Protect Your Digital Privacy: How 1Password’s Travel Mode Can Hide Sensitive Information During US Border Searches

U.S. Border Searches Reach an All-Time High

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports a record-breaking number of device searches at the U.S. border between April and June of this year, with nearly 15,000 devices searched – surpassing the previous quarterly record by over 2,000. Travelers may face detentions and potential content-related denials, raising privacy concerns.

Travelers can safeguard their personal information using password management tools like 1Password and its Travel Mode feature. By organizing sensitive data into vaults and selecting those deemed safe for travel, users can temporarily hide or claim that the selected vaults have been entirely removed from their devices during border crossings.

While U.S. citizens and green card holders cannot be denied entry if they refuse a device search, CBP may prolong detentions and seize devices. According to the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), while travelers can express their refusal, it may not deter CBP from searching or confiscating phones.

CBP policies state that officers cannot access information stored remotely on devices during searches. However, these guidelines are not always consistently enforced. Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, notes that CBP claims an unlimited authority to search travelers’ devices without a warrant, potentially accessing the full scope of carried information.