7 ms·

This is certainly not the first article of its kind, and the legality of such action seems to be upheld in court (at least the use of search without a warrant a

This is certainly not the first article of its kind, and the legality of such action seems to be upheld in court (at least the use of search without a warrant at the border). So, the selfish question then is: How do I protect myself from such unwarranted searches? Is there a way I can present my phone such that it drops into a mode that contains no data? Do I need to back my phone up before traveling, wipe it for the border crossing, and then restore once I feel safe? It feels crazy to ask this question, as an American citizen, but HN, what do you do to protect your data at the American border?

superkuh 8y ago
Don't forget that the border zone extends 100 miles in from the actual border (including the great lakes). Most US people live their entire lives in the constitution free zone where this kind of violation is allowed.
- hawaiianbrah 8y ago
  “Most people” seems like a bit of a stretch...
  - nickysielicki 8y ago
    It's not. https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-100-mile-border-zone https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-100-mile-border-zone
  - wolco 8y ago
    65.3 percent live within the border zone.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - ilikepi 8y ago
    Not at all[0]. The continental coastline is an "external boundary". [0]: https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone
    - geggam 8y ago
      When you get technical about this 100 miles from every international airport is a border as well... How does that impact that map ?
      - TomMarius 8y ago
        There is no actual country border at any airport. It's an approximation that has its own rules and is not affected by the international treaty that sets these 100 miles.
        taejo 8y ago
        The 100 miles have nothing to do with international treaty, but only American courts' interpretation of the fourth amendment.
        TomMarius 8y ago
        Isn't that based on the treaty? Sorry if I'm mistaken.
        taejo 8y ago
        I'm not sure which treaty you're thinking of, but I'm pretty certain it's a purely domestic matter. Note that we're talking about 100 miles inland from the border, not something like 100 miles out to sea.
        TomMarius 8y ago
        Yeah, that's my mistake. I thought we're talking out, not in.
  - bonestamp2 8y ago
    The "most people" actually comes from the part he left out... it's not just 100 miles from any border, it's 100 miles from any international airport, which does include most people.
    - dsfyu404ed 8y ago
      IIRC the "100 miles from an airport" part was requested/proposed but never actually happened (presumably because the FBI gang didn't want the CBP gang on it's turf).
    - angry_octet 8y ago
      No, an intl airport is a point of entry, but not a border.
      - bonestamp2 8y ago
        True, but it looks like the "100 miles from an airport" part of the law was not enacted after all. My mistake.
- ams6110 8y ago
  However the authority using "border zone" justification for a warrantless search must also have probable cause to believe you have recently crossed the border.
  - jacobush 8y ago
    How probable?
  - honestoHeminway 8y ago
    Now, if you leave the possibility that somebody crosses the border unchecked - you can use your incompetence to gain the right to search anybody. Nice one.
way2983 8y ago
>So, the selfish question then is: How do I protect myself from such unwarranted searches? Is there a way I can present my phone such that it drops into a mode that contains no data? Do I need to back my phone up before traveling, wipe it for the border crossing, and then restore once I feel safe? Save your encrypted system configuration/data on a service. Leave all your devices behind. Buy new devices on the other side of the border, and restore from the encrypted backup. This is really the only way to completely sidestep the risk.
- User23 8y ago
  Until a court rules that they can ask for your encrypted remote backup because reasons. And then hold you in contempt until you comply. This isn’t a technical problem, it’s a political one, which means it demands a political solution.
  - fwn 8y ago
    Grand-parents question > How do I protect myself from such unwarranted searches knows plenty of technical solutions. The question which needs to be answered in political terms is about the conditions under which it is lawful to put pressure on individuals to warrant such a search.
  - aflag 8y ago
    You can leave your phone at home and buy another one in the new location. That's why they have phone shops in the airports.
    - philpem 8y ago
      As silly as this sounds, it was standard procedure for one company I worked with. Don't bring your phone, get one from the US office. Same with laptops. Didn't half speed up border crossings when your itinerary is a week and all you have are your clothes, your passport, some travel money and your tickets.
  - loup-vaillant 8y ago
User23 8y ago
It’s sad but not unreasonable that you implicitly discount the possibility of a political solution.
petronio 8y ago
