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> The agents proceeded to search my belongings and demanded that I unlock my smartphone and laptop. This was rather concerning for me. My phone and laptop are p
by rajbot 8y ago
> The agents proceeded to search my belongings and demanded that I unlock my smartphone and laptop. This was rather concerning for me. My phone and laptop are property of my employer and contain unreleased software and proprietary information. I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement promising not to give anyone access.
His employer is Apple. I was always worried about this same scenario when traveling with an Apple-owned laptop..
- JustSomeNobody 8y agoMaybe keep the card of Apple's lawyers on your person. If you're in a situation like this, have them call the number. Or clarify Apple's policy on this before traveling.
- rajbot 8y agoHis request to call his employer or an attorney was denied: > I asked the agents if I could speak to my employer or an attorney before unlocking my devices. This request seemed to aggravate the customs officers. They informed me that I had no right to speak to an attorney at the border despite being a U.S. citizen, and threatened me that failure to immediately comply with their demand is a violation of federal criminal code 18 USC 111.
- JustSomeNobody 8y agoI missed that point. Thank you for correcting me.
- barkingcat 8y agoCalling a lawyer was specifically denied in this case.
- techslave 8y agoif his employer is apple then he is fine to unlock. all such employers require you to follow border agent instructions. that said he may be in violation of a policy not to travel with proprietary info
- mediocrejoker 8y ago> that said he may be in violation of a policy not to travel with proprietary info How is this policy supposed to work? Seems like it would a huge pain point for any sort of travel.
- Marsymars 8y agoMy company issues travel-specific devices that are only used for web-based services via VPN.
- saagarjha 8y ago> that said he may be in violation of a policy not to travel with proprietary info Most employees have some sort of approval to do this.
- BeetleB 8y ago>His employer is Apple. I was always worried about this same scenario when traveling with an Apple-owned laptop.. Does Apple not have a policy for this? I would suggest asking them. I asked my employer when I joined (even though my job had absolutely zero international travel). They had a simple policy: Always comply with law enforcement in whatever country you're in: If they want me to enter my laptop password, my company directs me to cooperate. It would be scary if Apple does not have a policy on this.
- geofft 8y agoI just looked up my own employer's policies/guidance, and they say: 1. Comply with legal government requests (in any country; there's also a pre-approval form for international travel with a corporate laptop, and a list of countries that they will not let you take your corporate laptop to at all). 2. If you are a US citizen, the US must let you back in even if you don't consent to a search, though they can seize your devices in the process. The "legal" qualifier on #1 means I'd want access to a lawyer, which they denied....
- rconti 8y agoYeah, my understanding is that CBP is not allowed to prevent US citizens from re-entering the country. That said, how they ascertain your citizenship status if (say) you lost your passport...
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- tgsovlerkhgsel 8y agoYou should probably find out/ask whether Apple has guidance regarding how you should behave in such a situation (and if you are concerned that following that guidance could cause you problems personally, you may want to get an independent opinion regarding your rights).