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So carry a separate device while traveling. Or wipe your phone, then restore after the border. This is just going to lead to a service that does this for you an
by righthand 2mo ago
So carry a separate device while traveling. Or wipe your phone, then restore after the border. This is just going to lead to a service that does this for you and the overreaching feds won’t be able to do anything about it.
And as far as I can tell you still don’t have to give them your pin code.
- peezd 2mo agoIt's been somewhat established that having a wiped or basic phone is in itself sus and reason for them to investigate you further.
- iamnothere 2mo agoThey can investigate all they want, they can even detain you briefly, but if you are a citizen and there’s no evidence of a crime then they have to let you in.
- CamperBob2 2mo agoThey have more guns than you do, and these days, most of the judges are blindly and shamelessly on their side. They don't "have" to do jack.
- iamnothere 2mo agoYou’re fearmongering. Despite what some may say, it’s not Nazi Germany. Rule of law still has sway. Find me caselaw where a “basic” phone was used as valid evidence. Or where the phone was already empty when someone began to approach the border.
- tokai 2mo agoRule of Law was very strong in Nazi Germany. Everything that regime did was legal in Germany at the time.
- iamnothere 2mo agoIf you really believe that the two are equivalent, I hope you’re taking action right now and not just posting on HN. Otherwise that would certainly speak poorly of your character.
- tombert 2mo agoI mean they'll shoot protesters execution-style and retroactively declare that person a terrorist before they've even done any investigations. It's not Nazi Germany, but this administration has certainly demonstrated that they're not above inventing reasons to justify their actions later.
- iamnothere 2mo agoDespite the problems, this stuff is still a rarity among most people. And most people understand that. It’s obviously getting worse, but that’s not a reason to give up all hope.
- tombert 2mo agoI don't think I disagree with anything you said. I think cynicism is lazy.
- CamperBob2 2mo agoRule of law still has sway. Get back to me once the Good and Pretti homicides in Minneapolis have been prosecuted.
- iamnothere 2mo agoI said that it still has sway, not that it’s perfect. Your position basically amounts to “hide in bed and hope they don’t come for you”.
- CamperBob2 2mo agoMy position is that what happened to them could happen to you or me. You don't seem concerned, though. So that's good. I guess.
- otterley 2mo agoThe question isn’t whether something is merely possible. You could get struck by a moving ambulance tomorrow. It’s about how likely something is.
- CamperBob2 2mo agoGetting more likely every year.
- matheusmoreira 2mo agoAnd if you're not a citizen?
- iamnothere 2mo agoThen this does not apply. Best to consult a lawyer
- puppycodes 2mo agoHave not heard this, whats your source? I don't see how they could determine that because "its a new phone" is hard to dispute. best case scenario is that a higher court overturns this but not holding my breath.
- otterley 2mo agoDo you have any references to this?
- knownandunknown 2mo agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49386895 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49386895
- otterley 2mo agoThat doesn't support the proposition that carrying a new or previously-cleaned phone across the border is cause for suspicion. In that case, the defendant wiped the phone after he was encountered by CBP.
- knownandunknown 2mo agoIt's abundantly clear when a phone is new or previously-cleaned, they would consider that cause for suspicion all the same.
- otterley 2mo agoClear from what? Cite examples where this has happened, please.
- knownandunknown 2mo agoStep 1: Person is detained. Step 2: They wipe their phone on the spot. Step 3: Police say they're hiding evidence. If step 2 happens at the border post detention, or prior to arrival at the border, the perspective to the police is all the same, they see a wiped phone. Police detained somebody, saw they had a wiped phone. Doesn't matter when they wiped it. Common sense...
- otterley 2mo agoThe law distinguishes between not bringing evidence to a law enforcement encounter and destroying it in the middle of one. Please, ask an attorney and educate yourself before you continue.
- quickthrowman 2mo agoWhat are they going to do if you’re not carrying anything illegal and you’re a citizen? You cannot be refused entry to the US as a citizen and they can’t charge you or hold you without evidence. You don’t have to tell them why your phone is wiped, just stay silent until you’re released.
- autoexec 2mo agoThey don't need your pin, they can just hack the phone take all your data anyway. ICE has a contract with Cellebrite
- puppycodes 2mo agoNot really. Cellebrite isn't magic. If you have an up to date OS and a strong password not pin, encryption functions as it should. The best thing to do is simply have a travel phone.
- autoexec 2mo agoIt's not magic, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work most of the time. From https://cellebrite.com/en/blog/the-access-gap-is-closed-what-cellebrite-can-unlock-in-2026/ https://cellebrite.com/en/blog/the-access-gap-is-closed-what... : Here’s what that looks like in practice in 2026: iOS: Cellebrite supports access to the latest iPhone models and iOS versions, including both after-first-unlock (AFU) and before-first-unlock (BFU) states. Recent updates have introduced new AFU access methods for previously unsupported iOS device configurations, expanding the range of devices that can be accessed without requiring a prior unlock event. Android: The latest releases restored and expanded full file system (FFS) extraction across a broad range of newer Android models, which is an area where the competitive landscape had seen fluctuation. Coverage now spans Samsung, Google Pixel and other major Android manufacturers at their current OS versions.
- puppycodes 2mo ago"Access" is not what you think it means. This is marketing hype directly from their site. I have first hand experience using their extractors and its not as robust as they make it sound. They extract metadata outside of the encrypted volumes. It all depends on what your worried about. Actual hardware 0-days are highly coveted, extremely expensive, military classified tools that TSA does not have access too and never will. Edit: CBP not TSA (thanks good callout)
- 2mo ago
- prettyblocks 2mo agothe worry is that this will be interpreted as tampering and cary consequences.
- iamnothere 2mo agoThis would not be tampering, because you haven’t tampered with anything. The “evidence” is simply at home.
- SoftTalker 2mo agoThe law isn't a computer program. Intent matters.
- iamnothere 2mo agoTry proving intent when it’s a common practice. I’d even say it’s a best practice these days, especially for business. You’re fearmongering. Find me a case of someone getting prosecuted for having a burner phone. It doesn’t exist.
- andix 2mo agoIf you're worried about that, you are not living in a free country anymore.