Think the information on your laptop is private, think again. According to The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), US government agents may seize and search any persons laptop. This is not just limited to an examination on the spot, but they are also empowered to download the contents and at their discretion confiscate the entire machine. The law covers travelers not only entering the US, but also travelers departing, whether they hold a US passport or not.
Based on this, ACTE is advising it members to limit, or even exclude, carrying sensitive, confidential or proprietary information on laptops or removable data devices.
ACTE’s Executive Director Susan Gurley, noted, “The common belief is that there is a right to the privacy of one’s computer. Yet it appears that there is none.”