For mobile devices there are apps that will pretend to be something innocuous (say, a clock, or a flashlight app), and actually work as hidden storage. It would depend on whether the agents are using computerized inspection or manually looking through your phone (as they could easily build a blacklist of such apps), but if they're doing it manually and the app really does do the function it suggests it does and has a hidden unlock mechanism, they won't detect it. For laptops, you can install multiple operating systems and simply set the BIOS or EFI bootloader to boot the dummy one by default when going to the airport and make sure the dummy hides the partitions of the real one. Once again, this will fool manual inspection, but not computerized. Fooling computerized inspection would require placing the real encrypted file system within the dummy one, without any headers indicating that it's a file system: much more complicated and can lead to data loss if the dummy system writes over it. Either way, you don't want to simply wipe everything and restore once you're across borders if you actually want to cross. For one, there's the chance they'll just confiscate your device, but if you're not a citizen of the country you're entering, they'll just deny you entry on suspicion. You want something that's fake, but convincing, which takes effort.
- torgian 8y ago
  Cheap thinkpad, throw on some random software, browse with it for a month. That's what I plan to do.
cronix 8y ago
Back it up to the cloud and wipe it. Download backup on other side. Sure, officer, have at it <grin>.
- philpem 8y ago
  "Why is your phone completely blank? What are you trying to hide? Give me your Facebook login or you're going nowhere. Okay thanks, but you're still going nowhere... and your flight just left. That'll be $2000 for a new ticket."
  - Tor3 8y ago
    But a smartphone is not blank. What does 'blank' mean really? It's choke full of apps, whether you want them or not, from the factory. If you just use it to call with (as I do), then the only activity is a shortish call log.
    - philpem 8y ago
      I'd expect a response along the lines of this if I presented a factory-erased phone to CBP... "Everyone has a Facebook sir, even my grandma and my boss. And I'm pressing buttons on your cellphone and it's asking me to set things up, so it's obvious you wiped it and have something to hide. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either you start being honest with me, or you're not catching that flight, or any flight. Ever."
      - Tor3 8y ago
        Just after factory reset is a bit too far of course. You'll go through the setup. After that it's just as any old phone. And no, I don't have Facebook, and I'm definitely not alone. It's not something that I would feel problematic to defend.
  - cronix 8y ago
    Well, sir, I'm glad you asked. I just upgraded for this trip and am very excited to try out the new camera as it's supposed to be about two times better than the last model I had. I'm planning on setting everything up on my flight. I do not have a facebook account. I got tired of the data breaches and privacy issues and closed it about a year and a half ago. Am I free to go?
rhizome 8y ago
Don't use fingerprint or face unlock. Passcode/pattern only.
- chillacy 8y ago
  They’ll still detain you till you input your passcode. Or they’ll beat you with a rubber hose, if you’re in those parts of the world.
  - trevyn 8y ago
    They can detain your phone, but if you're a US citizen, they can't detain you for very long.
    - kevingadd 8y ago
      ICE and CBP can, in practice, hold someone a very long time if they really want to. It just rarely happens. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-citizens-ice-20180427-htmlstory.html https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-citizens-ice-20180... They can also make up imaginary charges against you to have you jailed, as cops in the US love to do. Any time an innocent person is gunned down, there's inevitably a story about how they 'charged the officer' or had a weapon or whatever, and then when evidence appears to contradict that, the lie is quietly retracted. You might say 'well, I have my ID while traveling, so it's fine', but ID is not always considered proof of citizenship. They could drag you aside at security (or elsewhere), decide they don't like the look of you, and decide that your ID isn't proof that you're a citizen. Spend a week or two in jail.
  - dzhiurgis 8y ago
    > those parts of the world. Somehow the only horror stories I read (or experience) is about US or five eyes (NZ being exception).
    - angry_octet 8y ago
      People in those other countries don't have a right to complain. If you have something incriminating in many countries you just disappear, possibly after a show trial.
eeZah7Ux 8y ago
There are almost no technical solutions. A freshly wiped phone or any clever encryption gimmick can raise suspicion and make things worse. AFAIK companies are the exception, unsurprisingly. Some companies require laptop and phone wiping before travel, and if you can prove you are following company policy it might be OK.
- yason 8y ago
  They can obviously be as suspicious as they like to but they can be like that anyway. If they choose to believe you have two Facebook accounts, one to show to authorities and the other to plan terrorist attacks with, then how can you prove them wrong. Don't carry any passwords with you so you can not login any service or device even if you wanted to. Leave them at home. A good reason to wipe your stuff prior your journey would be to minimise trouble if your equipment got stolen or lost (a plausible threat when travelling). I would tend to think there's nothing you can do to prevent them getting suspicious if they choose to do so. It's a bit unfair because it's a situation where you can't count on anything even if you have nothing to hide but that's, to my knowledge, just how it is.
