How can I preclude border agents from seeing emails on my laptop?

3/27/2017 5:05:53 PM

This problem is encountered all the time by lawyers crossing the border, who are legally obliged to keep their communications confidential, but also face the prospect of having their laptops searched.

The solution almost always chosen is not to keep confidential information on the computer. Any contents you want protected is encrypted and backed up to a secure server, and then downloaded and decrypted once you are through the border. Innocuous documents, entertainment files and such can be left so as not to give a ‘suspiciously clean’ computer.

This post describes the situation in more detail (with thanks to Spehro Pefhany wro wrote this in a comment before me).

You can also keep the encrypted file on a memory device on your person. While border guards can search all your digital information in many jurisdictions, and can in some cases demand decryption passwords, anything that doesn’t look like encrypted data is extremely likely to be allowed through (unless they already suspect you of something, in which case you are not likely to get through customs anyway).

It’s also worth noting that the power to search devices is used extremely rarely.

11/19/2017 3:31:26 PM

There are only two points to keep in mind:

  1. Everything is subject to inspection. Everything. To clarity, everything.*
  2. There is nothing you can say or do to prevent inspection if an Officer decides to inspect your belongings. Nothing. To clarify, nothing.*

If doesn’t matter one bit if the material is illegal, confidential, sensitive, embarrassing, funny, disgusting or boring. If you can’t risk border control seeing it, you cannot carry it across the border.

Keep in mind, CBP are full law enforcement officers and have a duty to protect information they come in contact with. Some confidentiality rules are defined here.

This really isn’t that complicated. Think of your devices as you would you luggage, which is inspected all the time without objection.

The simple answer is, have nothing on your device or in you luggage that is illegal or you can’t risk border control officers seeing.. CBP doesn’t care if it’s embarrassing, just illegal. An unmarked food can is very suspicious and Customs will likely demand you either open it or surrender it.

Many firms issue travel secured devices for exactly this purpose, to avoid complications at any border. All information is accessed online. But be aware that an unusually clean computer can raise questions on its own.

*A diplomatic pouch and Diplomatic Passport are one exception.

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.

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts