Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

blog.agilebits.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

421–430 of 553 posts

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#421

Post by r3bl »

safeharbourio wrote: post #386
teekert wrote: post #382

I use Linux. I'm convinced that if I put a small Windows partition up (or another Linux install) and make grub boot into it automatically (with little delay) no one would ever notice. Does any one know if they check for multiple partitions at all? And Android can have multiple users, can you set up a new user and boot into that one automatically?

well, with some experience, border guards will learn to spot a non-ntfs partition, that windows dutyfully reports as unformated/blablah space, so that will eventually be caught, dont rely on this to actually protect you, its more of a sleigh of hand that may be easily spotted by the right guard.

Doesn't really work if your operating system doesn't support the partition format (such as ext3/ext4). From my experience, the only way this works is with TrueCrypt/VeraCrypt-encrypted non-system partitions.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#422

Post by staticelf »

aldanor wrote: post #417
staticelf wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And definately Australia and China.

Which makes Ireland the only English-speaking country where you don't expect stuff like this to happen?

I don't understand why the language would matter? In Sweden we don't have this control and we speak better english than many americans.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#423

Post by yellow_postit »

baby wrote: post #418
cm2187 wrote: post #407

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Customs read these articles just like us. What if they ask you if travel mode is turned on? Will you lie?

Yes, how can they prove anything?

At a guess, subpoena 1password for account and timestamp info on use of travel mode to catch someone in lying to a federal agent.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#424

Post by vidarh »

sundvor wrote: post #398
gruez wrote: post #31

Counter: the border agent asks "are you hiding any information from us?". answer yes, and they get you to disable travel mode. answer no, and you just committed a felony.

This whole saga just makes make me want to not visit the US for any reason whatsoever. If I had to go there for work from Australia, I'd request a laptop and new credentials to be provided to me at the destination. For emergency comms during travels I'd wipe my mobile device and use a new prepaid mobile/cell service SIM card in it, from a different carrier, leaving the original one behind. As such I'd not be bringing…

Same here. It's ridiculous when it's getting to a point where I'd take at least as many precautions travelling into the US as China.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#425

Post by veidr »

akvadrako wrote: post #415
sneak wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been that guy. All of 2009-2013 or so. After being locked in secondary with no comms, food, or water for hours on hours enough times, one gives up. CBP once kicked me out of a border control point in northern Vermont, in a snowstorm, in February. I had to hitchhike simply to not freeze (my sim didn't work, so no way to call a cab, and they had sent the bus on without me, hours earlier). I've been searched, bot…

Any idea why this happens to you? Your story suggests some targeting.

I was once on a list that got me secondary searching every single time I flew in the USA, for several years.

This was back in the 1990s, when asking for your password wasn't a thing I've ever heard of them doing, but also when me bringing 128-bit encryption software (aka the US version of Netscape Navigator) to Japan, where I was a foreign student, was a serious crime akin to arms smuggling.

Of course, I never found out for sure why I was on that list, and eventually I apparently wasn't on it anymore. But during that time I did read a fascinating article in some magazine, by Nathan Myhrvold (the now-infamous patent troll scumbag). Apparently, he was on the same list, despite being a super rich fat white guy from Microsoft.

His theory was that he got on the list by buying one-way plane tickets in cash. That resonated with me, because I often did the same thing back then… I just never really knew when I wanted to come back, and I didn't have much credit on my one credit card.

That's obviously both circumstantial and anecdotal, however I don't think it really takes too much to get on one of these secret (and very probably unlawful, but effectively un-challengeable) lists.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#426

Post by mcv »

sorokod wrote: post #410
rosser wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a general comment to so many of the follow-ups to this post: You really, really don't want to get into a rules-lawyering match with Federal fucking prosecutors over whether "clever technological solution" counts as "hiding" something or not. They have all of the guns in this situation, and you have a demonstrably inaccurate understanding of the relevant statute. You WILL lose.

Looks like there is a business opportunity for an airport located on-demand lawyer practice.

It honestly sounds like it would be irresponsible to travel to the US without a lawyer with you. In fact, sometimes the US sounds like you need a lawyer on hand at all times.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#427

Post by ENGNR »

cm2187 wrote: post #407
URSpider94 wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you read the article, there is no "tell" that 1Password is in Travel Mode. The only impact is that most of your passwords are missing from the password vault, but the agent would have no way of knowing what's missing. It's not like it pops up a big "Travel Mode" banner.

Customs read these articles just like us. What if they ask you if travel mode is turned on? Will you lie?

I was thinking this (and no I wouldn't lie to customs), but the second half of the article details how to let a remote administrator enforce these policies, ie blame your employer for wanting to secure their data from unauthorised access.

Of course the real answer is to avoid the business hostile USA (or at least the border)

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#428

Post by sneak »

akvadrako wrote: post #415
sneak wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been that guy. All of 2009-2013 or so. After being locked in secondary with no comms, food, or water for hours on hours enough times, one gives up. CBP once kicked me out of a border control point in northern Vermont, in a snowstorm, in February. I had to hitchhike simply to not freeze (my sim didn't work, so no way to call a cab, and they had sent the bus on without me, hours earlier). I've been searched, bot…

Any idea why this happens to you? Your story suggests some targeting.

For five years or so, I (a US citizen) politely but firmly refused to answer a single question put to me whilst re-entering the United States, as is my human right.

Re: 1Password Travel Mode: Protect your data when crossing borders

#430

Post by IanCal »

peterkelly wrote: post #55
gruez wrote: post #31

Counter: the border agent asks "are you hiding any information from us?". answer yes, and they get you to disable travel mode. answer no, and you just committed a felony.

Answer no, and it's just as valid as if you had a hand-written notebook full of work-related records that you left in your office back home before traveling. There aren't any reasonable justifications for requiring you to bring all information you physically have access to you with you when traveling, regardless of the format it's stored in. Not bringing something with you is inherently different from hiding it.

> Not bringing something with you is inherently different from hiding it.

But you don't have access to your notebook once in the country. The 1Password travel mode is not for while you're in the country, but specifically just for the border crossing.

Post reply on HN