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A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

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Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#3
post #2

As a white man, I'm a bit concerned about coming back into my own country. The only social media accounts I have are here and reddit. Will the guards at the gate accept that I don't have a Facebook or twitter account?

I think if you don't have the apps installed they'd probably would assume you were telling the truth. As a white man, you probably don't have much to worry about.

Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#4
Conceivably, it's quite possible he had information which is subject to ITAR regulations, including data about sensors, mirrors. At the very least, he probably had sensor vendor specifications which are trade secrets and often covered under NDAs.

Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#6
post #5

You're right about white males. Nothing ever happened to Aaron Hillel Swartz. Or is he a bit too dark for your taste?

Statistically as white person he's much less likely to be harassed than people of other ethnicities. That is the point the parent was trying to make.

Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#7
post #4

Conceivably, it's quite possible he had information which is subject to ITAR regulations, including data about sensors, mirrors. At the very least, he probably had sensor vendor specifications which are trade secrets and often covered under NDAs.

Did you bother to read the article? He was detained coming into the country.

Just call a spade a spade. Trump wrote a shitty, racist executive order and people from all walks of life who happen to have one thing in common, a Muslim sounding name, are caught up in it.

Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#8
post #5

You're right about white males. Nothing ever happened to Aaron Hillel Swartz. Or is he a bit too dark for your taste?

Aaron died because he killed himself. As far as persecution goes, being a white male is a boon rather than a count against. One data outlier does not an argument make.

Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#9
post #5

You're right about white males. Nothing ever happened to Aaron Hillel Swartz. Or is he a bit too dark for your taste?

Aaron Schwartz was skewered because he made political statements and took action the gov't didn't like while doing something illegal that may have hurt a multinational corporation.

Re: A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone

#10
Their point about how other countries will take the US's stance as a cue is somewhat scary.

If you try and cross any border it will be relinquishing access to all accounts.

I'm assuming email also comes along with 'social media', since communication is by its definition social.

So how do you protect yourself? I think just going with "Don't have any social media" isn't a good answer because the relationship that children growing up today with the internet is almost completely different to even people 10-15 years older than them.

Someone having carte blanche access to a person's phone will find something if they want to.

Imagine you're in a few group chats, someone mentions doing some drug. And you've just entered a country where that's an instant prison sentence.

Maybe some off colour jokes about politicians? Proof to kick you out or at least detain.

I imagine we're at the cusp of something much more unsettling. The technology to reverse image search a face is available today. It's pretty easy to make you appear associated with anything, anyone, etc.

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