A growing number of legal U.S. residents and visa holders are being detained or deported after border agents inspect their phones and social media.
  • cerement@slrpnk.net
    105·
    3 个月前

    the last time this idiocy was going around, companies were switching employees to netbooks, chromebooks, thin clients, burners, etc. when traveling – default install, don’t log in until in the other country, log out or wipe before leaving the other country – this time, the corporations seem perfectly happy to capitulate and throw their corporate secrets (and the employees) under the bus …

    • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      37·
      3 个月前

      Probably because most backup solutions, especially mobile, are inadequate. Telling employees to wipe their phone and having 5% lose their 2FA, important docs, or whatever is worse than the 0.01% probability of their phone being searched.

      I’ve been wiping all devices when crossing borders for a decade, but I don’t use big tech (non E2EE) cloud, and the whole process is the most stressful part of international travel for me.

      • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
        25·
        3 个月前

        Easiest solution is to do everything on a remote host and just use the laptop or rdp or ssh or whatever works best for you system.

        • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          14·
          3 个月前

          Yeah, Tailscale makes this a breeze too. Just RDP into your home desktop, and the only thing a third-party will see is your (encrypted) connection to your home network.

  • Sergio@slrpnk.net
    55·
    3 个月前

    When you travel, bring as few devices as possible with you. Obviously, you’ll bring your phone with you, but leave your laptop at home if you can.

    Last time I travelled overseas I took a burner phone without a calling plan, and just used it as a wifi device at the hotel. I used google maps and “offline maps”, GPS still worked. Used the phone as a camera, and I would have uploaded anything private and wiped locally but that wasn’t necessary.

    If anyone at the border had asked, I’d have said it was so I didn’t risk losing my phone, and so work couldn’t call me up and bug me during vacation.

      • tatann@lemm.ee
        32·
        3 个月前

        Taking photos and using a GPS to get around in a foreign country can improve entertainment :)

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        5·
        3 个月前

        What about checking it into your luggage (assuming airport)? It’s unlikely that they’ll fish it out and bring it to the security checkpoint just to get you to unlock it. For land travel, maybe mail it to your hotel or something.

        That’s better than not having a phone at all.

        • Phoonzang@lemmy.world
          7·
          3 个月前

          I guess since most devices don’t have removable batteries anymore, you’d be violating checked baggage regulations as they don’t allow batteries. Not sure what the consequences would be, though.

        • lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
          4·
          3 个月前

          Don’t they have universal unlocks for suitcases? They can just take a phone / laptop out, disassemble it quickly to clone the hard drive (or sometimes not even that, just power it on and use any of the various Israeli exploits they’ve bought) and presto, you can go on your merry way.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
            4·
            3 个月前

            Yes, they can access your phone if they want to, but accessing the data is another story. You’d have to be a very high profile target for them to try attacking your phone, and if it’s off, they’d have to break the encryption. AFAIK, the “Israeli exploits” aren’t magic, and it’s not something they’d even try in a typical airport check.

            If you’re really worried about it, mall your phone to your destination, those have a lot less security.

  • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de
    53·
    3 个月前

    Here’s what travelers should know: “This site isn’t available in your region | usatoday.com”

    Yeah very cool. Also I presume that translates to “We can’t be fucked to care about user privacy enough to comply with GDPR”. And also “We can’t be fucked to know what the EU is”. Because they are blocking access to me here in Switzerland, outside the EU, where GDPR doesn’t apply.

    • rippersnapper@lemm.ee
      14·
      3 个月前

      Buy a burner phone. Use a newly created email. Don’t install any of your socials (not even lemmy).

      Use only Signal (with messages auto deleted after being read) to be in touch with the really close friends and family.

      Don’t bring your personal laptop.

      If it’s a longish stay you may install socials a few days after completing immigration. But don’t use fingerprint or Face ID in that case.

