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This is a nice feature, but ultimately if you are concerned with border agents requiring a phone search then you should just backup and install a fresh OS befor

by jzl 9y ago

This is a nice feature, but ultimately if you are concerned with border agents requiring a phone search then you should just backup and install a fresh OS before traveling, then restore when you get back. Log into the minimal number of apps after you've entered the destination country, and optionally delete/logout of said apps prior to return travel if the return border crossing is also a concern. Admittedly if you use a password manager you might need still want to make use of a feature such as the one in this article, or install the password manager app after entering the country, or just write down the passwords that you will need and hide them somewhere unfindable with your stuff. On iOS about the only thing you would lose is your message history during the trip. It might be an annoyance if you wanted to play games that had non-cloud-based saved player state, but I can't think of too many other issues with doing this.

cdolan92 9y ago
That may be a solution, but I'm never going to have the time to do that personally.
- jzl 9y ago
  But are you concerned with border agents searching your phone? If you are then any time spent on this is time well spent. Although protecting your password manager is obviously of vital importance, there's a lot more to be concerned about sitting around on your phone if they can get in. There's also the general concern -- although I don't know if it's ever been proven to have happened anywhere -- of border agents installing tracking software / malware. They often take the phone out of sight for a while. This is probably more of an issue with Android phones but again if you are a journalist or human rights activist or anyone with legitimate reasons to be concerned, I would absolutely want to wipe the phone as soon as possible after a border crossing if agents had forced me to hand it over for inspection.
- Youareweakhn 9y ago
  Then stop complaining?
- r00fus 9y ago
  Then it's a burner phone for you. Can't afford that? According to the security state, then you pay by risking your information. I agree with both you and the parent poster. It's sad that we're paying a privacy tax on something that should be constitutionally protected.
ben_jones 9y ago
Can't they order you to sign into iCloud or equivalent and then just sync whatever they want, photos, texts, emails, apps (and then order you to sign into those apps like Facebook, Whatsapp, Gmail)? Bottom line is they can get you AND everything you have access to. And it you try to circumvent it by i.e. temporarily encrypting everything for 24hr boom you just committed a felony. This is my understanding at least.
- rpedroso 9y ago
  IANAL and I don't have an answer to this, but I would be deeply alarmed if this were the case. I can understand them making the case that anything on your personal is searchable (though I disagree that this should be allowed). By asking you to sign in and sync, they're not just requesting access to information on your person -- that's an enormous expansion of their search powers.
  - ben_jones 9y ago
    Isn't it established that they'll ask for social media credentials which sync old data automatically?
  - mtgx 9y ago
    I mean, aren't they forcing you to give Facebook passwords now? https://www.cnet.com/news/us-border-agents-facebook-twitter-password/ https://www.cnet.com/news/us-border-agents-facebook-twitter-...
- chillwaves 9y ago
  You know what's strange? I just can't remember my password to this account. Real talk, if you play games they will find a way to fuck you up, and even if it is not strictly legal, even if you with some kind of relief later (not likely a nice settlement), you will still have to deal with getting fucked pretty bad at the time. Not a great outcome.
  - throwanem 9y ago
    Yeah, no shit. "Oh, you can't remember your password? That's OK, we have a nice place here for you to sit until you do."
Havoc 9y ago
>This is a nice feature, but ultimately if you are concerned with border agents requiring a phone search then you should just backup and install a fresh OS before traveling This is just another version of the "why do you need privacy unless you have something to hide" argument.

by jzl 9y ago

cdolan92 9y ago

That may be a solution, but I'm never going to have the time to do that personally.

jzl 9y ago
But are you concerned with border agents searching your phone? If you are then any time spent on this is time well spent. Although protecting your password manager is obviously of vital importance, there's a lot more to be concerned about sitting around on your phone if they can get in. There's also the general concern -- although I don't know if it's ever been proven to have happened anywhere -- of border agents installing tracking software / malware. They often take the phone out of sight for a while. This is probably more of an issue with Android phones but again if you are a journalist or human rights activist or anyone with legitimate reasons to be concerned, I would absolutely want to wipe the phone as soon as possible after a border crossing if agents had forced me to hand it over for inspection.
Youareweakhn 9y ago
Then stop complaining?
r00fus 9y ago
Then it's a burner phone for you. Can't afford that? According to the security state, then you pay by risking your information. I agree with both you and the parent poster. It's sad that we're paying a privacy tax on something that should be constitutionally protected.

ben_jones 9y ago

Can't they order you to sign into iCloud or equivalent and then just sync whatever they want, photos, texts, emails, apps (and then order you to sign into those apps like Facebook, Whatsapp, Gmail)? Bottom line is they can get you AND everything you have access to. And it you try to circumvent it by i.e. temporarily encrypting everything for 24hr boom you just committed a felony. This is my understanding at least.

rpedroso 9y ago
IANAL and I don't have an answer to this, but I would be deeply alarmed if this were the case. I can understand them making the case that anything on your personal is searchable (though I disagree that this should be allowed). By asking you to sign in and sync, they're not just requesting access to information on your person -- that's an enormous expansion of their search powers.
- ben_jones 9y ago
  Isn't it established that they'll ask for social media credentials which sync old data automatically?
- mtgx 9y ago
  I mean, aren't they forcing you to give Facebook passwords now? https://www.cnet.com/news/us-border-agents-facebook-twitter-password/ https://www.cnet.com/news/us-border-agents-facebook-twitter-...
chillwaves 9y ago
You know what's strange? I just can't remember my password to this account. Real talk, if you play games they will find a way to fuck you up, and even if it is not strictly legal, even if you with some kind of relief later (not likely a nice settlement), you will still have to deal with getting fucked pretty bad at the time. Not a great outcome.
- throwanem 9y ago
  Yeah, no shit. "Oh, you can't remember your password? That's OK, we have a nice place here for you to sit until you do."

Havoc 9y ago

>This is a nice feature, but ultimately if you are concerned with border agents requiring a phone search then you should just backup and install a fresh OS before traveling This is just another version of the "why do you need privacy unless you have something to hide" argument.