4 ms·

Wipe devices before packing. Arrive in country then restore backup remotely.

jungletek 10y ago
If the 'goal' of this policy is, as postulated elsewhere in the thread, to allow physical access to devices in order to deliver malware, etc., then how would you know your wiped device hadn't acquired a bootkit along the way? Using a parcel-handling service, gov't or private, along with some tamper-indication of the package interior seems much safer, though not perfect by any means.
int_19h 10y ago
Having a device that looks wiped is grounds for suspicion in and of itself these days. In some cases, enough to turn someone away (remember, they can always do that to non-citizens, and you have very little recourse if they do).
- necessity 10y ago
  Care to cite an example where this actually happened? I've brought wiped devices countless times.
  - 4ad 10y ago
    http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531 http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-custo...
  - arm 10y ago
    http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531 http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-custo... (HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13702981 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13702981) Specifically, this part: “A month later, André attempted to fly to New Orleans again. This time, he brought what he thought was ample proof that he was not a sex worker: letters from his employer, pay stubs, bank statements, a lease agreement and phone contracts to prove he intended to return to Canada. When he went through secondary inspection at Vancouver airport, US Customs officers didn’t even need to ask for his passwords — they were saved in their own system. But André had wiped his phone of sex apps, browser history and messages, thinking that would dispel any suggestion he was looking for sex work. Instead, the border officers took that as suspicious. “They went through my computer. They were looking through Word documents,” André says. “I had nude photos of myself on my phone, and they were questioning who this person was. It was really humiliating and embarrassing.” “They said, ‘Next time you come through, don’t have a cleared phone,’ and that was it. I wasn’t let through. He said I’m a suspected escort. You can’t really argue with them because you’re trapped,” he says.” He wasn’t necessarily declined solely because he wiped the phone (they already suspected him due to the previous encounter), but they made it pretty clear they don’t like it since they considered that reason enough to not let him through a second time despite all the supporting paperwork.
DrJokepu 10y ago
This is bad advice I'm afraid. If you're an alien seeking admission to the United States it's your responsibility to prove that you don't have immigrant intent, not the CBP's responsibility that you do. By showing up at the border with a wiped device you will make it a lot easier for the CBP to build a case against you and put you on the next plane heading back.
- foldr 10y ago
  Not sure why this is being downvoted. Entering with a wiped device would be viewed as suspicious, rightly or wrongly.
  - titraprutr 10y ago
    Until it becomes a norm among travellers.
    - foldr 10y ago
      It won't, though. Way too inconvenient for most people.
  - saganus 10y ago
    How would the border agents know it's a wiped device? Because it's missing everything and seems like a new phone? What if I actually bought a new cheap phone because I'm afraid of getting robbed abroad, and even tell the agent? I ask because I would think that being afraid of losing your expensive phone on a leisure trip is common enough and harmless enough (and totally real reason) that it wouldn't provoke or trigger an agent. Or am I being delusional?
    - foldr 10y ago
      >Because it's missing everything and seems like a new phone? Yes. Remember, they don't need proof of anything. You're not on trial. It's largely up to the judgment of the individual officer whether or not someone can enter the US as a visitor. If they ask you why there's nothing on your phone, you'd better be able to convince them that it's for some other reason than "I don't want you to see it". Can you do that? Well, it depends on how persuasive you are and whether the officer is in a good mood that day.
ju-st 10y ago
My plan is to leave my devices back home. In the US electronics is usually cheaper so I would buy a MacBook and download my personal data from the cloud. After returning home I would sell the MacBook for a nice profit.
- tirant 10y ago
  Or simply return the Macbook back to the shop.
sneak 10y ago
How do you do that with 1.5TB of video? My Lightroom library of stills alone is 900GB. Have you ever used hotel wifi? Give me a break.
- Faaak 10y ago
  Obviously you only wipe sensitive data/documents, not movies or torrents
  - sneak 10y ago
    The video and stills are things that I shot, most geotagged and datestamped. The video is frequently, uhh, sensitive. What am I to do? Networks simply aren't fast enough to deal with my data sizes.

