It’s not that uncommon for border patrol to go through your phone. I went to Canada 6-7 years ago and they went through my sister’s phone because she told them she wanted to meet a Canadian friend she had made online. Border patrol read their conversations while we waited in a confinement room. It was the last time I went to Canada
So they were trying to keep your sister from being human trafficked and you had a tantrum and refused to come back? Probably not a big loss for Canada.
No I went to Canada and had a great time. Since Canada will search your phone I calmly decided to vacation elsewhere. Really not a big deal.
Good luck finding anywhere else in the world where you aren’t subject to the search of your electronics. Canada appreciates your decision not to visit again.
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I’ve travelled to dozens of countries and the only one where my phone was searched was the US. They searched a sanitized decoy phone. My actual phone was at home safe and sound. I didn’t cross my arms and stomp my feet and say I was never doing back because I’m not a petulant, entitled child. I understand that I am subject to the laws of the country that I’m visiting and go prepared. I think that anyone who swears that they are never going to visit a country that searched their sister’s phone to make sure she wasn’t walking into being human trafficked is someone that we can quite happily do without visiting our country.
If that’s being a dick then I’m a dick.
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I’m not insisting on being right. I am right.
Cool. There really isn’t anything there worth seeing except people with beady eyes and flapping heads. Btw your maple syrup is tasteless, overpriced, and something only a douche bag would enjoy.
Wondering when my publishing record qualifies me for asylum.
Thats why you should use a Google Pixel with GraphineOS and a unique 20+ digit password (along with a secure VPN like Mullvad)
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I got a secret for you. Grapheneos has a duress password feature, if you type it in, it completely wipes the phone. Give them that password and act surprised when the phone shits itself
That will accomplish you preventing them from seeing the contents of your phone. It will also accomplish you not getting past the border. At best.
No avg person is doing this. Get a second phone with alias accounts.
That is a good option. I am actually quite careful about what I use my phone for. I still on occasion use Google maps, but i turn location history off and I always delete previous searches.
I am aware that this does not remove them from google’s database, but it does make your movements not immediately obvious.
Also i would delete browser history and log out of all social media accounts (and disable remembering usernames/passwords) and even uninstall some apps in order to make who you interact eith less immediately obvious. Once you clear the border fully you can reinstall everything at your earliest convenience.
You may want to try Organic Maps. It can probably help in 80% of situations where you use Google Maps.
I use GraphineOS and tbh its not inconvenient to use
Convincing someone to completely change their operating system isn’t easy from the start.
If you’re genuenly worried about your security it makes sense, the average person however doesn’t care so they wont do anything to increase security
TBH, buying a cheap Chinese burner phone with no security relevant data on it just for traveling to the US, might be better security wise than buying an expensive Google Pixel Phone with GrapheneOS on it.
Especially now where Google, a US company and bound by its laws, that produces these devices, might (start) hand(ing) out backdoor keys to their hardware.
But with Graphene&Co you can make full backups, store them externally (e.g. selfhosted cloud) and then just apply before/after crossing borders as needed. Plus doing that makes a duress wipe way less painful if you ever need to. Tho, if you’re somewhere where they’re likely to just keep it instead of forcing an unlock or copying data, a cheap burner that doesn’t hurt to loose is still the better idea…
Would Private Internet Access work? That is my VPN.
They have mossad ties. Their CEO or something is a former spy. It’s owned by Israel.
https://hackread.com/private-internet-access-pia-vpn-sold-israel-privacy-concerns/
NOW YOU TELL ME! I have a three year plan with them!
In the same boat. I’m going to have to drop em and switch to mullvad.
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I have the free proton on my phone. I can use it there at least
That’s not news. The US has for a long time reading/copying contents of electric devices at the border
Bingo. If anything, use of a burner phone will be purposely misconstrued as “suspicious”, and used as justification for more thorough screening.
“You just got it last week? That’s weird, we usually only hear drug smugglers using new phones. You’re not smuggling fentanyl, are you? OK, so you won’t mind if I take a look through your luggage to be sure, right? Maybe I should send you to secondary screening for an x-ray.”
While technically true, they weren’t kicking out foreign visitors for being critical if the president.
I used to train people in a specific culinary technique, and i had clients from all over the world, including Muslim clients from the Middle East and India. Most had no problem visiting, but one was stopped at the border and heavily grilled.
His visa said he was here for vacation and educational purposes, but when they went through his texts, they determined that he was here for business purposes, and threatened to confiscate his cash, and reject him from entering the country.
After a few hours, he eventually convinced them that he had considered his training with me to be educational rather than business for his visa, and it just an honest mistake, with no nefarious purpose, and was finally released so he could visit me, and get his training.
This was about 10 years ago, and I don’t remember who was president. It was either Trump or Obama.
2015 was Obama afaik. Trump came in 2016.
Obama was president for all of 2016 as well. Trump elected in 2016 but not sworn in until 2017.
They never asked to see my phone at the border. But the last time I crossed they were getting a hell of a lot more aggressive. They got less aggressive when I became a Canadian citizen, but when I only had my Lebanese passport they almost always brought me in for more questioning. It was kinda bizarre. They probably aggressively searched my luggage, but I can’t be sure of that.
My checked luggage used to be searched when I went to usa. I knew it was searched because tsa would leave a pamphlet inside my luggage saying that it was searched. I believe they have stopped leaving such pamphlet but I won’t be surprised if they still search luggages.
Airlines always check their stuff. Border crossings via greyhound bus or car are not always.
I used to get “randomly” searched every time I fly in the US until I was sent to the side room for more extensive search and interview.
After that I never got randomly searched anymore whenever I go through the airport.
I think once they know everything and judged that I’m not going to be a problem, I stopped getting flagged.
From the news, this time feels a bit different.
Unfortunately I’ll avoid crossing the border until things settle down in a few years. I don’t want to get whisked away by ICE for looking at someone funny
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People have told me that I could pass for an Italian… hmm…
Turn off your phone before going through customs or tsa. They can’t compel you to give your password out, but biometrics don’t fall under that category.
And they can refuse you entry if you don’t comply.
For those of us with GrapheneOS, you could maybe set up a different user profile solely for travel? Hopefully they wouldn’t look closely enough to see that it’s not the real one
That feels like a pretty big gamble when the consequence for losing is being detained by ICE.
Sleeping on an airport bench for your 2 week business trip knowing you’re getting fired when you get home
Why would you get fired? Like they would have to justify it and I dont think “I was oppressed when visiting a fascist police state” is a legally permissible reason to fire someone in most countries
What the actual fuck is going on with my country?!? For fuck sake, not all of us are fascist bellends.
Just like going to china.
Ngl China didn’t touch my phone upon entry. Think my iris got scanned though and certainly got full palm printed.
One of the two people I know who have been to china had their phone taken for hours when they arrived. The other person reported much the same experience as you. The friend who had her phone taken was a US citizen but born of Chinese immigrants. The other who didn’t get their phone taken was not. I can’t help but think that her parents status there had something to do with.
That one born of Chinese immigrants would have been considered a citizen of China by the guards, not of the USA.
