Heads up, if you're travelling to the US with laptops, PDAs, cell phones, etc- Customs is increasingly ordering travellers to reveal their passwords so the can access your private email, messages, confidential work files, etc. They also have confiscated travellers laptops, etc without compensation. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...AR2008020604763.html

I'll just leave my laptop in Italy if I go back to the US for a visit.

This is absolutely outrageous - search without a cause or a warrant and they steal people's notebook and more importantly data!

If I was put into that situation I would smash the notebook in front of them and see what they would do - since I am not getting back my computer anyway. It's my property and I do whatever I want to do with it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: idealab,

Bill, great article, I really think you should change the title to something else like "US customer wants to search your computer data at the border" to attract more readers to this important topic.

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If I was put into that situation I would smash the notebook in front of them and see what they would do - since I am not getting back my computer anyway. It's my property and I do whatever I want to do with it.

I think you'd have to pulverize the hard drive. They could still extract the data otherwise.

What individuals have to go through to travel these days is ridiculous to begin with but this is crossing the line in many ways, especially with those in the health care fields, or in law. How are these professionals supposed to abide by confidentiality when any US Customs agent can force you to open up any private information stored on your computer. I travelled often when I worked with Hospice and all of my patient records were in the laptops we used. I would never allow someone access to those records. They would have to arrest me. This country's 'big brothering' is really beginning to sicken me.

The strange thing is that if you were so inclined to protect the information on your hard drive you could just remove the hard drive, pack it in your checked luggage, and you avoid many issues of secrecy (right?). I wouldn't argue with the TSA or airport security anywhere if you want to get on the plane.
p.s.: almost all newer pc laptops have easily removable hard drives.

Sorry but I'm a 'No Justice, No Peace' kind of girl. I would have to take them on.

for what it is worth...when I flew back in april I did not have to do anything there nor did I see anyone else doing it...but when I flew back from Isantbul last week I had to open up my computor and turn it on for the first time flying with it ever....

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The strange thing is that if you were so inclined to protect the information on your hard drive you could just remove the hard drive, pack it in your checked luggage...

TSA and CBP also search your checked lugggage.

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Originally posted by JoanSi:
I had to open up my computor and turn it on for the first time flying with it ever....

I had to do this at Lubbock, Texas (!?)- they waited for it to boot up, then turned it off.

Bill, don't even get me started on TSA...

I guess what it comes down to is given the information that I personally have on my computer I wouldn't care if security made me turn it on. You give up lots of your civil liberties when you fly, I know that it has gotten out of control, but the truth is that I care about getting on the plane and I know that if I fight the law the law will win. I have TSA stories, too... like when they let my son through security, then told me my boarding pass was invalid and wouldn't let me through (this was followed by tears of fear and panic, then and me running to the US Airways check-in to beg for help)- by the time I got back to security, seeing my son on the other side looking worried, two TSA agents told me "what kind of mother leaves their child unattended". But, I just handed them by boarding pass and walked through- of course I WANTED to say, "you are horrible and evil people, its YOUR fault I was separated by my son", but I wanted to travel in peace and didn't want to be held for interrogation or accused of terrorist threats or anything!

The disturbing part of the article to me was the racial/ethnic profiling. People with arab-sounding names/appearance having their cell phone contacts downloaded to see if there are terrorist links, computers confiscated or imaged for terrorist data.

I don't mind if everyone's laptop is scrutinized to determine if it's a bomb. It's the presumption of terrorist connections for anyone with a certain type of name or physical characteristics I can't abide.

The program administrators are educated people- why do they sound like the lady from West Virgina who was against Obama because "I've had enough of Husseins!"

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Originally posted by JoanSi:
for what it is worth...when I flew back in april I did not have to do anything there nor did I see anyone else doing it...but when I flew back from Isantbul last week I had to open up my computor and turn it on for the first time flying with it ever....

I don't think I was clear I had to do this when I entered the gate in Vienna flying to Venice..this was not in the US

I fly A LOT for my work, and always with my laptop carried on. I'd say about 50% of the time I'm asked to turn it on, and it's usually pretty random as far as where. Never been asked about info on it, though I don't ever have anything worth hiding so it's not a concern (unless of course they ever actually wanted to take my computer from me!! Aaahh!!)

On the other hand my friend who is a TV producer/director has lots of info, contacts, etc that he's expected to keep private. He's made it a habit for a few years now to copy all his sensitive info to DVD's, and then FedEx them to himself at the destination. Then he flies with his hard drive empty.

Life. Is. Now.

I agree with you Bill completely, and it scares me because I don't normally 'blend' in with the crowd. My skin color is darker than your average Italian girl, my name doesn't really match my appearance, I just seem to throw people off when they try to put it all together. It has always bothered me because I get alot of questions...I have been put in the little glass room and questioned...this is just too scary.

Giovanna. your post reminded me of a lady we met in Birmingham, Alabama during our genealogical research about Sicily. She was born in the US to Sicilian parents, had raised a family of fine kids and now grandchildren, and was as American as apple pie. For some reason on a plane trip to see a relative, the TSA folks decided she was a risk. So they took her in the room and questioned her for over an hour. She was so angry and humiliated just remembering it made her break down in tears. How that contributed to our country's security, I don't know. I'm hoping that, starting next year, that agency will have its wings clipped.

With any luck alot of changes will occur. I am leaving Florida tomorrow to fly back to Italy and I am preparing myself to be calm, cool, and collected. I am not travelling with my laptop, thankfully, so I am hoping not to have any issues.

I agree with you Bill that the hard drive has to be wiped several times to achieve total unrecoverable information. However, I am sure no one has smashed his computer in front of those people. The act itself would be a bold statement. I doubt they will keep the broken notebook.

While the hard drive is removable, it is still a hassle that no one should perform. Perhaps it is time to keep all data off the hard drive, even at the higher expense of buying additional removable storage.

Surely as some suggested that we can keep a Linux DVD that is a self-contained live operating system and set the computer to boot from the DVD and remove the hard drive, or store nothing or random useless things on the hard drive.

As in any organizations, when the head is rogue, so are the rest. These bored people at the border protection found new ways to abuse their power.

I flew back into Italy yesterday from Palm Beach, Florida. My flight connected through Phila where flew directly to Rome. There was absolutely no interest in my electronic equipment...however, they jumped all over my 4 ounce bottle of Oil of Olay. It was the only liquid I had on me and the bottle was half full. The TSA agent robotically told me that I could go back to check-in, have my luggage re-called and pack it, or I had to surrender it. My initial response was "are you f***ing kidding me!?!", to which he responded by repeating his same initial statement. As his armed back-up approached I choked on the words, "toss it and have a lovely day".

Why does it still amaze me that there is no rhyme or reason to this process???

It was a 4oz bottle and probably not in a plastic baggy...and they don't seem to know how to think....

It was in a plastic baggy...but you got me with the bottle being 1/2 ounce more.

What was I thinking!!!

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What was I thinking!!!

Do you know the danger that put everyone in? Just kidding!

Preparing for her trip to the States in October, my wife has bought some little 3 oz plastic bottles to pour liquids into for her trip.

Her biggest dilemma is taking enough water on board. She needs to stay hydrated, and usually goes through 2 litres of water on a transatlantic flight. Now that she can't bring her own, she's going to be bugging the flight attendants for water constantly.