US citizen charged after GrapheneOS phone wipes during airport search

Post by culi » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:37 PM UTC

microtonal wrote: post #411

culi wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fascinating. It seems the feature is called "Second Space" https://www.mi.com/global/support/faq/details/KA-492586/

Profiles are a standard Android feature, nothing special to Xiaomi. GrapheneOS even extends and improves them in a lot of ways. It's just not possible to hide them in a good way that would faze knowledgeable people or software.

Post by fn-mote » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:38 PM UTC

mattlondon wrote: post #681

schoen wrote: post #383

I co-wrote a border search guide for EFF some years ago. I was very interested in finding clever technical approaches but I later ended up feeling that I hadn't given enough thought to the overall threat model questions (even though the guide did address them, perhaps even somewhat usefully). The big picture problem is that the agents performing the searches have an enormous amount of power in terms of potentially se…

I think in these situations your absolute best bet is fawning compliance. Ask precisely how high they want you to jump. Perhaps your friendly smiling Yes-Sir-No-Sir-3-bags-Full-Sir act might just be enough to let you get on your way without anything else happening apart from a stamp in your passport. Even the slightest hint of defiance or surliness from you to a border guard/policeman/etc - potentially at the end of…

Post by amanaplanacanal » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:40 PM UTC

mothballed wrote: post #827

throwawayffffas wrote: post #809

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can offer the I don't travel with my real phone because it got stolen a bunch of times excuse. The point is even if they become suspicious all they can do is seize the burner ask you a bunch of questions etc. search you, etc they can't get access to your data. You can't get in real trouble, just majorly inconvenienced.

You "can't get in real trouble" but teh last time I crossed with basically nothing, they wrote a search warrant by literally fabricating almost everything in it. They wrote that an anonymous dog told an unnamed officer I had drugs, then a completely separate HSI officer signed it and a judge signed it based on complete inter-species hearsay two links removed from any named entity to face to question it. So yeah you c…

Post by inigyou » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:42 PM UTC

hn_submit wrote: post #509

schoen wrote: post #383

I co-wrote a border search guide for EFF some years ago. I was very interested in finding clever technical approaches but I later ended up feeling that I hadn't given enough thought to the overall threat model questions (even though the guide did address them, perhaps even somewhat usefully). The big picture problem is that the agents performing the searches have an enormous amount of power in terms of potentially se…

What about simply not using a smartphone and accessing your data via internet when you're in the country? You could use Mega (secure file storage) to access your files, for example. I wonder if border agents could coerce you into giving access to your internet file storage, though.

Post by wat10000 » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:43 PM UTC

MetroWind wrote: post #836

wat10000 wrote: post #764

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's best to do that for things they have the right to do. Trying to resist being questioned or having your stuff searched is a fool's errand. They'll make it happen one way or another. But I'd never unlock my phone for US immigration. That's my whole life on there, and they don't have the right to compel me to unlock it. Even there, be polite. You can say "no" politely. Where this guy went wrong was actively wiping…

They can just ask you to unlock it for them.