      • bishbosh@lemm.eeEnglish
        8·
        3 个月前

        The neat part of this is then getting detained for even longer for “suspicious activity”

        • rippersnapper@lemm.ee
          2·
          3 个月前

          Hopefully the respective country’s embassy and place of work (outside of work, study I don’t see why anyone would want to go to that hellscape) can step in. Like check in with your significant other post landing when you’re waiting at immigration checkpoint. And if you’re not heard from after that, alarm bells should go off and embassies should be informed.

    • Maalus@lemmy.world
      3·
      3 个月前

      Lemmy doesn’t comply with GDPR either. It’s not really a mark of a bad website, they just don’t get traffic from Europe most likely.

  • egrets@lemmy.world
    48·
    3 个月前

    The article doesn’t mention what happens if non-citizens decline, but The Guardian says:

    For visa holders and travelers from visa waiver countries, they are at risk of being denied entry if they refuse to unlock devices

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
      32·
      3 个月前

      Which is really dumb IMO, because if a cop tries that just after being allowed in, then it’s a violation of the 4th amendment. I really hate that.

      • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.mlEnglish
        27·
        3 个月前

        The law here actually extends to areas near international borders(up to 100 miles) and in principle includes any airport that receives international flights. So, basically everywhere. This occasionally comes up in real cases.

              • lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
                1·
                3 个月前

                If anything they have human rights. There’s also the minimum set of implicit rights that are prerequisite for the concept of eg.: allowing foreigners to request asylum. Now if your country didn’t sign in those conventions, that’s a whole ¿nother horde of issues.

                • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
                  1·
                  3 个月前

                  Are you implying other countries don’t have these rules? I would be very surprised if EU countries didn’t have similar allowances for border control, for example.

                  The US border control isn’t forcing anyone to do anything, people can choose to not enter the country if they don’t like the rules. And honestly, I wouldn’t blame them.

                  I personally wish US constitutional protections extended to everyone interacting w/ US law enforcement, regardless of where that happens, but that’s not the case.

  • Agent641@lemmy.world
    44·
    3 个月前

    I need an android phone that logs me into one fake version of the operating system when I unlock it with one pattern, and another OS when I use my real pattern.

    Like a virtual machine kind of deal where the attacker cannot know that there are other logins, or how many. Preferably with some kind of automated system that simulates normal usage so it looks real but boring.

  • Justin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    15·
    3 个月前

    Can’t this be avoided, at least on Android, by simply shutting down your phone? Thought I read somewhere that they lock down everything, even system processes, after turning on again until you unlock it again. Or are you also forced to type the password and let them in?

    • FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
      75·
      3 个月前

      You have no rights and the ‘government’ in america has to follow/abide by no laws anymore. Whatever you think/know about the us is 100% irrelevant now. It’s a lawless dictatorship

      You avoid it by never going to america, or by leaving and never returning.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        7·
        3 个月前

        That’s not true. Most laws just don’t apply until you’re on US soil, which has been defined as after the security checkpoint, unless you’re already a US citizen (I think).

        It’s incredibly dumb, but what’s illegal just after the security checkpoint is fair game just before it.

        • naeap@sopuli.xyz
          3·
          3 个月前

          Ha, never thought about that

          Is that really the case?
          That would mean, they have some “international waters territory” right at every airport, that gets arrivals from other countries

          That would be like…wtf?!

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
            8·
            3 个月前

            Yeah, that’s pretty much how it works in every country. When you’re in an airport, you’re in legal limbo, where you’re legally not in any country until you’ve passed through security after landing. That’s why movie The Terminal exists (inspired by the story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who was stuck in the Paris airport in similar circumstances).

            If you arrive in any country and fail to get in, you have to return where you came from or anywhere else that’ll take you.

    • jecxjo@midwest.socialEnglish
      16·
      3 个月前

      Border entry is different than self incrimination.

      If you are charged with a crime you cannot be compelled to give a password as it resides in your head. However if you use finger prints or face recognition to unlock it you’re SOL.

