Securing Your Notebook Against US Customs

Nethemas the Great points out a piece from Bruce Schneier running in the UK's Guardian newspaper with some tips for international travelers on securing notebook computers for border crossings. A taste of the brief article: "Last month a US court ruled that border agents can search your laptop, or any other electronic device, when you're entering the country. They can take your computer and download its entire contents, or keep it for several days. ... Encrypting your entire hard drive, something you should certainly do for security in case your computer is lost or stolen, won't work here. The border agent is likely to start this whole process with a 'please type in your password.' Of course you can refuse, but the agent can search you further, detain you longer, refuse you entry into the country and otherwise ruin your day."

Comments

Bad Ruling + Blog = People Flying off the handle

[sparhawktn]

Ok first off here is the ruling

Link to pdf

Second it is done by the 9th court of appeals the most over turned court in the land.

Third they are stretching the powers of searching they reference a search done in a van where items were in plain view. This required the powering up of a laptop and then looking around a bit of a stretch. Also the agent did not ask to search the laptop thus not having rights to start searching through something not in plain view.

Fourth , but no where near least, the guy is implicated in having kiddie p0rn. Hello! If you are not breaking the law the you really have nothing to fear.

Five at all times during a warrant less search you always.. always! have the right to stop the search. Ya it might mean you will be detained a little bit more but if you have done nothing illegal then it is something to have a little hassle to stand up for your rights. Besides at that point if they really really wanted to get in there they are not under the several of the search clauses and will need to get a warrant to proceed. I don't care what everyone says blah blah blah if you are not breaking the law they you don't have anything to hide period. If you bow up on them they will only suspect you have something to hide, common sense.

So stop with the America bashing if you don't like America leave! If you are not in America and hate it Stay out! Simple as that.. too many people just wanna bash cause they can.

Re:US Customs has always been like this

[es330td]

Customs in China did not even ask to see my laptop, never mind read files or anything like that. That's because there isn't a racist, totalitarian culture targeting China for destruction. When is the last time an Islamofacist terrorist flew a plane into a building in Beijing or referred to Asians as having descended from pigs or monkeys?

Should the Chinese ever find themselves the focus of any well funded group of people willing to blow themselves up for their cause you can be quite certain the entry process into China will become far more invasive than anything Uncle Sam has ever dreamed up.

Your papers, please

[dementedmonk]

I wonder how they handle situations where an individual working for the US government has to travel with classified data on a laptop, and can therefore not allow any uncleared persons access to the information without it being considered a breach of security? I can see something like that happening to me someday if I ever have to travel for work. Maybe they have special travel "papers" for those carrying sensitive data? Why does that give me images of gestapo saying, "Vee have vays of making you talk!"