Hide Your Media in Plain Site
Last month I posted on how customs and immigration are now allowed to search your laptops, mobile devices, and ancillary media without ANY reason. There are numerous reasons this is frightening, but barring heavy and organized civil disobedience the best way to avoid having them search your data is to simply prevent their access to it.
I said the best way to handle this is to treat your portable computers as nothing more than “dummy terminals,” and keep all your files either stored online or on a small flash drive that you can store on your body or in your shoe while passing through customs.
Here’s another idea, via Gizmodo: the “Dog Tag Flash Drive.” Made by olinari, this piece of jewelry keeps your SD card right around your neck. This little necklace holds a memory card inside, and I like the idea of “hiding” something so close that they wouldn’t even suspect it.
It can also work if you find yourself in a situation where you need a backup memory card, but lack pockets or clothing for whatever TMI reason. Its definitely a pricey toy at $175, but a cool idea.
Cute! I could see some enterprising Etsy crafter making these more affordably.
I would still encrypt the files on any removable media, since the TSA can take those too (without reason) if they find them.
They may be more likely to do so as well if you’re trying to hide them.
Very smart Fox. I’m curious to read some stories on people this has actually happened to.
What US Border Patrol needs with people’s pictures of grandkids, photos of Mazatlan, and expense reports is beyond me. But no matter how benign the material its none of their business what’s on my PC
My files would bore the TSA to death — which might be a good thing — but I still don’t like the idea of government-sanctioned snooping by a government agency.
But don’t hide that little gizmo in your shoe, even though it is Xrayed. Put it on the tray w/ keys, lots of coins, cell phone, metal biz card case, whatever.
Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com