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Why Am I Forbidden From Using My iPhone In US Immigration Areas?
- smtddr 13y agoThe same reason you're not allowed/frowned upon to record law enforcement in public. They don't want you to have evidence of their wrong-doings. It's not about the phone per se, it's about the phone's audio/video recording abilities. I'm sure video-cameras aren't allowed either. EDIT: Wow, those downvotes. My mistake for posting on controversial topics at night. EDIT#2: Spoke too soon... :)
- melling 13y agoYou aren't allowed to use any phone. So, your made up answer can't be right.
- bowmessage 13y agoHow does that invalidate his answer? Any phone can record audio.
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- smtddr 13y agomelling, you're the best. :) I've seen your comments before, I got your number(pun intented). What do you think most people are thinking when they read your reply to my comment? They're thinking about what percentage of cellphones currently in use have audio and/or video recording abilities.
- asd111 13y agothankfully they will soon be able to disable all cellphone cameras in a x mile radius... someone has a patent already
- benologist 13y agoThat video was hilarious.
- krisroadruck 13y agoYou aren't forbidden from using your iPhone. You are forbidden from using any cell phone. Why do apple fanbois find it necessary to make sure we know they have an apple product? They can never just say "my computer" or "my phone". Bleh.
- enraged_camel 13y ago>>Why do apple fanbois find it necessary to make sure we know they have an apple product? They can never just say "my computer" or "my phone". Bleh. Polarizing and derailing in this manner makes you sound like a complete jackass.
- asveikau 13y ago> Polarizing and derailing in this manner makes you sound like a complete jackass. And what does calling someone a jackass do?
- packetslave 13y ago"fanbois" is not a word
- cdash 13y agoJust like thousands of other words that are not words in the english language, they become a word through use.
- asd111 13y agoit is only one character, but I agree with you, it makes a big difference. maybe Microsoft should not have saved Apple...
- radge 13y agoLike it or not, iPhone is synonymous with "modern smartphone".
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- Mikeb85 13y agoWhy should you be allowed to use a cell phone in US immigration areas? I find it ridiculous that people feel the need to be able to use their phone wherever they want. No one complained about not being able to use their flip-phone in hospitals, government areas and air-planes...
- filestar 13y agoNot sure if you're sarcastic. Poe's law strikes again.
- bulatb 13y agoBecause freedom means it's the restrictions, not the privileges, the government enumerates. I don't know if there's a reason cell phones shouldn't be allowed there, but if there isn't then they should be.
- blinkingled 13y agoLast time I had to wait in immigration line for 4 hours, I missed my connecting flight. My wife waited at my destination for a real long time, got intensely worried and basically was clueless up until I was able to get through immigration and call her. Not exactly a minor inconvenience.
- _delirium 13y agoThat does point to the other problem, that the U.S. runs a completely incompetent entry process. I'm always embarrassed when non-Americans visit the U.S., because we can't operate an immigration system efficiently. Meanwhile, I fly to Germany and it takes me 15 minutes to go through security and customs, not 3 hours.
- msoad 13y agoBecause one time when I returned back to US from a vacation the U.S. immigration officer asked me too many personal questions and when I asked why she needs to know my employer and it's location she yelled at me that she has this right. I didn't know at the moment that they do not have this right. Next time I just wanted to make sure I am recording my conversation with the officer I saw the "no cellphone" sign. So yes, you should be allowed to record any conversation with government officer to protect your privacy better
- godgod 13y agobecause the government doesnt respect the US constitution anymore and you are the enemy. get it now?
- unreal37 13y agoSite down, cache: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Zxm7ZoQwsaEJ:www.feld.com/wp/archives/2013/03/why-am-i-forbidden-from-using-my-iphone-in-us-immigration-areas.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Zxm7ZoQ...
- stox 13y agoCan someone point me at the law that enables them to do this?
- enraged_camel 13y agoSee my response to a similar point: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6545514 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6545514
- kahirsch 13y agoCan you cite any relevant law? Case law or regulation?
- tuke 13y agoThe egocentrism of the title is remarkable. Surely Brad means: "Why is one forbidden from using a mobile phone in US Immigration areas?" (Unless, of course, you specifically are forbidden to use a specific device -- an iPhone.)
- TheBiv 13y ago"Egocentricism" Aggressive term. He may be being egotistical, or he may be mentioning his specific device to give clarity on what was actually prohibited in his experience. No need to call him egotistical and it surely wasn't remarkable.
- guiambros 13y agoI know, I know, they already forced you to turn off your phone during landing, and now it sucks that you'll need to wait till you get to the baggage claim to go back to your Candy Crush addiction. How ridiculous is that? Now seriously, isn't it obvious? It's a high-security area. There's all sorts of people trying to cross the border: business travelers, families, citizens returning home, tourists, illegal immigrants, terrorists, drug dealers. They don't want people distracted, speaking loudly on their phones, or sending instructions to others in line to exploit security weaknesses. If you're really bothered by the wait (and have an extra $85 to spare), you should seriously consider requesting a Global Entry. While you still won't be able to use your phone, it'll reduce your time in line to 45 seconds. I bet you can't even finish a level that fast. (UPDATE: cost for 5 years is $85, not $100)
- msandford 13y agoOkay, it's a high security area. What law allows them to prohibit the use of a cell phone? The way the US tends to work is that everything is allowed, except the things which are specifically disallowed by virtue of a law being written. Think of it as whitelisting vs blacklisting. In the US we don't whitelist the things that are OK, we blacklist the things which are not OK. How did cell phone use in a border area get on the blacklist? If it's on the blacklist, but there's no law which put it there, then there's a problem.
- enraged_camel 13y ago>>Okay, it's a high security area. What law allows them to prohibit the use of a cell phone? The thing you have to understand about the border control area at airports is that it's kind of a "no man's land." Despite technically being on US soil, you aren't considered inside the borders of the US. You go inside only when the immigration officer gives you the green light. Until then, they can basically do anything they want to you, and there isn't anything you can do about it.
- msandford 13y agoOkay so it's like international waters. That doesn't mean that there are no laws there. And the agents -- who work for the US government -- must still obey the laws of the US government, no? And despite it technically not being "regular" US soil the laws of the US still apply don't they? Otherwise if it's truly a no-man's land I could take a plane trip with another person who I intend to kill, depart the plane and while still in the border control area kill him in cold blood in full sight of everyone there. The US might want to prosecute me, but they technically can't because the law doesn't apply there. I don't think that my murder example would fly. Do you?
- bbgm 13y agoIn the days before smart phones, the lady in front of me in an immigration line in London had her cell taken away from her till she cleared immigration, cause she insisted on using her cell (she had been told not to do so and there was signage everywhere). I might be wrong, but pretty much every immigration line I've stood in prohibits cell phone usage.
- plugger 13y agoI was about to say the same. When you're in immigration areas in many country this rule exists. The "no photography" rule also applies iirc.
- onethree 13y agoi'm pretty sure in both Australia and New Zealand immigration they have signs saying no photography/audio recording devices/cell phones. Honestly i've never had a problem with this, the only thing worse than waiting in line for immigration would be waiting in line for immigration behind someone having an overly loud conversation on their phone