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Travel With Electronics: The New Rules
February 8, 2008
New Dangers for Overseas Travelers
First, the scary news; according to this article in the Washington Post, some travelers are having their electronic files searched and even confiscated at border crossing points. Evidently this has been going on for quite a while, because one traveler reported that her laptop, which was supposed to be returned within two weeks, has still not been returned to her a year later. There have also been reports of travelers forced to log on to their computer and open up their email and web history for inspection, of cell phone contact lists being copied and then erased, and of a troubling percentage of these “electronic searches” being endured by persons supposedly profiled based on their ethnic and/or religious backgrounds.
Apparently these searches would be illegal if conducted inside the US, at a domestic airport for example, because the authorities would be required to show probable cause in order to obtain a warrant. At the border, however, the government argues that the contents of a computer are to be treated in the same way as the contents of a suitcase, prompting some companies to require their employees to travel with “blank laptops” and access company data via the Internet if they go overseas. While that approach opens up other security concerns, the practice is seen as preferable to taking the risk that proprietary corporate information could be seized by the US government during a border crossing.
This story raises grave concerns for international travelers, and should certainly give pause to domestic travelers as well. I had never even considered the possiblity of my personal information being searched and/or erased when I travel, but this report makes me think much more carefully about what I will chose to take with me the next time, especially if I’ll be going out of the country. I don’t have anything to hide, but I really don’t want the journal, financial records, and other personal files in my PDA in any hands but my own.
Flurry of Angry Blog Posts Ends TSA Pilot Program
This story (found here on MSNBC) actually left me with a bit of hope that it is possible to effect positive change in the system. Travel is no longer the pleasant, even elegant sort of experience of the past—these days you’re practically strip searched before you even get to the gate, then crowded into ever-narrower seats on jam-packed planes, and likely cranky and exhausted long before you get to your destination. And while some things aren’t likely to change anytime soon (the limit on liquids and the requirement to remove your shoes at the checkpoint), it does seem that the TSA is actually listening to folks these days.
Turns out the TSA has a brand new blog, entitled The Evolution of Security. It has only been around for a week, but has already received an overwhelming response and actually caused a major change in operations. Turns out that a few local TSA offices, including one in San Francisco, were testing a program that required passengers to remove ALL electronics from their carry-on bags at security, including chargers and power cords.
As you can imagine, this generated an immediate negative response, since the standard TSA guidelines only require the separate screening of laptops. Since today’s well-connected traveler may have a laptop, PDA/smartphone, iPod, digital camera, and a PMP or portable gaming device like a Nintendo DS/Sony PSP, this could quickly become a nightmare, clogging security lines and greatly increasing the likelihood that an expensive device or an important accessory could be lost, damaged, or stolen.
The influx of blog comments prompted the TSA to investigate the situation and led them to quickly put a stop to the pilot program, which was apparently not part of a national test. Not bad for a blog that has only been around for a week! If you’re a regular traveler, I encourage you to check out the TSA’s new effort to listen to their passengers. It’s easy to complain about the TSA, and I’m sure that the individual screeners put up with a lot of abuse from angry passengers. But maybe The Evolution of Security can help make things a little more pleasant for everyone.