If the 'goal' of this policy is, as postulated elsewhere in the thread, to allow physical access to devices in order to deliver malware, etc., then how would you know your wiped device hadn't acquired a bootkit along the way? Using a parcel-handling service, gov't or private, along with some tamper-indication of the package interior seems much safer, though not perfect by any means.

int_19h 10y ago

Having a device that looks wiped is grounds for suspicion in and of itself these days. In some cases, enough to turn someone away (remember, they can always do that to non-citizens, and you have very little recourse if they do).

necessity 10y ago
Care to cite an example where this actually happened? I've brought wiped devices countless times.
- 4ad 10y ago
  http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531 http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-custo...
- arm 10y ago
  http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531 http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-custo... (HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13702981 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13702981) Specifically, this part: “A month later, André attempted to fly to New Orleans again. This time, he brought what he thought was ample proof that he was not a sex worker: letters from his employer, pay stubs, bank statements, a lease agreement and phone contracts to prove he intended to return to Canada. When he went through secondary inspection at Vancouver airport, US Customs officers didn’t even need to ask for his passwords — they were saved in their own system. But André had wiped his phone of sex apps, browser history and messages, thinking that would dispel any suggestion he was looking for sex work. Instead, the border officers took that as suspicious. “They went through my computer. They were looking through Word documents,” André says. “I had nude photos of myself on my phone, and they were questioning who this person was. It was really humiliating and embarrassing.” “They said, ‘Next time you come through, don’t have a cleared phone,’ and that was it. I wasn’t let through. He said I’m a suspected escort. You can’t really argue with them because you’re trapped,” he says.” He wasn’t necessarily declined solely because he wiped the phone (they already suspected him due to the previous encounter), but they made it pretty clear they don’t like it since they considered that reason enough to not let him through a second time despite all the supporting paperwork.

DrJokepu 10y ago

This is bad advice I'm afraid. If you're an alien seeking admission to the United States it's your responsibility to prove that you don't have immigrant intent, not the CBP's responsibility that you do. By showing up at the border with a wiped device you will make it a lot easier for the CBP to build a case against you and put you on the next plane heading back.

foldr 10y ago
Not sure why this is being downvoted. Entering with a wiped device would be viewed as suspicious, rightly or wrongly.
- titraprutr 10y ago
  Until it becomes a norm among travellers.
  - foldr 10y ago
    It won't, though. Way too inconvenient for most people.
- saganus 10y ago
  How would the border agents know it's a wiped device? Because it's missing everything and seems like a new phone? What if I actually bought a new cheap phone because I'm afraid of getting robbed abroad, and even tell the agent? I ask because I would think that being afraid of losing your expensive phone on a leisure trip is common enough and harmless enough (and totally real reason) that it wouldn't provoke or trigger an agent. Or am I being delusional?
  - foldr 10y ago
    >Because it's missing everything and seems like a new phone? Yes. Remember, they don't need proof of anything. You're not on trial. It's largely up to the judgment of the individual officer whether or not someone can enter the US as a visitor. If they ask you why there's nothing on your phone, you'd better be able to convince them that it's for some other reason than "I don't want you to see it". Can you do that? Well, it depends on how persuasive you are and whether the officer is in a good mood that day.

ju-st 10y ago

My plan is to leave my devices back home. In the US electronics is usually cheaper so I would buy a MacBook and download my personal data from the cloud. After returning home I would sell the MacBook for a nice profit.

tirant 10y ago
Or simply return the Macbook back to the shop.

sneak 10y ago

How do you do that with 1.5TB of video? My Lightroom library of stills alone is 900GB. Have you ever used hotel wifi? Give me a break.

Faaak 10y ago
Obviously you only wipe sensitive data/documents, not movies or torrents
- sneak 10y ago
  The video and stills are things that I shot, most geotagged and datestamped. The video is frequently, uhh, sensitive. What am I to do? Networks simply aren't fast enough to deal with my data sizes.