How to maintain data security

Ernest Moret, The foreign rights manager of the French publishing house La Fabrique, he boarded a train from Paris to London in early April. He was on his way to attend a book fair in London.

When Moret arrives at St. Pancras Station in the United Kingdom, two plainclothes police who claim to be “anti-terrorist police” begin terrorizing Monet. The publisher said they had asked him for six hours to name the “anti-government” authors his company had published, starting with his views on pension reform, and arrested him after he refused to give his passwords. Phone and laptop. After Moret’s arrest, the weapons were not returned to him, but he was released on bail.

The case, which certainly highlights the UK’s appalling anti-terror laws, highlights the critical importance of taking operational security seriously when traveling – even on seemingly innocuous journeys such as the two-and-a-half-hour train journey between London and Paris. No one knows what might prompt the authorities to put a damper on your international cruise.

Every trip is unique and ideally, each one gets a customized risk model: detailing the risks you foresee and the steps you can take to avoid them. However, there are some basic digital security precautions to consider before embarking on any journey.

Travel tools, apps and accounts

The first digital safety rule of travel is to leave your usual personal devices at home. Go on your trip with “burner” travel gear instead.

In addition to being trafficked or confiscated by the authorities, you run the risk of your device being lost or stolen during your trip. It’s usually not dangerous to leave your usual equipment behind and bring the equipment you only use when traveling. This shouldn’t be price prohibitive: you can buy cheap laptops and inexpensive new phones or refurbished expensive models. (Also get a privacy screen for your new phones and laptops, to minimize the amount of information visible to any onlookers.)

If you need to access sensitive data while traveling, first store it in a cloud account somewhere using cloud encryption tools like Cryptomator to encrypt the data. Then make sure they are both signed out of your cloud account and not in your browsing history, uninstall Cryptomator or other encryption apps and re-install them after you reach your destination and sign in to your account again. And away from your port of entry. (Don’t log into your account while you’re still at the airport or train station.)

Just like you don’t have to bring your usual tools, you don’t have to bring your usual accounts. Be sure to log out of any personal or work accounts that contain sensitive information. If you need access to special services, use the travel account you created for your trip. Make sure your travel account passwords are different from your regular account passwords, and make sure your password manager has travel mode when you travel.

Before you travel, do your research to make sure the apps you plan to use — like your virtual private network and secure chat app — aren’t restricted or blocked in the region you’ll be visiting.

Always maintain line of sight with your equipment when traveling. For example, if a customs agent or border officer takes your phone or laptop away, the safest bet is to assume that the device is damaged if it is returned later, and if possible, purchase new devices in the region immediately.

If you’re entering a place where line-of-sight is impossible—like an embassy or other government building where you’re told to store devices in a locker before entering—put the devices in a duffle bag, which you can buy in bulk online before your trip. While this doesn’t actually prevent the devices from crashing, it does give you a hint that something might be going wrong. If you leave your devices unattended, like in your hotel room, use disruptive bags.

Phone numbers

The sensitive data you may have on your devices doesn’t just mean documents, photos, or other files. It can also include things like contacts and chat history. Don’t put your contacts at risk by leaving them on your device: keep them in your encrypted cloud drive until you reach them in a safe place.

Just like you don’t have to bring your regular phone, you don’t have to bring your regular SIM card. Instead, use a temporary SIM card so authorities can’t monitor your phone number. Depending on which region you’re going to, it may make more sense to buy a temporary SIM card in-region or buy one in advance. The advantage of buying a card at your destination is that it is more likely to work, but if you buy in advance, your card may or may not be valid, as sellers operate within a limited area.

On the other hand, the region you are traveling to may have strict ID requirements to purchase a SIM. And, if you’re waiting to buy a card at your destination, you won’t have access to a phone while you’re traveling and won’t have access to an emergency contact number if you run into problems en route.

Going back

Remember that the travel precautions listed here don’t just apply to your inbound trip, they apply to your return trip home as well. You may be asked when you leave the host country or return to your local port of entry. Follow all the same steps to make sure nothing sensitive is on your devices before returning home.

Taking precautions like accessing and setting up travel devices and accounts or setting up a temporary phone number may all seem like hassles for regular travel, but the point of taking these steps is that in the long run, the hassles of exposing your privacy are less of a hassle. Information or contacts – or investigation and handling.