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U.S. citizens are going to need obtain a burner phone before returning, and load it with the absolute minimum to load boarding passes, etc., perhaps some readin
by trollbridge 2mo ago
U.S. citizens are going to need obtain a burner phone before returning, and load it with the absolute minimum to load boarding passes, etc., perhaps some reading material or a movie to watch on the plane, and be prepared to share full credentials for thing at the border.
(I used to do some travel patterns where taking a certain client laptop wasn’t an option. It was an absolute gigantic pain for the type of work I did, but it was just too risky to have a laptop seized and be expected to input credentials.)
- QuantumNoodle 2mo agoGiving up knowledge (password) is something that is typically scrutinized at the border as well. Had he just handed over the phone and the phone had abilities to self destruct if tampered with (e.g too many incorrect pin entries) -- well the gov's case wouldn't been much harder. If they seized property and accidently destroyed the data, then that's on them.
- ApolloFortyNine 2mo agoYou are correct, you have to give up the phone but can't be compelled to give up the password, and you'd get it back some indeterminate amount of time later. It's actually been on the books for a while (decades at least) that customs can search you at the border without a warrant even if you are a citizen. This case seems to have become a big 'Trump bad' poster child (people are calling the US East Germany in these comments...), but if this exact scenario happened at least in the last two decades (I found an example upholding the searches from 2004) then it would at least be possible to charge them with deleting evidence. Even this probably would have been nothing if he refused to give up his password, not being required to provide a password has been upheld for years. They can seize your phone for some time but I'm unsure on the times they ask and then just let you move on when they find out your a citizen.
- talon8635 2mo agoThis is precisely why you should use a pin and not biometrics. You CAN be forced to use biometrics (“something you have”), but NOT a password (“something you know”) Now you know you know, so use a pin
- pkulak 2mo agoI think it's enough to shut down you phone. Then it needs a pin, and you're entitled to not give that over, I believe. So you should be safe, apart from some kind of rubber-hose cryptanalysis.
- gbriel 2mo agoIf you’re a U.S. citizen: CBP cannot deny you entry to the United States merely because you refuse to unlock the phone. If you’re a non-citizen seeking admission: refusal is much riskier. The important wrinkle is that CBP’s published policy expressly guarantees that a person being admitted as a U.S. citizen won’t be denied entry solely because CBP couldn’t inspect the device. It doesn’t give lawful permanent resident (green card holders) that same explicit statement. Instead, it says refusal by a “foreign national” can be considered in an admissibility determination.
- porkpieshoe 2mo ago[dead]
- rootusrootus 2mo agoIsn't the guarantee for citizens a bit stronger than CBP's policy? I don't think they can lawfully deny entry of a citizen, period.
- technothrasher 2mo agoThey cannot (lawfully) deny entry. But they can admit you and then immediately detain and/or arrest you.
- rootusrootus 2mo agoSure, if they have a warrant or probable cause, just like any other law enforcement officer.
- 2mo ago
- paulpauper 2mo agoleave electronics at home. never take electronics to any airport unless you don't care if everything is read. your only option now. or have a good enough decoy or encryption system in place. Such as pressing a button to lock or replace key documents but keep the rest intact. So what looks like a sensitive document omits key information but still appears to be legit to observer.
- rootusrootus 2mo agoThat's probably a bit overkill. TSA doesn't have nearly as much power as CBP, so it's only a concern when coming back across the international border.
- paulpauper 2mo agoIts overkill until it happens
- ratelimitsteve 2mo agothe best decoy is a cheap burner phone that you only use for travel purposes
- tiahura 2mo agoWhy would they need to do that?
- TheqO 2mo agoAs everything on your phone should be backed up, you could just wipe your phone to new. Then log in with another temp account and use that for border pass etc, and then after border checks log back into your normal account?
- rootusrootus 2mo agoJust get a boarding pass from the counter old school style. They still print them.
- mjevans 2mo agoLaser printed boarding passes are so much more reliable anyway and you never have to worry about recharging them.
- trollbridge 2mo agoI wouldn't really want to deal with the suspicions of having a freshly-wiped phone, or the suspicions of having no phone at all. A proper burner phone has basic usage on it. Link it to a Gmail account you don't use for anything else so you can have your ridesharing apps on it. Just enough for travel purposes, but nothing else. If you really have to, have some social media accounts on it too and give them a basic amount of usage. Snap photos of the country you went on the trip to, etc.
- kccqzy 2mo agoI’ve been asked to hand over my phone when I entered India as a visitor with a valid visa. Yes it was a burner phone. Yes the officer questioned me after seeing only 7 photos in the entire Photos app. It was very obvious that it was a burner phone. I didn’t deceive the officer, instead I just nicely explained why this was a burner phone.
- AbsurdCensor 2mo agoYep, travelling outside your country of origin, expect that your phone/laptop/ect is subject to search. Anything on you is, it's literally stated. Want to push against that? Sure, makes sense, but just carry a burner phone/device and not worry about it. Literally what the US government recommends when traveling to places like China.
- talon8635 2mo agoLike every citizen is a Jason Born, or Richard Kimble, what an assumption. The tactic/behavior is atrocious, but the vast majority of people’s phones contain absolutely nothing of interest to anyone. Mindless content and games and mundane text and emails. Even banking info, oh they bough some burritos and Cheerios and corn and gas and Cheetos I might have had the same thought as you when I was in my early 20s, for reasons I won’t divulge. In any case, the guy will walk with the good lawyers he’s undoubtedly able to obtain after this exposure.
- NoImmatureAdHom 2mo agoWhile Americans deserve better (and more clearly articulated) protections, this is a retarded take. The U.S. does an EXCELLENT job protecting the rights of citizens and non-citizens, even at the border, relative to other countries in the world. The British (until recently a civilized people) will throw you in jail for refusing to unlock. Or for a tweet the powers that be don't like. Not to mention China, India, Russia... A very strong immune response, like the one we see in this topic, is exactly what the Americans need to preserve their robust understanding of and de facto access to their rights. But let's not pretend they're doing a bad job. They're doing a great job, and they could be doing better.