More Than Points

Unbelievable! If you are traveling internationally, your laptop can be scrutinized and even confiscated for a period of time without giving a reason!

A informal survey conducted by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives discovered that 90 percent of its members were not aware that custom officials had the authority to scrutinize the contents of travelers’ laptops.

“One member who responded to our survey said she has been waiting for a year to get her laptop and its contents back,” said Susan Gurley, the group’s executive director. “She said it was randomly seized. And since she hasn’t been arrested, I assume she was just a regular business traveler, not a criminal.”

“We need to be able to better inform our business travelers what the processes are if their laptops and data are seized — what happens to it, how do you get it back,” Ms. Gurley said.

She added: “The issue is what happens to the proprietary business information that might be on a laptop. Is information copied? Is it returned? We understand that the U.S. government needs to protect its borders. But we want to have transparent information so business travelers know what to do. Should they leave business proprietary information at home?”

That’s pretty scary, especially if you carry proprietary information on your laptop. Never mind the fact that you could be without your laptop for a long while.

Even more reason to back-up your laptop if you’re a frequent international traveler.

Original article located at www.nytimes.com.