The federal privacy czar says Canadians should be very concerned about their cellphones, computers and other electronic devices being searched by U.S. border agents.
So is Sharon Polsky, president of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada.
“When you go through security, you can be asked for your password so the agent can check out what’s on your phone,” she told me. “Given how much we use our phones and what we keep on them, that could be embarrassing, or dangerous. And if our devices are carrying company information, we may be in trouble by having that information become available outside Canada.”
READ MORE: Should you worry about U.S. border agents searching your phone? Yes, says privacy czar
It is one of the troubling realities of 21st century life in the digital era. Could we do without our digital devices if we’re travelling in the United States? And if we left them at home, would that raise even more suspicions? After all, everybody carries a cellphone these days.
It’s one thing to have to resort to a payphone to make a call home, assuming, of course, you can find a payphone. But what would we do if we couldn’t Google the directions to a favourite restaurant in Phoenix?
It’s just one more thing to consider when you’re packing your bags. Maybe staying home isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Click on the link below to hear Sharon Polsky of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, speak about what it’s like taking smart devices across the border:
https://omny.fm/shows/alberta-morning-news/protecting-your-devices
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