Wired: How to Enter the US With Your Digital Privacy Intact

[CalGalTraveler]

How to Enter the US With Your Digital Privacy Intact

Crossing into the United States has become increasingly dangerous for digital privacy. Here are a few steps you can take to minimize the risk of Customs and Border Protection accessing your data.

www.wired.com

 

[AJCts411]

Especially important if you have illegal activity on your phone lol. Article sounds more of a pollical smack down rather that useful information. If you refuse to open you phone...CBP will likely refuse entry. As they always have.

 

[TolmiePeak]

Digital privacy in 2025? How quaint.

 

[bizaro86]

Especially important if you have illegal activity on your phone lol.

Or protected political speech. Important that the government knows what you're saying at all times.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Lets all avoid the rabbit-hole.

The second half of the article has practical advice for anyone visiting the USA, citizens returning (or entering a foreign country.)

Privacy protection can reach far beyond whether there are illegal behaviors. Examples include you and family member medical history, sharing sensitive PII, family photos, and bank account/financial data which most would like to protect; such legal info is not the business of border patrol agents and having it accessible on your travel devices makes it prone to hacking/breaches by others.

 

[Ski-Dad]

Or for those of us who are lawyers: Solicitor Client Privilege. We lawyers have been warned by our governing bodies for years that we should wipe all confidential information from our devices before crossing the US border. We are subject to discipline if privileged client information gets disclosed without client consent.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@Ski-Dad you raise a great point. But it is not limited to lawyers. It can apply to consultants and employees of large corporations, personal finance advisors or anyone who serves clients under an NDA. Exposing such data would violate the terms of the NDA or employment agreement.

 

[Ski-Dad]

@Ski-Dad you raise a great point. But it is not limited to lawyers. It can apply to consultants and employees of large corporations, personal finance advisors or anyone who serves clients under an NDA. Exposing such data would violate the terms of the NDA or employment agreement.

@CalGalTraveler
The major issue for lawyers is the difference between information that is privileged vs confidential. You can be compelled by a subpoena to produce confidential information in court or other administrative tribunal with subpoena powers. This includes the contents of NDAs. Labour and employment law is my main area of practice.

Privileged information has greater protection. Lawyers cannot be compelled in either Canada or the US to disclose privileged information. Disclosing privileged information without a client's consent would result in disciplinary action. YET crossing the border is one of the few gaps that the government can exploit to access that information if you are carrying the data with you. If you have it stored in the cloud (not on your devices), you cannot be compelled at the border to disclose usernames and passwords to accounts not stored on your devices.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@Ski-Dad. Agree. A good reason to keep all of files on the cloud or in an office and access them remotely. I now travel with a laptap that only has basic Microsoft apps but the content files are located on a server elsewhere. I need to scrub my phone or bring a burner phone with the basics.

It is a good practice for all international border crossings.

 

[dioxide45]

A problem with most files in the cloud is you may be always logged in to those. Like Office 365. You are always logged in and can access files on OneDrive. Thus they can access those cloud files without needing your actual credentials.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

A problem with most files in the cloud is you may be always logged in to those. Like Office 365. You are always logged in and can access files on OneDrive. Thus they can access those cloud files without needing your actual credentials.

Agree. That's why the article says to shut down those connections and your phone prior to crossing. It's a PITA but better safe than sorry. Of course I'll keep my Netflix active for the plane but I do not care. They can watch all the movies they want.

 

[Ski-Dad]

A problem with most files in the cloud is you may be always logged in to those. Like Office 365. You are always logged in and can access files on OneDrive. Thus they can access those cloud files without needing your actual credentials.

Exactly - that's the point of scrubbing clean all those connections. My work emails are cloud based but if you open my computer they are readily available. Before crossing the border, I take those accounts offline on my devices. Its a pain as I need to add them back later.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

PSA: Also important to keep VPN on your devices operating when you are accessing such files when traveling.

 

[dioxide45]

PSA: Also important to keep VPN on your devices operating when you are accessing such files when traveling.

I am not sure it is really all that important. Any connection between your device and the cloud service you are using is already encrypted by your device and the apps used to access it. Even if you are using a public WiFi connection. Traffic over HTTPS is also encrypted. VPN for encryption is actually an overstated benefit of VPN services.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Thanks.

BTW...VPN is helpful for running Netflix and similar apps by setting a US Location. Otherwise you are locked out due to international licensing.