A friend who travels internationally frequently shared some good advice regarding how he protects both his data, and himself, at international security checkpoints while traveling outside the country.

A recent article in CNET  brings attention to two new policies from U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The policies state that “Customs agents can routinely — as a matter of course — seize, make copies of and “analyze the information transported by any individual attempting to enter, reenter, depart, pass through, or reside in the United States.” (See policy #1 and #2.)”   A very scary proposition for a business person that travels internationally.  It could be challenging to return from a business trip with acquired documents or notes from the trip and to have Homeland Security seize your laptop.  They are lookoing for information that could reveal terrorists, drug dealers and people violating copyright infringements.  As CNET states; “Are you sure your iPod and laptop have absolutely no illicitly-downloaded songs? You might be guilty of a felony.)   Please note that the description above includes anyone DEPARTING the U.S. too. 

CNET, as well as other sites, do include some suggestions for making your laptop challenging for Homeland Security to acess the content.  Some suggestions include encrypting the entire hard disk drive, then shutting the computer down completely.  Encryption can be easily beaten if the computer is in stand-by or hibernation mode.  Another method discussed is to hide files by storing data in an MP3 format or even in what would appear to be an empty space on the hard disk drive.

Another suggestion is to not carry sensitive files on your laptop.  Enter the HP MediaSmart Server!  The user could keep their important, sensitive files on their server back home and then access them through remote access.  They could also download sensitive information to their server prior to departing to the U.S.

Read More In: Hard Drives/Storage Security and User Management Networking and Remote Access Computers and Laptops