New Zealand travellers refusing digital search now face $5k Customs fine

Post by maxxxxx » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 9:35 PM UTC

efreak wrote: post #479

maxxxxx wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have done plenty of research and I couldn't find a solution to backup and restore an Android phone quickly without losing all kinds of data and settings. I have used the built in backup to Google and noticed that restore takes many hours and a lot of apps lost data and settings. It took considerable effort to get back to normal. Definitely too much work to spend on my first day of vacation. A burner phone may work…

`adb backup`. All you have to do is turn on developer mode to enable adb, root is entirely unrequired. You might need to log into accounts again, I'm not sure. Do note that this can take a while, depending on whether you back up your sdcard and how much storage is in use. You can choose to backup individual apps, or everything, to use encryption, etc. If you install TWRP recovery (root is only required for the instal…

Post by mito88 » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 9:39 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #255

Freedom isn't free! Have to keep fighting for it. Or figure out / be lucky enough to become part of the ruling group. Edit: I also find it funny when people get passionate about their "free" country's national anthems when they're one bad underpaid, undereducated border patrol agent away from not having any rights.

Post by mito88 » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 9:44 PM UTC

john_kuszmaul wrote: post #420

trhway wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that mode should be almost always on - the CBP in US can do all that fun stuff to you at any time as long as you're closer than 100 miles to any US border - including ocean. So, for example, CBP can do anything they want to anybody in San Francisco. Granted, for now they do that mostly to "brown" people - well they need to start somewhere to get us into that shiny totalitarian future and of course the start is always…

Perhaps that mode could be called full disk encryption? All humans inside the US border have the fifth amendment right to remain silent, so handing over encryption passwords to the CBP is a choice. Unfortunately, the 5th amendment doesn't apply in New Zealand - if you remain silent at a NZ airport while customs ask for your password, they will impose a $5000 fine on you. The only viable solution I see is to only trav…

Post by ALittleLight » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 9:55 PM UTC

patmcc wrote: post #286

jliptzin wrote: post #233

This happened to me driving from the US into Canada with my significant other on a short vacation. After some routine questioning, the agent asked for our phones and passwords. Naturally, I hesitated and wanted to know why he needed to go through our phones. He didn't give a reason, but said if I refuse they'd hold us until their forensics team cracks the phone password anyway. I wanted to make a bigger deal about it…

>>It ruined the vacation for me, and I've stopped visiting Canada because of how disgusted I felt afterwards. I don't blame you for this at all, but I will say this is bi-directional; as a Canadian, when I travel to the US, I get the same bullshit questioning and phone snooping on occasion. The current controversy on border crossing is that, despite marijuana becoming legalized in Canada shortly, if you admit to smok…

Post by mito88 » Mon, Oct 01, 2018, 10:03 PM UTC

jessaustin wrote: post #368

paradite wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be very honest, I find the methodology very similar to what drug trafficker would do to hide their drugs. And I don't think this method will end well for all parties either way. If it works, customs officers cannot find actual illegal contents, and criminals walk free through customs. If customs officers somehow detects you are doing this, you risk obstructing security measures.

If it works, customs officers cannot find actual illegal contents, and criminals walk free through customs. "Illegal contents", as in what? Unflattering cartoons of the president? A spreadsheet marked "cocaine delivery schedule"? Why is this on the alleged criminal's phone while she's crossing the border? Has she never heard of the internet? No real criminal could be caught by any of this buffoonery. Lots of normal p…