This news story about the apprehension of a man who had child porn on his laptop illustrates how the data on your laptop could be compromised during a border crossing. The actions of this border guard appear to benefit society in this instance.
Texas man arrested at Ottawa airport for child porn faces up to 30 years
The Ottawa Citizen, Published: Sunday, March 23, 2008The officer asked if he had anything prohibited on his computer and Mr. Moore said he didn’t, but that his brother also used the laptop. When the computer underwent secondary screening, the child pornography files were discovered, and Canadian officials arrested Mr. Moore. He was later transferred to Texas.
When I was traveling and crossing borders frequently, only once did a border guard look at the papers I was carrying. Today, the same border guard is much more likely to probe my laptop.
For the business traveller, this poses significant risk, as the person examining his mobile computer and other electronic devices will either be incompetent or very knowledgeable. The border officials may also have motives for the search that are unrelated to their primary purpose. Each circumstance creates its own risk for the traveller.
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