1Password's new travel mode locks you out of your accounts while you're travelling and crossing borders

1Password has taken Maciej Cegłowski's demand for a "travel mode" for our technology to heart, introducing a new feature that locks you out of your own accounts when you're in situations where you might lose control of your devices or be compelled to log into your accounts without your consent.

However, 1Password allows you to deactivate Travel Mode by logging in, creating the possibility that you'll be compelled to do so, then to login to your sensitive accounts.

One solution is to use 1Password Teams, in which a remote manager turns your password access off and on (though of course, if that person is compromised, this feature could lock an entire team or company out of its servers).


Let's say I had an upcoming trip for a technology conference in San Jose. I hear the apples are especially delicious over there this time of year. :) Before Travel Mode, I would have had to sign out of all my 1Password accounts on all my devices. If I needed certain passwords with me, I had to create a temporary travel account. It was a lot of work and not worth it for most people.

Now all I have to do is make sure any of the items I need for travel are in a single vault. I then sign in to my account on 1Password.com, mark that vault as "safe for travel," and turn on Travel Mode in my profile. I unlock 1Password on my devices so the vaults are removed, and I'm now ready for my trip. Off I go from sunny Winnipeg to hopefully-sunnier San Jose, ready to cross the border knowing that my iPhone and my Mac no longer contain the vast majority of my sensitive information.

After I arrive at my destination, I can sign in again and turn off Travel Mode. The vaults immediately show up on my devices, and I'm back in business.

Introducing Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders


(via Waxy)