peterwwillis 8y ago
Most Americans don't protect their data, because most Americans aren't potentially going to be set up by their government to be made to look like some kind of terrorist. If you happen to be non-white or non-christian or have such as family or who live in a majority Muslim country, then you probably do want to protect yourself against this eventuality. In that case, either bring a dumb/brick phone for them to search, or bring a smartphone which has data on it, but nothing you care about. Don't jump through a lot of hoops to try to fool them, because it'll look suspicious, and then you really aren't going to make your flight.
- h0l0cube 8y ago
  A 'blame the victim' mentality gives breathing space to the bully. 'Blame the bully' and at least they might apply some discretion, to counter negative attention to themselves or their superiors. Enforcement jobs, including border patrol, can self-select for sadists and racists, so it's probably best the public remains vigilant to the prospect of their increasing power.
  - jcbrand 8y ago
    Of course it would be better if the "bully" was removed or reformed. However, until that happens (which might be never), it's prudent to protect yourself, and telling people that they must take precautions for their own safety and well-being is not "blaming the victim".
- aflag 8y ago
  White Americans just have lower odds. But it only takes the border control officer to find something "suspicious" like a video about nuclear bombs in your youtube history and now you might just be a rotten apple. What you think is fine and what law enforcers think can be quite different. I'm not saying you should live in fear, just that these kind of checks are not good for anyone. Not even if you carry your sweater over your shoulders.
taneq 8y ago
> It feels crazy to ask this question, as an American citizen, but HN, what do you do to protect your data at the American border? I guess the real (rhetorical) question is, are you doing this for the principle of the thing or because you have something illegal? If the latter, then the only foolproof way is to travel without a phone, purchase a burner when you get wherever you're going, then destroy it when you leave - it's cheap enough these days to do so for every trip. If the former, then (as much as I hate this) just accept that it's all theatre and nobody really cares what's on your phone, and just unlock it and let them nose through your happy snaps for a minute on the way through.
- bonestamp2 8y ago
  > let them nose through your happy snaps for a minute on the way through. Just so you know, that's not how it has worked since 2013. Now they take your phone to the back room and image your phone. Then they upload that image to a service that searches your data. Then, and there is recent evidence of this, they don't always destroy the local copy of your data in the field office which would allow agents to browse your data at any time. Remember, they require you to unlock (decrypt) your phone before doing this.
  - tempestn 8y ago
    I hate this idea. To the best of my knowledge there's no evidence of anything illegal on my phone or any of my social media accounts. But still, I would absolutely loathe the idea of handing over an image of my phone in perpetuity. Might as well give you a scan of the contents of my brain. Not much evidence of law-breaking there either, but I'd rather hold onto it, thank you!
    - yason 8y ago
      You also plausibly can't trust the phone or any device that got unlocked and sent "into imaging".
- aflag 8y ago
  Even innocent people can go to jail, taneq.
onetimemanytime 8y ago
>>It feels crazy to ask this question, as an American citizen, but HN, what do you do to protect your data at the American border? In reality you can't without (potentially) causing yourself massive problems. Missing flights, detained for longer because you are hiding something because of wiped drives, encryption etc. etc. Oh, and they might add your name to lists that make your life miserable every-time you fly. So, unless a court rules in our favor, we're screwed.
segfaultbuserr 8y ago
It's a surprise to me that nobody has pointed to the EFF whitepaper and recommendations on this issue. Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border: Protecting the Data On Your Devices https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017 https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017 EFF Border search pocket guide (printable PDF) https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border - EFF’s guide to your Constitutional rights at the border https://www.eff.org/document/digital-privacy-us-border https://www.eff.org/document/digital-privacy-us-border It has all the information you need to deal with it.
pmorici 8y ago
Use a separate phone for international travel. Don't connect it to any of your normal accounts.
theandrewbailey 8y ago
> Is there a way I can present my phone such that it drops into a mode that contains no data? Yes: don't have a phone. If they press you, it broke last night and you didn't have time to fix or replace it before traveling internationally.

