Should I encrypt data for HDD travel across border?

[Oracle 74]

Bringing four HDDs filled to it's maximum across the Canadian border and into the US. Should I encrypt it?

 

Nothing on the drives has been downloaded, all of it is rips.

[mastrmind11 717]

just bring a pound of weed and they'll overlook your hdds

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

Not saying it is not possible but I have never heard of any kind of deep data search or content search of data drives upon entry into the US unless there was other reasons for said search.

 

Personally I have flown many times to Canada and Europe and the Far East with computers and multiple drives and the most I have had to show was that the computers, if they were in carry on luggage, would boot up.

 

When I have had larger computers in checked luggage I have never had any trouble in either direction with customs or security except for one time where I misplaced the proof that I had bought the computer in the US and I was returning to the US. That SNAFU was only corrected after about an hour and a half of searching through everything I had until I found the needed paperwork packed with some candy I had bought in Germany.

 

The border security has tightened a bit and the security people have become a bit full of themselves since I traveled extensively but I really doubt the anyone at the border would search the data on hard drives to see if it is or is not "legal" unless they had another VERY good reason for suspecting illegal behavior and then they would probably not be searching for an illegal copy of "Weekend at Bernie's: Part II."

[Oracle 74]

So, I would imagine it is "relatively" safe to travel with this content?

Like I've stated, the movies weren't downloaded or torrented and just ripped from the disc.

 

Also, I'd imagine the only thing they are looking for in Kid Porn and what not.

 

@@Gilgamesh_48

Edited February 16, 2019 by Arly (Sprinkles)

[adamstewiegreen 147]

I've done a fair bit of travel internationally (Canada, States, Australia, Japan, Europe etc etc), every time with computers, phones, tablets, or HDDs (once with 3 filled HDD) and no one has even so much as asked me to turn a device on let alone look at its contents.

[Carlo 4330]

Same, I've traveled a lot out of the country with multiple computers and external drives and never have been asked to do anything other then power on the computer to show it worked.  I once was asked to plug in 3 external drives to show they were actually HDDs and worked. Nothing more than that ever for me.

 

With that being said. I wouldn't advise doing something stupid like filling drives with kiddie porn, rape porn or other questionable content of the like. Those type of content would send red flags quite quickly if the content was looked at.

 

I myself wouldn't have drives filled with content easily identified as torrent or newsgroup copyright violated content either.  But anything properly named with FileBot and looks like typical rips or recordings would not bother me in the least to travel with.

 

Just be smart and use your head and you should have nothing to worry about.

[Oracle 74]

Use my brain? I have at least half of one of those, so I think I'll be alright.