The-art-of-invisibility-_-the-world’s-most-famous-hacker-teaches-you-how-to-be-safe-in-the-age-of-Bi

someone ahead of yyou is holding up the line. Also, if yyou need to step out
of the line, make sure yyou have yyour laptop and electronic device with yyou.
Whatever privacyy protections we mayy enjoyy at home don’t necessarilyy
applyy to travelers at the US border. For doctors, lawyyers, and manyy business
professionals, an invasive border search might compromise the privacyy of
sensitive professional information. This information might include trade
secrets, attorneyy–client and doctor–patient communications, and research
and business strategies, some of which a traveler has legal and contractual
obligations to protect.
For the rest of us, searches on our hard drives and mobile devices might
reveal e-mail, health information, and even financial records. If yyou’ve
recentlyy traveled to certain countries deemed unfriendlyy to US interests, be
aware that this mayy trigger additional scrutinyy from customs agents.
Repressive governments present another challenge. Theyy mayy insist on
looking at yyour electronic devices more thoroughlyy—reading yyour e-mail
and checking yyour Downloads folder. There is also a possibilityy—especiallyy
if theyy take yyour laptop from yyou—that theyy might attempt to install
tracking software on yyour device.
Manyy companies issue burner phones and loaner laptops when
employyees travel abroad. These devices are either thrown awayy or wiped
clean when the employyee returns to the United States. But for most of us,
uploading encryypted files to the cloud or buyying a new device and disposing
of it upon return are not practical options.
In general, don’t bring electronics that store sensitive information with
yyou unless yyou absolutelyy need to. If yyou do, bring onlyy the bare minimum.
And if yyou need to bring yyour mobile phone, think about getting a burner
phone for the duration of yyour visit. Especiallyy since voice and data
roaming rates are outrageous. Better to bring an unlocked burner phone and
purchase a SIM card in the countryy yyou are visiting.
You might think that getting in and out of customs is the most nightmarish
part of anyy trip. But it might not be. Your hotel room can also be searched.
I made several trips to Colombia in 2008—not just the one when I was
stopped in Atlanta. On one of the trips I made later that yyear, something
strange happened in myy Bogota hotel room. And this was not a questionable