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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Cleanse or secure your electronics before crossing the border

Over the past weeks, I've done a lot of travelling. First to Geneva and then to the US. On both occasions, I had to be very mindful of what information I have on my laptop and my USB drives, since I am subject to the Personal Information International Disclosure Protection Act.

This new law prohibits the export of personal information by Nova Scotia public bodies and their service providers. As a lawyer to a number of public bodies and an instructor at Dalhousie Law School, my laptop an blackberry are subject to those laws. Since I didn't want to go to the bother of asking the chief executive of each public body I work for wheter I had one-off permission to take their data with me (and since I wouldn't need their data on the road), I had to delete all traces of such personal information from my portable electronics. While this is a concern for public bodies in Nova Scotia and their service providers, it's also a concern for anyone who is crossing the border into the United States as increasingly customs officers are scrutinizing laptops at the border.

Bruce Schneier, who always has interesting things to say, has an article in the Guardian on how to secure your laptops if you're taking them into the US. It's a good read and probably something to bookmark to read next time you're crossing the frontier: Read me first: Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first Technology The Guardian.

Labels: laptop, patriot act, piidpa, privacy, schneier