Oakland and Fukuoka, Japan, where the WFTGA conference is next February, are sister cities. A contingent from our SFTGG yesterday, May 7th, 2025 at the Fukuoka Garden at the Gardens at Lake Merritt, Oakland.
From encryption to deleting social media apps to leaving devices at home, advice on how to protect your digital privacy at the US border
Tribune News Service
Published: 7:15am, 7 May 2025 Updated: 7:17am, 7 May 2025 - South China Morning Post - Hong Kong
When entering the United States through an airport or seaport, your electronic devices – laptops, phones, tablets – can be subject to search by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
A basic search involves an officer manually reviewing the device’s contents without using any external tools.
An advanced search uses specialised equipment to access, copy and analyse the data on your device. This more invasive search requires reasonable suspicion of a law being broken or a national security threat, and must be approved by a senior Customs or Border Protection official.
But border agents do not need a warrant to conduct either one of these searches.
An electronic device subject to search is any “that may contain information in an electronic or digital form, such as computers, tablets, disks, drives, tapes, mobile phones and other communication devices, cameras, music and other media players”, according to Customs and Border Protection.
We say everyone should have a plan before travel
Sophia Cope, senior lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation
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