries do have so-called Key Disclosure Laws that can make it a crime to refuse to provide decryption keys. But in most cases there would need to be a criminal investigation or a court order before this can be applied.

All of this varies widely by country, so I suggest you check out Key disclosure law on Wikipedia.

For customs/border checks in particular, they can, in theory, ask for pretty much anything they want; if you refuse, devices may be confiscated and/or you may be denied entry.

Possible duplicate: Do I need to provide PIN or password for my digital accessories, when entering Canada?

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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