Border patrol don’t like bitcoin. In fact they dislike anything they don’t understand or have been programmed to distrust. Encryption, cryptocurrency, graphics cards, all of the tech we take for granted is anathema to suspicious customs agents. Whether you’re traveling into the U.S. or any other surveillance state, here’s what you should do to avoid raising […]
Hide Yo Bitcoin, Hide Yo Encryption
Cases such as this emphasize the need to keep your digital identity locked down when passing through hostile customs. Simply encrypting your hard drive may not be enough, as the very act of doing so can raise further suspicion. If you are going to encrypt sensitive data, consider partitioning your hard drive and concealing the encrypted sector, making it invisible to cursory searches. Hide cryptocurrency apps on your cell phone – yes, banish your Blockfolio. Better still, take a clean laptop and a burner phone and leave the real ones at home.
Admittedly, this isn’t always practical, and the TSA – or whatever border agency happens to be frisking you – is unlikely to detain you for having a thumb drive containing $100 of shitcoins. Nevertheless, given the ease which which an individual’s identity can be laid bare once their laptop or smartphone is unlocked, the simplest solution is to travel clean and with complete peace of mind. Either hide it well or don’t take it with you.