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Anyone still crossing US borders with electronic devices that aren't fully wiped? This is company policy for some European companies for a long time. Even durin

by andix 15d ago

Anyone still crossing US borders with electronic devices that aren't fully wiped? This is company policy for some European companies for a long time. Even during the Biden administration. Most employees just receive a wiped phone/laptop for the duration of the trip. Depending on the country its either a device that only has access to the bare minimum of Services, or for countries like Russia they issue a dumb phone that can only call and text.

iamnothere 15d ago
Half of the commenters here seem to believe that nobody has ever done this successfully because it must be “suspicious”. Despite it being a common practice for many organizations.
- andix 15d ago
  It might be suspicious, but they don't get any incriminating evidence that way. It's also much easier for people visiting. Most of the time entry is denied and you can take the next plane back home. I'm fine with that, don't care. I only care if I would get taken into ICE detention. This risk grew significantly, so I simply won't go.
  - FireBeyond 15d ago
    You make it sound so "meh, whatever", but there's a few realities attached to this: The airline in question will likely not serve you again, but probably more importantly, when you apply for a tourist visa to just about any country on earth, you'll now have to answer that question "Have you ever been denied or refused a visa or entry into a country?" and while some might take sympathy on "Oh, yeah, we get it", you can be sure you'll be getting extra attention and some countries will threaten to deny entry too.
    - andix 15d ago
      Lol no. Nobody cares. Also airlines don't care. Edit: typical US perspective. Something that happens in the US doesn't have relevant implications to the rest of the world.
      - FireBeyond 15d ago
        Airlines do care. They get assessed a fee for every passenger that is turned around. Oh look, Australia cares: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1563.pdf https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1563.pdf > Have you, or any other person included in your visa application, ever been removed, deported or excluded from any country (including Australia)? Oh look, Germany cares: https://preview.auswaertiges-amt.de/blueprint/servlet/resource/blob/2490512/37c614c8b884e23e02cdca38f70ab93d/antrag-d-visa-deu-eng-data.pdf https://preview.auswaertiges-amt.de/blueprint/servlet/resour... > Have you ever been expelled or deported from the Federal Republic of Germany, had an application for a residence permit rejected, or been refused entry into the Federal Republic of Germany? Almost like you're just making shit up based on some anti-US sentiment. LOL at your hypocrisy. I am a UK citizen, and I am an Australian citizen, and I am -not- a US citizen, lived and worked in both and in Europe though I am, currently, in the US. But sure, make the same assumptions that you want to think I'm guilty of making.
        andix 15d ago
        Just mark "no" on the form and it's no problem anymore. Or mark "yes" and list it. Nothing is going to happen.
        FireBeyond 15d ago
        That's the best you got. "Just lie on your visa applications, no countries on earth share data with each other and no-one cares except the US and who cares about them, nothing will ever happen to you." Cool. Actually, the idiocy of this response is even more notable when you learn that many countries will notate it IN YOUR PASSPORT that you were refused entry. "Lie on your visa application and hope no immigration officer thumbs through your passport." Stunning advice.
flerchin 15d ago
It's frankly insane that y'all have to do that, and yes Americans cross the border, perhaps haplessly.
- andix 15d ago
  Is there any difference between US citizens and visitors? It just seems like US citizens think those charades are normal and don't question them. In my home country I can just deny getting my devices searched. They might be allowed to seize and seal them, awaiting a court order for searching the device. Which I could appeal. Basically the same process as anywhere else in the country, international borders are not some special place that gives the police superpowers. Ps: we also don't have some special paramilitary border police. Just regular police stationed at the border.
  - SoftTalker 15d ago
    It's not routine. Most tourist visitors don't have any trouble. I'm a US citizen, but I've never had my phone searched at an airport or border crossing, not that I cross the border all that often.
    - andix 15d ago
      I know it isn't routine. But it does happen. I know two people that had to go into secondary inspection and I think they had to unlock their phones. Both of them were completely normal business travelers without anything dubious in their life or their business. One was a medical doctor another one a government employee going to an international conference hosted by a US federal institution (which required some extensive clearance and background checks to even attend). Both Western European citizens with a completely spotless CV.
  - mixdup 15d ago
    all of our police are essentially paramilitary now. There's nothing special about ICE or CBP other than they're federal rather than local. Even local cops have become hyper-militarized and think they're patrolling the streets of Fallujah
SoftTalker 15d ago
Yes, the vast majority of US citizens returning from international travel cross the border with their regular personal, unwiped phones every day.
chanakya 15d ago
I do that several times a year, and never wipe my phone. I looked at statistics of such phone examinations over the last few years, and I didn't see any difference between the current and last administrations, when nobody was wiping their phones.
- andix 15d ago
  Wiping phones/laptops before entering the US is common practice for many organizations for over a decade now.
  - chanakya 15d ago
    Not in my organization, or in any that I know of. I don't even understand why it would be in an organization's interest to do that. Why should they care if I'm harrassed for data of a political nature? They generally tell me not to even have any such data on their property. They do, however, require that I take a burner device or wipe it completely, if I travel to China.
quickthrowman 15d ago
I will be wiping my before I pass through US Customs next, no matter who the president is. I have no idea what some guard might randomly take issue with, best not to risk it.
- andix 15d ago
  Yes, the whole system is broken for a long time. Basically since 9/11.
chorizo 15d ago
I’m Canadian and work in healthcare. I have a dedicated travel phone that I move my SIM card to whenever I travel to the US. I carry a letter from my work explaining that I’m not allowed to travel with electronic devices potentially containing confidential patient information in case a recently wiped phone raises any flags
lokar 15d ago
Back in 2010 my employer was requiring everyone to take blank burner devices to china. Sad that's come to this in America.

