Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
Many large corporations in the US won't let you take company owned laptops outside the US. They give special laptops to individuals who have a need to take them overseas.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
That seems slightly curious to me. Why would a laptop be at a greater risk of being stolen in a country outside the US? If it contains commercially valuable information, surely the same level of encryption should be applied to it regardless of its location?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
Because when you bring the laptop back into the US, it's possible that the custom agents will confiscate it, especially if the disk in encrypted. It apparently has happened.
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The cases that I am aware of where companies have restrictions on taking encrypted laptops out of the USA are due to the risk of coming foul of the USA's regulations regarding the export of encryption products; and other countries have regulations regarding the import of such products. In either case confiscation and penalties may be applied.
If there is restricted encryption software on the device then any required export (or import) documentation can be applied for but is inconvenient. The practices that I have come across either the company (or organization, such as a university) only allows "loaner" devices to be taken or, in some cases, the "personal" device to be scanned by IT and any encryption software removed.
A number of countries are parties to the Wassenaar Arrangement controlling international transfer of arms and dual use technology, and includes the USA, the UK and my own among others (all "Five Eyes" Alliance countries are parties, plus others). For encryption software on personal use devices accompanying the user for their personal use there is an exemption among those countries (but not all I think(?) ) for travel between them.
I have never travelled internationally with encrypted data or encryption software on a device {EDIT: apart from my phone on which permanent memory is encrypted but removable memory card never is}{EDIT 2: it comes to mind that on my notebook when travelling my password manager is encrypted-in the unlikely event one was inspected I doubt such would attract attention, however, in my case the software is open source and that is generally not restricted}.