Abu Dhabi: Travellers to the United States should make sure not to carry electronic devices containing illegal or obscene material, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned on Tuesday.
The alert comes after US authorities said they would impose new security measures at airports.
The measures include inspection of personal mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices that contain illegal content or violate public decency, the foreign ministry quoted the federal US National Transportation Safety Board as saying.
It was not immediately clear whether the UAE foreign ministry was referring to new US security measures, or reiterating existing restrictions.
In September, Gulf News reported that 60 students from Saudi Arabia had their visas cancelled on arrival in US airports, after authorities reportedly found some had suspect content on their electronic devices.
The warning from the UAE comes six weeks after Kuwait’s government advised citizens to make sure their phones contain no material that might be seen as being linked to Islamist militants before travelling to the United States.
This is “so that students and citizens may be spared questioning by authorities in US airports and to avoid any action against them that could result in cancelling their visas and banning them from entering US territories”, said the statement, reported by state news agency KUNA.
In July, three Kuwaiti businessmen were questioned for 21 hours at Los Angeles airport and had their mobile phones inspected before they were denied entry to the US, according to local media.
Travellers to other countries should also be careful. In the UK, border police have been authorised to confiscate mobile phones and download the data since at least 2013.
In Australia, similar rules allow border officials to seize and examine computers and mobile phones at entry points into the continent.
