Secure your Data

Encrypting your entire hard drive, something you should certainly do for security in case your computer is lost or stolen, or even interborder travels.

The border agent is likely to start this whole process with a "please type in your password." Of course you can refuse, but the agent can search you further, detain you longer, refuse you entry into the country and otherwise ruin your day. You're going to have to hide your data. Set a portion of your hard drive to be encrypted with a different key and keep your sensitive data there.

Lots of programs allow you to do this. I use PGP Disk (from pgp.com).

TrueCrypt (truecrypt.org) is also good, and free.

While customs agents might poke around on your laptop, they're unlikely to find the encrypted partition. (You can make the icon invisible, for some added protection.) And if they download the contents of your hard drive to examine later, you won't care. Be sure to choose a strong encryption password. 

A customs agent can't read what you don't have.

You don't need four years' worth of email and client data.

You don't need your old photos and love letters.

Delete everything you don't absolutely need using a file erasure program. Delete your browser's cookies, cache and browsing history. Turn your computer off - don't just put it to sleep - that deletes other things.

Some organizations now give their employees forensically clean laptops for travel and have them download any sensitive data over a virtual private network once they've entered the country. 

They send any work back the same way and delete everything again before crossing the border to go home. 

Also, you can consider putting your sensitive data on a USB drive or a memory card: Encrypt it because it's easy to lose something that small. Slip it in your pocket, if custom discovers it, you can try saying: 

"I don't know what's on there. My boss told me to give it to the manager." With a strong encryption password, you won't care if he confiscates it.

Finally, don't forget your phone and PDA. Delete: emails, your phone book and your calendar. 

I wish You Great Success.