If you are like many Canadians, more and more of your daily life involves interacting with a digital device. You use a laptop for work or school, text message your friends and family, check Facebook on your iPad, take hundreds of photos on your camera phone, read books on your Kindle, and send emails from whatever device you happen to have with you at the time.

The idea of someone digging through all that information and deciding if you should be allowed to come into Canada or not seems implausible, but that is exactly what happens when the Canada Border Services Agency (the “CBSA”) searches electronic devices at the border.

This guide will explore four areas:

1. Rights at the border – What can and can’t be done by a CBSA officer when he or she decides to search your electronic devices?

2. CBSA policies – What exactly do CBSA officers do when they are searching your electronic devices?

3. Best practices – What steps can you take to keep your data private and secure?

4. I’ve been searched! – What should you do if your electronic devices have been searched by the CBSA?

The law around searches at the border was designed for a time when people could only bring a small amount of personal information with them, but seem out of date in a time when someone can bring every bit of personal data about them along in their pocket. This handbook is meant to help you make sense of this strange situation, and to protect your privacy when travelling with electronic devices.

Electronic Devices: Privacy Handbook A Guide To Your Rights >>