Traveling? Don't forget your privacy...

Two recent articles published by Computerworld discuss the Electronic Privacy you have, or in this case don't have, while travelling across U.S. borders. The second article is more of an update so that you can travel and know how Customs agents can invade your privacy. Customs does not need any form of reasonable doubt or suspicion to search a person's electronic devices, especially laptops and PDAs. Any type of device that can, "store large amounts of data, ideas, e-mail, chats and Web-surfing habits," is fair game. The Ninth Circuit ruled that these devices can be searched and seized without a warrant or probable cause, and the Customs Department went on to say that anyone travelling can, and most likely will, be searched for having these devices. The main focus was centered on traveling with laptops. Not that this automatically makes you a criminal, but it is putting your personal privacy in jeopardy. Searches made at the border are "reasonable simply by virtue of the fact that they occur at the border." Searches are not limited to hard-drives, meaning any internet usage is also subject to being searched, including internet history, e-mails, cookies, etc.

This brings about some questions...

• What is the extent of the search and seizure of laptops?
• Will they take my laptop and when can I get it back?
• Will my company information be subject to the search? This violates many company's privacy policies, especially when dealing with personal information or financial information (such as credit cards and bank accounts).
• Where is the information that Customs copies kept?
• How long is this information kept?
• How is it disposed of? Or is it disposed of at all?

Do Customs agents have any protocol to follow at all, or are these questions something of little importance? Depending on the amount of information being stored on a hard-drive, many people can lose their anonymity and privacy. The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is warning travelers to keep limited amounts of information while traveling, and to keep your computer protected from privacy threats. The ACTE is concerned that corporate data could be copied and lead to security breaches and numerous other privacy risks. This means a database of customers' names and information, which at one point was completely confidential, can be seen by anyone who works for Customs...