Planning a trip outside the United States? Prepare now for potential friction upon your return. New rules will affect your electronic gear.

In fact, be ready to surrender your laptop.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in charge of border security. Part of that job is searching for illicit materials. But its agents are not just looking for drugs and weapons. Illicit data is on the list, too.

The DHS has the authority to seize and search your electronic gear. This covers anything that can store any kind of data. Laptops, thumb drives and MP3 players are fair game. Technically, your smartphone could be included as well.

DHS officers don’t need a warrant to search your files. They don’t even have to suspect any wrongdoing. If they ask for equipment, you have to give it up.

Officials can look at any file they please. This includes documents, photos, videos, browsing history and more. And you can be asked for passwords to protected or encrypted files.

Unsurprisingly, this policy is controversial. It means there is no guarantee of privacy at the border. Several groups, including the ACLU, are challenging this in court.