superkuh 8y ago

Don't forget that the border zone extends 100 miles in from the actual border (including the great lakes). Most US people live their entire lives in the constitution free zone where this kind of violation is allowed.

hawaiianbrah 8y ago
“Most people” seems like a bit of a stretch...
- nickysielicki 8y ago
  It's not. https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-100-mile-border-zone https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-100-mile-border-zone
- wolco 8y ago
  65.3 percent live within the border zone.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- ilikepi 8y ago
  Not at all[0]. The continental coastline is an "external boundary". [0]: https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone
  - geggam 8y ago
    When you get technical about this 100 miles from every international airport is a border as well... How does that impact that map ?
    - TomMarius 8y ago
      There is no actual country border at any airport. It's an approximation that has its own rules and is not affected by the international treaty that sets these 100 miles.
      - taejo 8y ago
        The 100 miles have nothing to do with international treaty, but only American courts' interpretation of the fourth amendment.
        TomMarius 8y ago
        Isn't that based on the treaty? Sorry if I'm mistaken.
        taejo 8y ago
        I'm not sure which treaty you're thinking of, but I'm pretty certain it's a purely domestic matter. Note that we're talking about 100 miles inland from the border, not something like 100 miles out to sea.
        TomMarius 8y ago
        Yeah, that's my mistake. I thought we're talking out, not in.
- bonestamp2 8y ago
  The "most people" actually comes from the part he left out... it's not just 100 miles from any border, it's 100 miles from any international airport, which does include most people.
  - dsfyu404ed 8y ago
    IIRC the "100 miles from an airport" part was requested/proposed but never actually happened (presumably because the FBI gang didn't want the CBP gang on it's turf).
  - angry_octet 8y ago
    No, an intl airport is a point of entry, but not a border.
    - bonestamp2 8y ago
      True, but it looks like the "100 miles from an airport" part of the law was not enacted after all. My mistake.
ams6110 8y ago
However the authority using "border zone" justification for a warrantless search must also have probable cause to believe you have recently crossed the border.
- jacobush 8y ago
  How probable?
- honestoHeminway 8y ago
  Now, if you leave the possibility that somebody crosses the border unchecked - you can use your incompetence to gain the right to search anybody. Nice one.

way2983 8y ago

>So, the selfish question then is: How do I protect myself from such unwarranted searches? Is there a way I can present my phone such that it drops into a mode that contains no data? Do I need to back my phone up before traveling, wipe it for the border crossing, and then restore once I feel safe? Save your encrypted system configuration/data on a service. Leave all your devices behind. Buy new devices on the other side of the border, and restore from the encrypted backup. This is really the only way to completely sidestep the risk.

User23 8y ago
Until a court rules that they can ask for your encrypted remote backup because reasons. And then hold you in contempt until you comply. This isn’t a technical problem, it’s a political one, which means it demands a political solution.
- fwn 8y ago
  Grand-parents question > How do I protect myself from such unwarranted searches knows plenty of technical solutions. The question which needs to be answered in political terms is about the conditions under which it is lawful to put pressure on individuals to warrant such a search.
- aflag 8y ago
  You can leave your phone at home and buy another one in the new location. That's why they have phone shops in the airports.
  - philpem 8y ago
    As silly as this sounds, it was standard procedure for one company I worked with. Don't bring your phone, get one from the US office. Same with laptops. Didn't half speed up border crossings when your itinerary is a week and all you have are your clothes, your passport, some travel money and your tickets.
- loup-vaillant 8y ago

User23 8y ago

It’s sad but not unreasonable that you implicitly discount the possibility of a political solution.

