Worthwhile !! [E-B] Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF

["David Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: EFF Press via eff-board <eff-board () eff org>
Subject: [E-B] Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF
Date: March 9, 2017 at 11:06:26 AM EST
To: <eff-all () eff org>
Reply-To: EFF Press <press () eff org>

   
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017
Contact:

Sophia Cope
Staff Attorney
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Adam Schwartz
Senior Staff Attorney
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+ 1 415 436-9333 x176

Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF
Protect Yourself While Traveling To and From the U.S.

San Francisco - Increasingly frequent and invasive searches at the U.S. border have raised questions for those of us 
who want to protect the private data on our computers, phones, and other digital devices. A new guide released today by 
the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) gives travelers the facts they need in order to prepare for border crossings 
while protecting their digital information.

“Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border <http://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017>” helps everyone do a risk 
assessment, evaluating personal factors like immigration status, travel history, and the sensitivity of the data you 
are carrying. Depending on which devices come with you on your trip, your gadgets can include information like your 
client files for work, your political leanings and those of your friends, and even your tax return. Assessing your risk 
factors helps you choose a path to proactively protect yourself, which might mean leaving some devices at home, moving 
some information off of your devices and into the cloud, and using encryption. EFF’s guide also explains why some 
protections, like fingerprint locking of a phone, are less secure than other methods.

“Border agents have more power than police officers normally do, and people crossing the border have less privacy than 
they usually expect,” said EFF Staff Attorney Sophia Cope. “Border agents may demand that you unlock your phone, 
provide your laptop password, or disclose your social media handles. Yet this is where many of us store our most 
sensitive personal information. We hope this guide makes preparing for your trip and protecting your devices easier and 
more effective.”

Many travelers are confused about what is legal at the border, and the consequences for running afoul of a border agent 
can run the gamut from indefinite seizure of your phone and computer, to denial of entry for foreign visitors, although 
American citizens always have the right to re-enter the country. EFF’s new guide hopes to clear up misinformation while 
recognizing that there is no “one size fits all” approach to crossing into the United States. In addition to the full 
report, EFF has also created a pocket guide <https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide> for helping 
people concerned with data protection.

“The border is not a Constitution-free zone, but sometimes the rules are less protective of travelers and some border 
agents can be aggressive,” said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Adam Schwartz. “That can put unprepared travelers in a no-win 
dilemma at the U.S. border. We need clearer legal protections 
<https://act.eff.org/action/demand-border-agents-get-a-warrant-before-digital-searches> for everyone, but in the 
meantime, our report and pocket guides aim to put more power back into the hands of travelers.”

For “Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border”:
https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017 <https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017>
For EFF’s pocket guide:
https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide 
<https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide>
For this release:
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/digital-privacy-us-border-new-how-guide-eff 
<https://www.eff.org/press/releases/digital-privacy-us-border-new-how-guide-eff>
 
About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading organization protecting civil liberties in the digital world. Founded 
in 1990, we defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, promote the rights of digital innovators, and work 
to ensure that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are enhanced, rather than eroded, as our use of technology grows. EFF 
is a member-supported organization. Find out more at https://eff.org <https://www.eff.org/>.



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