I will be travelling to London in two weeks with my laptop and though it contains nothing but normal data I just wondered out of curiosity

if the border protection in London is anything like what sounds to me like terribly invasive searches in the USA after reading this article just this morning.

I just have this impression that what happens in USA eventually starts happening in UK.

 

Customs And Border Protection Clarifies: You Have No Rights While Traveling

 

Quote

Customs and Border Protection revised their policy. Last week they issued a new directive. But in some ways, it is worse.

For starters, their guidance claims the authority to search a traveler’s electronic devices “with or without suspicion.”

The guidance now claims passengers are “obligated” to turn over their devices as well as passcodes for examination. If they fail to do so, agents can seize the device.

 

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-14/customs-and-border-protection-clarifies-you-have-no-rights-while-traveling

 

Is there any reason you may be flagged. e.g on UK Sex Offender's register or lengthy stays in Middle Eastern countries? They are looking for evidence related to child sex offences, human trafficking and terrorism. In that case expect your laptop to be thoroughly screened and out of your possession for weeks.

 

Other than that, there is a small chance you may be asked to turn a device on (usually when embarking on a flight to London rather than arriving at London) for security reasons.

29 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Is there any reason you may be flagged. e.g on UK Sex Offender's register or lengthy stays in Middle Eastern countries? They are looking for evidence related to child sex offences, human trafficking and terrorism. In that case expect your laptop to be thoroughly screened and out of your possession for weeks.

 

Other than that, there is a small chance you may be asked to turn a device on (usually when embarking on a flight to London rather than arriving at London) for security reasons.

I would argue that having a passport with evidence of frequent travel in and out of Thailand, there's a higher chance of being pulled for a secondary inspection. If the passport indicates Phnom Penh as being a frequent destination, the likelihood is higher.

Have returned from Thailand to UK just under 170 times.....Random 3 or 4 times customs nibble but never slightest interest in hardware of any sort. Clearly I dont look like a typical scroat.

Edited January 17, 20188 yr by Chivas

Never had a problem re-entering the UK. My worst ever experiences at airports were Miami and New York and i was only in transit!  What on earth makes you think the UK would want to follow the USA?

I've never experienced anything like that in the UK and I have tons of stuff I would rather they didn't look at.