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

Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

theregister.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 378 posts

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#71

Post by tompccs »

Chilling, and Kafka-esque. As it happens I'm not convinced that the reason for his being detained had anything to do with him being a Trump critic and Democrat donor, contrary to his claims in the article, but more likely it's some lifeless bureaucrat/computer program or both putting a red flag on his file for some esoteric reason, very possibly connected to his work and writings on online privacy.

The lack of transparency on the reasons for detention are the real problem. Josef K never found out the charge made against him either.

(edit -spelling)

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#72

Post by jsonne »

musha68k wrote: post #44
mikeash wrote: post #14

Quick reminder: US citizens have an absolute right to reenter the country. Customs can temporarily detain you, but they cannot refuse entry. Any threat, whether implied or stated, that they will hold you until you unlock your device is not real. They can hold your stuff indefinitely, so be prepared to lose it if you go this route, but never unlock your device based on the idea that it’s the only way to go free. Non-c…

Quick reminder: Non US citizens only go to conferences outside the US. There is no excuse we should put up with this. Canada and EU are much better locations for this reason alone.

Or New Zealand: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/10/0...

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#73

Post by every »

mcv wrote: post #3
chuckgreenman wrote: post #2

I'm hoping that manufactures will start building a plausible deniability user profile you can log into while leaving your actual profile encrypted, appearing to be slack space. This kind of thuggery seems to be getting more common.

Keep data off your devices during travel, and download it once you're safe. If corporate, require external activation by someone from the company before the contents of your device are restored. That way you cannot be forced to divulge any company trade secrets, because you simply don't have access to them while you're crossing the border.

A "powerwashed" chromebook functions somewhat like this...

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#74

Post by nilskidoo »

maximilianroos wrote: post #68
ProAm wrote: post #65

It would be nice if phone and laptops had removable batteries, so we literally could not turn them on until we got to our destination and buy a new battery.

I would worry the resources of the US government may extend to spare batteries

Purchased with a hot check.

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#75

Post by _8j7i »

"...he clammed up, taking the Fifth, and citing constitutional rights against unwarranted searches.

...border agents told him he had no constitutional nor any legal protections, and threatened him with criminal charges should he not concede to the search.

...he was eventually allowed to leave with his belongings, the devices still locked, and no charges were pressed."

My goodness! I guess those protections did exit after all! :)

Guidelines:

-Goons can lie to you all they want. Never budge.

-Politely refuse, and remain cordial. Stay strong mentally.

-Make sure your devices are turned off prior to even leaving for the airport.

This is the sick reality we live in.

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#76

Post by wyldfire »

mikeash wrote: post #14

Quick reminder: US citizens have an absolute right to reenter the country. Customs can temporarily detain you, but they cannot refuse entry. Any threat, whether implied or stated, that they will hold you until you unlock your device is not real. They can hold your stuff indefinitely, so be prepared to lose it if you go this route, but never unlock your device based on the idea that it’s the only way to go free. Non-c…

> but never unlock your device based on the idea that it’s the only way to go free.

Best to enter the customs zone with the phone powered off, your device's security is likely better in this state, less likely to be circumvented while you surrender it.

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#77

Post by mcv »

navigatesol wrote: post #59
Zak wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As others have mentioned, lying to the agents is illegal. This isn't: The password to this freshly wiped device is "Orwell1984". Feel free to have a look, but all you'll find is an app called "Secure Erase Free Space". This SD card I'm carrying separately? No, you can't have the password to that. Yes, I know, you can hold it indefinitely.

> No, you can't have the password to that. Yes, I know, you can hold it indefinitely. I have a hard time believing that an audience that finds buying a car stressful (as is often stated in Tesla threads) is going to demonstrate assertiveness to a real authority...

Of course there's a relevant xkcd for that: https://xkcd.com/538/

But that's why relying on a trusted external party, like the company you work for, to control your access to your data, is a much more effective strategy. TSA/Chinese police can threaten and bully you, but not your co-worker in a different country following company policy.

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#78

Post by mikepurvis »

a012 wrote: post #28
alex_hitchins wrote: post #18

The message it sends to me is, never visit America. I appreciate horrible things likely happen in my own country, but this is just disgusting.

Or simply just leave yours at home, buy a burner phone on arrival.

There's a cost to doing that. I guess it depends just how badly you need to travel to the US, but as a Canadian citizen, I see no reason to endanger myself or my family by traveling there at the current time. Walt Disney World will still be there in 2021.

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#79

Post by roywiggins »

criddell wrote: post #50
ape4 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can they ask for online logins?

For a lot of websites (like Facebook), that's a violation of their ToS and I'm not sure they can ask you to break a contract.

What possible interest would the government have in such a rule, and how could government agents possibly be able to know what contracts you've signed? They haven't read the Facebook ToS any more than you or I have.

There was a case recently of a NASA scientist being hassled at the border for his phone. He initially refused on the basis that handing it over would compromise his obligations to his employer. It did not work.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-bikkan...

Re: Ex-Mozilla CTO: I was grilled for three hours at US airport by border cops

#80

Post by jancsika »

chrisseaton wrote: post #41
mikeash wrote: post #14

Quick reminder: US citizens have an absolute right to reenter the country. Customs can temporarily detain you, but they cannot refuse entry. Any threat, whether implied or stated, that they will hold you until you unlock your device is not real. They can hold your stuff indefinitely, so be prepared to lose it if you go this route, but never unlock your device based on the idea that it’s the only way to go free. Non-c…

> US citizens have an absolute right to reenter the country Going to a prison somewhere in the US is 'reentry' I suppose.

OP was talking about being forced to unlock devices.

Is there evidence of US citizens going to prison for the act of refusing to unlock a device at the border?

Post reply on HN