petronio 8y ago

For mobile devices there are apps that will pretend to be something innocuous (say, a clock, or a flashlight app), and actually work as hidden storage. It would depend on whether the agents are using computerized inspection or manually looking through your phone (as they could easily build a blacklist of such apps), but if they're doing it manually and the app really does do the function it suggests it does and has a hidden unlock mechanism, they won't detect it. For laptops, you can install multiple operating systems and simply set the BIOS or EFI bootloader to boot the dummy one by default when going to the airport and make sure the dummy hides the partitions of the real one. Once again, this will fool manual inspection, but not computerized. Fooling computerized inspection would require placing the real encrypted file system within the dummy one, without any headers indicating that it's a file system: much more complicated and can lead to data loss if the dummy system writes over it. Either way, you don't want to simply wipe everything and restore once you're across borders if you actually want to cross. For one, there's the chance they'll just confiscate your device, but if you're not a citizen of the country you're entering, they'll just deny you entry on suspicion. You want something that's fake, but convincing, which takes effort.

torgian 8y ago
Cheap thinkpad, throw on some random software, browse with it for a month. That's what I plan to do.

cronix 8y ago

Back it up to the cloud and wipe it. Download backup on other side. Sure, officer, have at it <grin>.

philpem 8y ago
"Why is your phone completely blank? What are you trying to hide? Give me your Facebook login or you're going nowhere. Okay thanks, but you're still going nowhere... and your flight just left. That'll be $2000 for a new ticket."
- Tor3 8y ago
  But a smartphone is not blank. What does 'blank' mean really? It's choke full of apps, whether you want them or not, from the factory. If you just use it to call with (as I do), then the only activity is a shortish call log.
  - philpem 8y ago
    I'd expect a response along the lines of this if I presented a factory-erased phone to CBP... "Everyone has a Facebook sir, even my grandma and my boss. And I'm pressing buttons on your cellphone and it's asking me to set things up, so it's obvious you wiped it and have something to hide. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either you start being honest with me, or you're not catching that flight, or any flight. Ever."
    - Tor3 8y ago
      Just after factory reset is a bit too far of course. You'll go through the setup. After that it's just as any old phone. And no, I don't have Facebook, and I'm definitely not alone. It's not something that I would feel problematic to defend.
- cronix 8y ago
  Well, sir, I'm glad you asked. I just upgraded for this trip and am very excited to try out the new camera as it's supposed to be about two times better than the last model I had. I'm planning on setting everything up on my flight. I do not have a facebook account. I got tired of the data breaches and privacy issues and closed it about a year and a half ago. Am I free to go?

rhizome 8y ago

Don't use fingerprint or face unlock. Passcode/pattern only.

chillacy 8y ago
They’ll still detain you till you input your passcode. Or they’ll beat you with a rubber hose, if you’re in those parts of the world.
- trevyn 8y ago
  They can detain your phone, but if you're a US citizen, they can't detain you for very long.
  - kevingadd 8y ago
    ICE and CBP can, in practice, hold someone a very long time if they really want to. It just rarely happens. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-citizens-ice-20180427-htmlstory.html https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-citizens-ice-20180... They can also make up imaginary charges against you to have you jailed, as cops in the US love to do. Any time an innocent person is gunned down, there's inevitably a story about how they 'charged the officer' or had a weapon or whatever, and then when evidence appears to contradict that, the lie is quietly retracted. You might say 'well, I have my ID while traveling, so it's fine', but ID is not always considered proof of citizenship. They could drag you aside at security (or elsewhere), decide they don't like the look of you, and decide that your ID isn't proof that you're a citizen. Spend a week or two in jail.
- dzhiurgis 8y ago
  > those parts of the world. Somehow the only horror stories I read (or experience) is about US or five eyes (NZ being exception).
  - angry_octet 8y ago
    People in those other countries don't have a right to complain. If you have something incriminating in many countries you just disappear, possibly after a show trial.

eeZah7Ux 8y ago

There are almost no technical solutions. A freshly wiped phone or any clever encryption gimmick can raise suspicion and make things worse. AFAIK companies are the exception, unsurprisingly. Some companies require laptop and phone wiping before travel, and if you can prove you are following company policy it might be OK.

yason 8y ago
They can obviously be as suspicious as they like to but they can be like that anyway. If they choose to believe you have two Facebook accounts, one to show to authorities and the other to plan terrorist attacks with, then how can you prove them wrong. Don't carry any passwords with you so you can not login any service or device even if you wanted to. Leave them at home. A good reason to wipe your stuff prior your journey would be to minimise trouble if your equipment got stolen or lost (a plausible threat when travelling). I would tend to think there's nothing you can do to prevent them getting suspicious if they choose to do so. It's a bit unfair because it's a situation where you can't count on anything even if you have nothing to hide but that's, to my knowledge, just how it is.

