7 ms·

They do sometimes ask to see your phone.

by zmitri 13y ago

loup-vaillant 13y ago
Do you recall any specific story where they ask you to unlock it?
- cantos 13y ago
  All electronic devices are subject to search at the U.S. border. http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/crcl-border-search-impact-assessment_06-03-13_1.pdf http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/crcl-bor...
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    No. (Thank the stars for Alex Kozinski). http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130308/13380622263/9th-circuit-appeals-court-4th-amendment-applies-border-also-password-protected-files-shouldnt-arouse-suspicion.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130308/13380622263/9th-ci...
    - cantos 13y ago
      Let me be more specific. All that is required is "reasonable suspicion" in order to require access to all the files on your computer, unencrypted. "Reasonable suspicion" is a very weak requirement, as you can see from the document linked to in the techdirt article, and is exactly the same as what is needed for an extended physical search or an extended search of non-electronic property. In other words, there are no special considerations that apply to property just because it is electronic.
- llamataboot 13y ago
  Israel regularly makes people log into email and social media accounts. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/israel-airport-email-search_n_1569163.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/israel-airport-emai...
  - darklajid 13y ago
    Oh, don't get me started.. I still cringe about multiple 'turn on the computer' scenes in Tel Aviv, where 'turn it on' obviously (..) wasn't satisfied by pressing the button, nor by logging in: I had to 'open a file, just any file' (the clueless guys would be impatient by now, being annoyed by my failure to understand this useless requirement). Usually I chose a default windows wallpaper -> Done. Braindead, waste of time.
    - simonh 13y ago
      It's fairly easy to rig a laptop display to a micro controller just clever enough to run a login screen simulator, gut out the actual computer electronics and battery, and replace them with contraband or a bomb. Tel Aviv security, which I've been through several times, want to be sure the computer is of the kind it's supposed to be. Login screen simulators are old tech. Friends of mine used to run them on the terminals at the college I studied at in the 80s to harvest other student's account details. Nowadays they're a lot more sophisticated. If you think you know more about security than the Israelis you're sadly mistaken.
      - jlgreco 13y ago
        I mean, if you were willing to invest that sort of effort, it might even be easier just to put the innards from a modern slim "ultrabook" laptop into the case of a 2000 era thinkpad monster. Throw on a "third party extended battery" for good measure... Actually, don't bother with that. There is plenty of air-space in many older laptops that you could pack with explosives if you don't worry about being able to run the computer for more than several minutes without it overheating... The entire "turn on the computer" check is idiotic security theater. Either they can tell if there is a bomb in the computer anyway through other means (in which case why are they bothering to do that check?) or they cannot (in which case, how can they possibly hope to catch anything?). My money is obviously on the first.
        loup-vaillant 13y ago
        Depends how smart the "average terrorist" would be. Because you would catch the ones stupid enough to just gut out the laptop, rendering it inoperative (unless of course for that last one blaze of glory… hem).
- zmitri 13y ago
  Once I was looking for the number of the person I was going to stay with in the USA and they asked to have my phone. I said it's okay, I'll find it for you.

They do sometimes ask to see your phone.

by zmitri 13y ago

They do sometimes ask to see your phone.

loup-vaillant 13y ago

Do you recall any specific story where they ask you to unlock it?

cantos 13y ago
All electronic devices are subject to search at the U.S. border. http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/crcl-border-search-impact-assessment_06-03-13_1.pdf http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/crcl-bor...
- fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
  No. (Thank the stars for Alex Kozinski). http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130308/13380622263/9th-circuit-appeals-court-4th-amendment-applies-border-also-password-protected-files-shouldnt-arouse-suspicion.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130308/13380622263/9th-ci...
  - cantos 13y ago
    Let me be more specific. All that is required is "reasonable suspicion" in order to require access to all the files on your computer, unencrypted. "Reasonable suspicion" is a very weak requirement, as you can see from the document linked to in the techdirt article, and is exactly the same as what is needed for an extended physical search or an extended search of non-electronic property. In other words, there are no special considerations that apply to property just because it is electronic.
llamataboot 13y ago
Israel regularly makes people log into email and social media accounts. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/israel-airport-email-search_n_1569163.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/israel-airport-emai...
- darklajid 13y ago
  Oh, don't get me started.. I still cringe about multiple 'turn on the computer' scenes in Tel Aviv, where 'turn it on' obviously (..) wasn't satisfied by pressing the button, nor by logging in: I had to 'open a file, just any file' (the clueless guys would be impatient by now, being annoyed by my failure to understand this useless requirement). Usually I chose a default windows wallpaper -> Done. Braindead, waste of time.
  - simonh 13y ago
    It's fairly easy to rig a laptop display to a micro controller just clever enough to run a login screen simulator, gut out the actual computer electronics and battery, and replace them with contraband or a bomb. Tel Aviv security, which I've been through several times, want to be sure the computer is of the kind it's supposed to be. Login screen simulators are old tech. Friends of mine used to run them on the terminals at the college I studied at in the 80s to harvest other student's account details. Nowadays they're a lot more sophisticated. If you think you know more about security than the Israelis you're sadly mistaken.
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      I mean, if you were willing to invest that sort of effort, it might even be easier just to put the innards from a modern slim "ultrabook" laptop into the case of a 2000 era thinkpad monster. Throw on a "third party extended battery" for good measure... Actually, don't bother with that. There is plenty of air-space in many older laptops that you could pack with explosives if you don't worry about being able to run the computer for more than several minutes without it overheating... The entire "turn on the computer" check is idiotic security theater. Either they can tell if there is a bomb in the computer anyway through other means (in which case why are they bothering to do that check?) or they cannot (in which case, how can they possibly hope to catch anything?). My money is obviously on the first.
      - loup-vaillant 13y ago
        Depends how smart the "average terrorist" would be. Because you would catch the ones stupid enough to just gut out the laptop, rendering it inoperative (unless of course for that last one blaze of glory… hem).
zmitri 13y ago
Once I was looking for the number of the person I was going to stay with in the USA and they asked to have my phone. I said it's okay, I'll find it for you.