by andix 15d ago

iamnothere 15d ago

Half of the commenters here seem to believe that nobody has ever done this successfully because it must be “suspicious”. Despite it being a common practice for many organizations.

andix 15d ago
It might be suspicious, but they don't get any incriminating evidence that way. It's also much easier for people visiting. Most of the time entry is denied and you can take the next plane back home. I'm fine with that, don't care. I only care if I would get taken into ICE detention. This risk grew significantly, so I simply won't go.
- FireBeyond 15d ago
  You make it sound so "meh, whatever", but there's a few realities attached to this: The airline in question will likely not serve you again, but probably more importantly, when you apply for a tourist visa to just about any country on earth, you'll now have to answer that question "Have you ever been denied or refused a visa or entry into a country?" and while some might take sympathy on "Oh, yeah, we get it", you can be sure you'll be getting extra attention and some countries will threaten to deny entry too.
  - andix 15d ago
    Lol no. Nobody cares. Also airlines don't care. Edit: typical US perspective. Something that happens in the US doesn't have relevant implications to the rest of the world.
    - FireBeyond 15d ago
      Airlines do care. They get assessed a fee for every passenger that is turned around. Oh look, Australia cares: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1563.pdf https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1563.pdf > Have you, or any other person included in your visa application, ever been removed, deported or excluded from any country (including Australia)? Oh look, Germany cares: https://preview.auswaertiges-amt.de/blueprint/servlet/resource/blob/2490512/37c614c8b884e23e02cdca38f70ab93d/antrag-d-visa-deu-eng-data.pdf https://preview.auswaertiges-amt.de/blueprint/servlet/resour... > Have you ever been expelled or deported from the Federal Republic of Germany, had an application for a residence permit rejected, or been refused entry into the Federal Republic of Germany? Almost like you're just making shit up based on some anti-US sentiment. LOL at your hypocrisy. I am a UK citizen, and I am an Australian citizen, and I am -not- a US citizen, lived and worked in both and in Europe though I am, currently, in the US. But sure, make the same assumptions that you want to think I'm guilty of making.
      - andix 15d ago
        Just mark "no" on the form and it's no problem anymore. Or mark "yes" and list it. Nothing is going to happen.
        FireBeyond 15d ago
        That's the best you got. "Just lie on your visa applications, no countries on earth share data with each other and no-one cares except the US and who cares about them, nothing will ever happen to you." Cool. Actually, the idiocy of this response is even more notable when you learn that many countries will notate it IN YOUR PASSPORT that you were refused entry. "Lie on your visa application and hope no immigration officer thumbs through your passport." Stunning advice.

flerchin 15d ago

It's frankly insane that y'all have to do that, and yes Americans cross the border, perhaps haplessly.

andix 15d ago
Is there any difference between US citizens and visitors? It just seems like US citizens think those charades are normal and don't question them. In my home country I can just deny getting my devices searched. They might be allowed to seize and seal them, awaiting a court order for searching the device. Which I could appeal. Basically the same process as anywhere else in the country, international borders are not some special place that gives the police superpowers. Ps: we also don't have some special paramilitary border police. Just regular police stationed at the border.
- SoftTalker 15d ago
  It's not routine. Most tourist visitors don't have any trouble. I'm a US citizen, but I've never had my phone searched at an airport or border crossing, not that I cross the border all that often.
  - andix 15d ago
    I know it isn't routine. But it does happen. I know two people that had to go into secondary inspection and I think they had to unlock their phones. Both of them were completely normal business travelers without anything dubious in their life or their business. One was a medical doctor another one a government employee going to an international conference hosted by a US federal institution (which required some extensive clearance and background checks to even attend). Both Western European citizens with a completely spotless CV.
- mixdup 15d ago
  all of our police are essentially paramilitary now. There's nothing special about ICE or CBP other than they're federal rather than local. Even local cops have become hyper-militarized and think they're patrolling the streets of Fallujah

SoftTalker 15d ago

Yes, the vast majority of US citizens returning from international travel cross the border with their regular personal, unwiped phones every day.

chanakya 15d ago

I do that several times a year, and never wipe my phone. I looked at statistics of such phone examinations over the last few years, and I didn't see any difference between the current and last administrations, when nobody was wiping their phones.

andix 15d ago
Wiping phones/laptops before entering the US is common practice for many organizations for over a decade now.
- chanakya 15d ago
  Not in my organization, or in any that I know of. I don't even understand why it would be in an organization's interest to do that. Why should they care if I'm harrassed for data of a political nature? They generally tell me not to even have any such data on their property. They do, however, require that I take a burner device or wipe it completely, if I travel to China.

quickthrowman 15d ago

I will be wiping my before I pass through US Customs next, no matter who the president is. I have no idea what some guard might randomly take issue with, best not to risk it.

andix 15d ago
Yes, the whole system is broken for a long time. Basically since 9/11.

chorizo 15d ago

I’m Canadian and work in healthcare. I have a dedicated travel phone that I move my SIM card to whenever I travel to the US. I carry a letter from my work explaining that I’m not allowed to travel with electronic devices potentially containing confidential patient information in case a recently wiped phone raises any flags

lokar 15d ago

Back in 2010 my employer was requiring everyone to take blank burner devices to china. Sad that's come to this in America.