peterwwillis 8y ago

Most Americans don't protect their data, because most Americans aren't potentially going to be set up by their government to be made to look like some kind of terrorist. If you happen to be non-white or non-christian or have such as family or who live in a majority Muslim country, then you probably do want to protect yourself against this eventuality. In that case, either bring a dumb/brick phone for them to search, or bring a smartphone which has data on it, but nothing you care about. Don't jump through a lot of hoops to try to fool them, because it'll look suspicious, and then you really aren't going to make your flight.

h0l0cube 8y ago
A 'blame the victim' mentality gives breathing space to the bully. 'Blame the bully' and at least they might apply some discretion, to counter negative attention to themselves or their superiors. Enforcement jobs, including border patrol, can self-select for sadists and racists, so it's probably best the public remains vigilant to the prospect of their increasing power.
- jcbrand 8y ago
  Of course it would be better if the "bully" was removed or reformed. However, until that happens (which might be never), it's prudent to protect yourself, and telling people that they must take precautions for their own safety and well-being is not "blaming the victim".
aflag 8y ago
White Americans just have lower odds. But it only takes the border control officer to find something "suspicious" like a video about nuclear bombs in your youtube history and now you might just be a rotten apple. What you think is fine and what law enforcers think can be quite different. I'm not saying you should live in fear, just that these kind of checks are not good for anyone. Not even if you carry your sweater over your shoulders.

taneq 8y ago

> It feels crazy to ask this question, as an American citizen, but HN, what do you do to protect your data at the American border? I guess the real (rhetorical) question is, are you doing this for the principle of the thing or because you have something illegal? If the latter, then the only foolproof way is to travel without a phone, purchase a burner when you get wherever you're going, then destroy it when you leave - it's cheap enough these days to do so for every trip. If the former, then (as much as I hate this) just accept that it's all theatre and nobody really cares what's on your phone, and just unlock it and let them nose through your happy snaps for a minute on the way through.

bonestamp2 8y ago
> let them nose through your happy snaps for a minute on the way through. Just so you know, that's not how it has worked since 2013. Now they take your phone to the back room and image your phone. Then they upload that image to a service that searches your data. Then, and there is recent evidence of this, they don't always destroy the local copy of your data in the field office which would allow agents to browse your data at any time. Remember, they require you to unlock (decrypt) your phone before doing this.
- tempestn 8y ago
  I hate this idea. To the best of my knowledge there's no evidence of anything illegal on my phone or any of my social media accounts. But still, I would absolutely loathe the idea of handing over an image of my phone in perpetuity. Might as well give you a scan of the contents of my brain. Not much evidence of law-breaking there either, but I'd rather hold onto it, thank you!
  - yason 8y ago
    You also plausibly can't trust the phone or any device that got unlocked and sent "into imaging".
aflag 8y ago
Even innocent people can go to jail, taneq.

onetimemanytime 8y ago

>>It feels crazy to ask this question, as an American citizen, but HN, what do you do to protect your data at the American border? In reality you can't without (potentially) causing yourself massive problems. Missing flights, detained for longer because you are hiding something because of wiped drives, encryption etc. etc. Oh, and they might add your name to lists that make your life miserable every-time you fly. So, unless a court rules in our favor, we're screwed.

segfaultbuserr 8y ago

It's a surprise to me that nobody has pointed to the EFF whitepaper and recommendations on this issue. Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border: Protecting the Data On Your Devices https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017 https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017 EFF Border search pocket guide (printable PDF) https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border - EFF’s guide to your Constitutional rights at the border https://www.eff.org/document/digital-privacy-us-border https://www.eff.org/document/digital-privacy-us-border It has all the information you need to deal with it.

pmorici 8y ago

Use a separate phone for international travel. Don't connect it to any of your normal accounts.

theandrewbailey 8y ago

> Is there a way I can present my phone such that it drops into a mode that contains no data? Yes: don't have a phone. If they press you, it broke last night and you didn't have time to fix or replace it before traveling internationally.