      Best thing to do is get an android and setup a dummy account. use that account when you get off the plane so when you unlock it there is nothing to go through.

    • jacksilver@lemmy.world
      12·
      3 个月前

      Seeing a lot of responses that are wrong because they are talking about what police in the US can do. This article is about border crossing where border patrol can ask you to unlock the phone without any warrant/etc. If you refuse then you can be denied entry to the country (although I believe that is just non-citizens). Not sure if things can escalate from there.

      Edit: which means if your phone was off, they’d just ask you to turn it on and unlock it.

    • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.mlEnglish
      11·
      3 个月前

      The law requires you to unlock it, but as far as I’m aware its legality has never faced a major challenge and there are some civil rights groups who are confident it won’t survive one.

      Truth be told though most phones don’t have robust enough security to withstand even a short duration attack from the tools available to law enforcement.

          • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.mlEnglish
            3·
            3 个月前

            Depends where you are, some jurisdictions within the US will order you to produce a password in some circumstances and hold you in contempt until you do and that decision has been upheld by higher courts, notably the third circuit.

            • curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
              2·
              3 个月前

              There are exceptions to most things, yes.

              None of it is relevant at the border though, they dont have to do anything other than deny entry.

        • potustheplant@feddit.nl
          1·
          3 个月前

          Except that you can’t unlock an android phone with your fingerprint/face if you just turned it on. The first time you unlock it you have to use your pattern/pin.

  • qyron@sopuli.xyz
    15·
    3 个月前

    If you really need to, go without a phone and buy a cheap one there. Memorize a few numbers and use a single application to handle your communications.

    I would probably be detained. I have no mainstream social media, keep no images on my phone and don’t use gmail.

  • root@lemmy.world
    14·
    3 个月前

    So if you accidentally tripped the device reset by being panicked and entering your pin incorrectly a few times, what would happen?

    • Kekzkrieger@feddit.orgEnglish
      11·
      3 个月前

      Could be seen as obstruction, they will likely detain you and send you back where you came from ater a few days or weeks…all comes down to the mood the officer is currently in.

    • piyuv@lemmy.world
      3·
      3 个月前

      They’ll tell you to unlock it. If you refuse, they’ll deny your entry (if you’re a traveler) or detain you and bully you (if you’re a US citizen)

  • over_clox@lemmy.world
    14·
    3 个月前

    I have found that guys can use their penis as a fingerprint. Reliability may vary given whatever state of arousal you’re at, but good luck trying to get me to whip it out to unlock my phone.

    Ladies, I’m not sure how practical this idea may be for you, but the same concept just might work for nipples as well.

    Your device should be private to you, so if it takes locking it using your physical privates, well do whatever you gotta do.

    Disclaimer: I’ve only done very limited testing on this, but it actually did work for me.

    • drzoidberg@lemmy.world
      9·
      3 个月前

      It actually does work. I still have mine set up from when I tested it. You can also use the fatty bulge on your pinky when you curl your finger.

      I do need to be hard though. It would probably work had I set it up with a softy though.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 个月前

        Interesting, glad I’m not the only oddball to test such things.

        Extrapolating on the results here, one could most likely use any area of their skin as if it were a fingerprint, even perhaps the tip of your nose or your earlobes or something.

        Hey, what they don’t know, they don’t need to know. Your device and privacy should be yours and yours alone. Fuck’em

    • Darkassassin07@lemmy.caEnglish
      6·
      3 个月前

      Somehow I think whipping my cock out to unlock my phone will be frowned upon in most situations…

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 个月前

        Quite true, but of course I wouldn’t expect anyone to do that in public.

        That’s like the entire idea, I’m pretty sure they can’t legally force you to undress to unlock and inspect your phone.

