Unfortunately, this is not a joke. Border agents in Australia or New Zealand are allowed to go through your digital devices. They can look through your smartphone, tablet or laptop and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Border agents can now not only search your personal baggage but also what you might be hiding in the digital world. It doesn’t matter if you are a citizen, visa holder or visitor.
If you don’t want to show them the contents, you could face prosecution and NZ$5,000 in fines. This is not just the case in Australia and New Zealand but becoming a general trend worldwide with a more than fivefold increase in these type of searches.
The devices that are confiscated are often returned only days or weeks later.
It gets better!
They don’t just stop there. They also ask for your social media account usernames (a question on online visa application forms in the US).
What to do in this situation?
First off, make sure you know your rights in the country you are trying to enter. Do research before you arrive (whether by air, land or sea!).
Secondly, don’t argue with the officer!
You might also want to consider saving sensitive data on a secure European server as Data protection is taken more seriously in the EU (see General Data Protection Regulation).
Food for thought: Google, Apple and Microsoft are all stating that handing over your password is in breach of their service agreements, privacy management and safety practices. This does by all means not mean that you should start arguing with the officer but it makes you wonder, what situation you are being put in when being asked to hand over your most private data.
