Dear Colleagues, As many attending the ASA (including CITAMS) in Montreal are likely to cross the U.S. border, I want to raise the following issue. Of course this issue is also generally applicable to those who enter the U.S. at any time. There have been reports of US Custom & Border Protection personnel conducting unwarranted searches on digital devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets, and laptops) in the possession of those entering the U.S. Please see the following report, for detail: https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017. How can a person protect their data at the U.S. border? See the following “Pocket Guide to Protecting Your Data,” which is useful to print and carry along with one’s passport: https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide. I also plan to print copies and leave them around the conference venue. For more detail than is likely to be needed, please also consult a long report released in March by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, if anyone is interested: https://www.eff.org/files/2017/03/10/digital-privacy-border-2017-guide3.10.17.pdf. Also, the EFF has a statement on Constitutional rights at the border: https://www.eff.org/document/digital-privacy-us-border. For now, I wish you all safe (and secure & private) travels to our conference venue. I’ll look forward to seeing you all next week. Best regards, Glenn Muschert Glenn W. Muschert, Professor Sociology and Social Justice Studies Faculty Affiliate, Comparative Media Studies Miami University (MSC 1118) Oxford, Ohio 45056-1879 U.S.A. Phone: +1-513-529-1812; Fax: +1-513-529-8525 Web: http://www.users.MiamiOH.edu/muschegw/ <http://www.users.miamioh.edu/muschegw/> Twitter: @GlennMuschert