        • Darkassassin07@lemmy.caEnglish
          9·
          3 个月前

          My point is; the purpose of biometric unlock is convenience, especially since it doesn’t disable pin/pass. If you can’t use it in most situations, you may as well just use a pin/password. You gain absolutely nothing by setting up your penis to unlock your device…

          With relation to border inspections: you get ordered to unlock devices for border security to inspect. If you refuse, you’ll either be refused entry and turned away or you’ll be detained until access is gained (willfully or through cracking tools). The US has demonstrated much more willingness to detain people at the border and hold them for months without charge, so I wouldn’t push it. To be clear; your ‘rights’ against unlawful search and seizure do not apply at the border, even for US citizens.

          Don’t store anything you don’t want border security to see on a device you’re bringing through a border checkpoint. Store it on a remote server and retrieve it as necessary.

          • over_clox@lemmy.world
            2·
            3 个月前

            I hear you loud and clear, the right to privacy has gone to shit.

            Meanwhile, you know how small MicroSD cards are right? You could store one of those in a hollowed out coin (which would dual function as something of a Faraday Cage) to carry your data, without carrying any active device.

        • Ech@lemm.eeEnglish
          9·
          3 个月前

          They can force you to undress for a cavity search. What makes unlocking your phone such a special case that they’d think that was “too much”?

          • over_clox@lemmy.world
            2·
            3 个月前

            Simple, you just don’t tell them.

            They can try all 10 fingers and all 10 toes, but if they don’t know what piece of skin unlocks the phone, what the hell are they gonna do?

              • over_clox@lemmy.world
                3·
                3 个月前

                You’re right.

                You can also store all your critical data on a MicroSD card and just not even carry an active device.

                MicroSD is so tiny that it could be hidden inside a modded hollowed out coin…

                • curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                  2·
                  3 个月前

                  Thats a better strategy.

                  Or backup your device, factory reset, put the backup somewhere you can get it after traveling, keep only enough on it to keep family updated during the trip itself, restore after youre in.

    • CrazyLikeGollum@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      3 个月前

      For an additional gender neutral option, your butthole is almost as unique as your fingerprints, to the point that unless you have an identical twin it’s reasonable to assume that no one else shares your specific butthole print.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
        4·
        3 个月前

        Sorry, my butthole doesn’t poke out far enough.

        Could I use it for facial recognition though? 🤔

  • Dogyote@slrpnk.net
    11·
    3 个月前

    What does this mean:

    If you’re a green card holder, do your research. “You have to have a good understanding of what the visa category that you’re coming in allows you to do and does not allow you to do,” Heubel said.

    Once you have a green card what visa categories could you fall into? I thought once you were a permanent resident and could do whatever you want except vote.

  • sloppychops@lemmy.caEnglish
    5·
    3 个月前

    Would it help to have electronics, phone included, in your checked baggage?

    If not, then people might have to consider smuggling their phone through in a brick of coke. Or put it in a condom and swallow it.

    • obviouspornalt
      4·
      3 个月前

      When you enter the US, you have to claim your checked baggage as part of the process of going through customs, then re-check your bags if you’re continuing on a domestic flight.

      If you have a device in your checked bag:

      1. you’re violating the safety rule about not having lithium batteries in checked luggage.

      2. if you’re asked if you are travelling with a phone and you lie and say you don’t have one, then if they search your bags and find it, then they’ll have strong evidence that you lied to a federal officer, which is a crime.

      • caffinatedone@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        3 个月前

        You’re allowed to have devices with lithium batteries in checked bags.

        When portable electronic devices powered by lithium batteries are in checked baggage, they must be completely powered off and protected to prevent unintentional activation or damage. Electronic devices capable of generating extreme heat, heating elements must be isolated which could cause a fire if activated, by removal of the heating element, battery or other components.

        https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/printable-chart

          • caffinatedone@lemmy.worldEnglish
            5·
            3 个月前

            Sure, airlines can have whatever policies, but while not adhering to them might get you into trouble with the airline, it’s not a legal issue. The TSA doesn’t get powers from that to do anything that they weren’t allowed to do otherwise.

            Now, they might lie to you to get you to give them more than they’re entitled to, but that’s a different issue.