You can see what I found at http://www.dhs.gov/journal/leadership/2008_06_01_archive.html:

"Our ability to inspect what is coming into the United States is central to keeping dangerous people and things from entering the country and harming the American people. One of our most important enforcement tools in this regard is our ability to search information contained in electronic devices, including laptops and other digital devices, for violations of U.S. law, including potential threats.

These searches have helped limit the movement of terrorists, individuals who support their activities, and other threats to national security. During border inspections of laptops, CBP officers have found violent jihadist material, information about cyanide and nuclear material, video clips of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), pictures of high-level Al-Qaeda officials, and other material associated with people seeking to do harm to our country."

So, what does this mean for the common person?

If you are a businessman all your data is no longer confidential. According to officials it is not dangerous:

"CBP officers adhere to strict constitutional and statutory requirements, including the Trade Secrets Act, which explicitly forbids federal employees from disclosing, without lawful authority, business confidential information they may access as part of their official duties. We also protect information that may be uncovered during examination as well as private information that is not in violation of any law."

But DHS officers are entitled to copy the memory of your devices, and if your data is encrypted they may ask your password. If there is no password (or for any other reasons) they can take your laptop and keep it as long as they need it. Those who won’t accept these rules, won’t be allowed to enter the country.

Why do I write about this and what is the relationship with remote access technology? If you need confidential business data while on a business trip, you may keep it on your home or office computer. You just take a laptop (or a netbook) without any confidential corporate information and pass CBP. Entering the country, you get access to the files using remote access software. This would be a legal solution for the common businessman to keep Trade Secrets*.

*"Trade secret" is information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program device, method, technique, or process, that: derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, and is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.