Traveling Abroad With Laptop? Beware.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced earlier last week that officials could continue to search any and all devices that store electronic media without any suspicion of wrongdoing.

The revised policy assures that public that any and all searches will be done in a timely manner (within a 30 DAY period of time) and that travelers will be updated to the investigation of such device(s) each step of the way. According to PC World, “officials can still seize any device (including MP3 players or flash drives) and look at any file on it (including Internet browsing history) without giving any reason.”

If you are tagged as one unlucky traveler and you have to surrender your laptop or netbook, researchers advise that you store your business or other important data on multiple storage devices, specifically online (Google Docs, cloud computing, etc). “In the case of a search, ACTE recommends you inform the agent that you have sensitive information on your computer. Try to get your concern noted in writing; at least, be sure to express it verbally. ACTE says this will help you retain more legal rights for registering your concern,” concludes PC Magazine.