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Laptop and Data Searches at U.S. Borders Rankles Senator -- and You

by Will Safer on June 26, 2008 at 06:05 PM



Border patrol and customs agents can search not just your bags but your laptop, mobile phone and any other electronic device you carry across the United States' border when returning from a trip abroad, and that's got some senators a bit rankled on your behalf.

Russ Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, says the open-ended ability to search and hold data or devices is troubling, considering privacy laws protect Americans from search and seizure in most other situations. But the Department of Homeland Security says it's doing what it must to protect us from smut, terrorist influence and other bad things. (Because, of course, none of these are available from other sources, like, oh, say, the Internet?)

Here at Switched, we're big proponents of traveling safely, and that includes keeping your private information private. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just leave your laptop at home when you travel. If you must bring it for work, consider uploading documents to a secure server, wiping your hard drive and then downloading the documents once you reach your international destination. And then be sure to do it all again before you start your trip home. We've got more tips to help you protect your data while you travel.

Beyond Feingold's concern, however, is the allegation by some that Muslim Americans are being searched more than others and having their devices and data seized without apparent cause. They also sometimes have to answer questions about their political views. (Who knew paying attention in social studies class would come back to help in such a critical moment?)

One witness who testified before Feingold's committee made an interesting observation. Susan K. Gurley, executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, said "In today's wired, networked and borderless world, one's office no longer sits within four walls or a cubicle; rather, one's office consists of a collection of mobile electronic devices such as a laptop, a BlackBerry, PDA, and a cellphone." Because of the searches, "you may find yourself effectively locked out of your office indefinitely." [Source: The New York Times.]

Tags: data, laptopnews, security, Senate, summernews, travel

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