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US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

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Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#241

Post by hackerlight »

stainablesteel wrote: post #230
hackerlight wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I advocate for almost completely open borders, for three reasons, freedom + economic growth + national security. (1) Freedom. Closed borders was actually one of the first iterations of technology being used to suppress human freedom. We had open borders for most of human history. Only with the advent of modern nation states (and the associated mind virus of nationalism) and recent technical capabilities have we both…

this is a bad take 1. the us had open borders because they could offer land to people coming in, it had economic benefits for everyone involved. nowadays, EVERYONE wants to get in, especially actors with bad intentions, and as was just shown in europe not even five years ago now, open borders are a terrible idea with long lasting consequences. 2. economic growth does not simply derive from a larger population, there'…

There's really no substance to anything you've said here. Just confusion and fears and basic misunderstanding of economics and geopolitics. Please consult any economist or international relations scholar on point 2 or 3.

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#242

Post by tarunupaday »

This (and similar issues) is the main reason that I donate a non-trivial (10%) part of my earnings to ACLU (and 2 other) organization.

Our rights and freedoms do not come without struggle. And they sure do not last without somebody constantly defending them. And it’s only bravado to assume that we can stand against the might of federal agents as individuals without dedicated organizations fighting for us.

Please donate to ACLU - as much as you can.

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#244

Post by lostgame »

_chu1 wrote: post #110

Hope they have fun getting into the iOS 6 iPhone 4S I carry around, security by obscurity XD (And no, it's not my main phone, Pixel 5a with GrapheneOS is my daily driver)

Wouldn't that be easier to exploit, rather than more difficult?

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#246

Post by giantg2 »

ep103 wrote: post #47
giantg2 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I remember correctly, it's not complete immunity, but they require a compensation mechanism approved by congress for any issue that doesn't have prior history of being compensated explicitly similar to the situation at hand. It's like 99% immunity.

Right, so federal agents receive absolute immunity by default, and this is guaranteed to continue for every new issue, unless Congress magically becomes un-gridlocked in the meanwhile AND chooses to solve this issue AND chooses to do so every time a new unprecedent issue occurs involving a federal agent.

It's not absolute. It's just the default. There are specific scenarios where it doesn't apply.

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#247

Post by zitterbewegung »

One thing I learned at Defcon 30 was how to break encryption at rest by just storing the encrypted data and wait for a quantum computer to be developed but storing it for 15 years wouldn’t be long enough (average guess of scientists were 50 years in the future).

It makes the NSAs Utah data center to have other applications like parallel reconstruction.

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#248

Post by hutzlibu »

roenxi wrote: post #220
woodruffw wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Any malicious person savvy enough to pull off a crime of interest to the Feds is smart enough to provide a wiped or burner phone to DHS/ICE, and they have to know this. So, what is the point in doing this if not to target law abiding citizens. This isn't even remotely true. See for example the recent Anom honeypot[1]. Criminals do more or less the same things that ordinary citizens do, and often have strictly wo…

Although grandparent's logic is faulty, I think it does go to an important point. They don't need 15 years warrantless storage of phone data. On anyone, including foreigners. If it takes them 15 years to realise they shouldn't have let someone over the border it is around 14 to 14.995 years too late. The powers these agencies have is far in excesses of what they need to do their jobs, and it is going to be abused. Th…

"If it takes them 15 years to realise they shouldn't have let someone over the border it is around 14 to 14.995 years too late."

Well, hypothetically some old data could be combined with some new data, to not let a potentially terrorist in NOW (or let them in, but supervised).

So more data to have is definitely useful for the agencies (if they can analyse it and do not drown in data).

And a total surveillance state would be even more effective, but for some reasons people does not want it. Maybe because power abuse is a real thing.

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#249

Post by MockObject »

tristor wrote: post #187

Lot's of people fantasizing about what they'll do at the border with weaponizing the data on a burner phone. Let me present a "simpler" and actually realistic option (only for US citizens) on how to handle this: 1. Have a reasonable amount of emergency savings (6-8 months of expenses stored). 2. Have someone in-country who isn't traveling with you who can make sure your bills get paid (financial power of attorney). 3…

So you've been asked to unlock your phone, and refused, but were eventually released and allowed to enter? Which country?

Re: US border forces are seizing Americans' phone data and storing it for 15 years

#250

Post by Operyl »

sjf wrote: post #236
UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add to your point, our laws are so overly broad that it is impossible to exist without breaking some law. (your point talks of 'digital data' my comment refers to real-life) From driving 1mph over the speed limit, to skipping FBI warnings on DVDs, to countless other "innocent" infractions. If they look hard enough they will find SOMETHING. And that's all they need.

For people renting it is routine to receive mail for several previous tenants. Everytime you throw away a credit card sign-up offer for someone else, you are committing a felony.

Yup! Write "Not at this Address" and put it in the outbox if you have one, or back in your mailbox with flag up.
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