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

radionz.co.nz

101–110 of 647 posts

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

#101
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Factory reset and wipe your device before travel, and restore when you get to your hotel. I’m a privacy nut and while this is a disturbing trend there exist straightforward work arounds. EDIT: I do this all the time and it’s not even remotely difficult or a big deal.

How do you do this with an Android device without spending hours restoring it?

Requires root in my (limited) experience. TWRP + Titanium Backup does the trick pretty quickly.

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

#102
post #85

This is an important issue cryptographers and security minded people often overlook: the strongest cryptography is irrelevant if it opens you to such social harassment. What we need is practical cryptography. I have found practical success by booting from an encrypted Linux partition that has absolutely nothing relevant on it, with a weak password I can always enter when requested by big guys with guns. Unbeknown to…

That is the same approach used by TrueCrypt (RIP) for it's "hidden volume", to solve pretty much the same problem.

https://www.truecrypt71a.com/documentation/plausible-deniabi...

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

#103
post #85

This is an important issue cryptographers and security minded people often overlook: the strongest cryptography is irrelevant if it opens you to such social harassment. What we need is practical cryptography. I have found practical success by booting from an encrypted Linux partition that has absolutely nothing relevant on it, with a weak password I can always enter when requested by big guys with guns. Unbeknown to…

> It’s impossible ... to prove

Not after they subpoena this HN comment. ;)

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

#104
My issue is with the fine.

Presumably,refusing to submit my phone to search is an criminal offence, the mind bending part is that I can get out of this by paying money to the government. I can see how a terrorist or drug dealer could be happy with this.

This sucks all round

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

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so sure it's that clear. (I'm not a lawyer) If you can lawfully download a phone image over the internet while in the country and you can lawfully enter the country with no or limited digital information on your person then I don't see how backing up your phone in a different country (where New Zealand has no jurisdiction) and legally downloading the backup in New Zealand is evading customs. Another (presumab…

Neither am I a lawyer, but the key part is if you're (a) doing this as a regular security precaution or (b) doing it specifically to evade customs. If it's the latter, it's probably illegal. If it's being done for legal reasons, it's legal. Something I've noticed those of us who work with computers having difficult with when it comes to the law is the way intent changes the legality of an action. Wiring money to pers…

Neither am I a lawyer, but the key part is if you're (a) doing this as a regular security precaution or (b) doing it specifically to evade customs. If it's the latter, it's probably illegal. If it's being done for legal reasons, it's legal.

Twice now you've expressed this belief. Please share some primary sources that inform your beliefs.

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

#106
post #85

This is an important issue cryptographers and security minded people often overlook: the strongest cryptography is irrelevant if it opens you to such social harassment. What we need is practical cryptography. I have found practical success by booting from an encrypted Linux partition that has absolutely nothing relevant on it, with a weak password I can always enter when requested by big guys with guns. Unbeknown to…

Love this. Isn't there also something for Android that presents a "safe" account when you type in a particular passcode?

This regulation is clearly made by people who don't understand the technology and capabilities of these devices. A waste of time and money; who is going to train customs officials to search through phones?

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

#107
post #85

This is an important issue cryptographers and security minded people often overlook: the strongest cryptography is irrelevant if it opens you to such social harassment. What we need is practical cryptography. I have found practical success by booting from an encrypted Linux partition that has absolutely nothing relevant on it, with a weak password I can always enter when requested by big guys with guns. Unbeknown to…

You should write a blog post explaining how to set this up in a little more detail.

I'd be interested in hearing more about this as well.

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

#108
post #39

I really want phone makers to allow me to unlock into separate enclaves on my phone. I.e. If I use 1234 as my unlock pin, it goes to my normal phone. If I use 5678 instead, it unlocks to a separate user account with its own notifications, pictures, apps, etc., similar to a truecrypt hidden partition.

Xiaomi does this with MIUI's Second Space feature. Different pins or different fingerprints take you to their intended space of the phone

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

#109
post #7

Privacy Commissioner John Edwards had some influence over the drafting of the legislation and said he was "pretty comfortable" with where the law stood... "You know when you come into the country that you can be asked to open your suitcase and that a Customs officer can look at everything in there." Evidently, severe brain damage is no hindrance to securing a commissioner's appointment in New Zealand.

Some material that can be stored on your phone is not permitted into New Zealand, like child pornography.

If you had that stored in your suitcase, it can be discovered, and a prosecution started.

If you had that stored in your phone, it can be discovered, and a prosecution started.

Phones aren't magical parts of your brain, that can cross borders without being inspected. There's no digital 'diplomatic pouch'. Just because there's lots of sensitive goodies inside doesn't mean it's immune to inspection. Why would it?

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

#110
post #85

This is an important issue cryptographers and security minded people often overlook: the strongest cryptography is irrelevant if it opens you to such social harassment. What we need is practical cryptography. I have found practical success by booting from an encrypted Linux partition that has absolutely nothing relevant on it, with a weak password I can always enter when requested by big guys with guns. Unbeknown to…

> It’s impossible ... to prove Not after they subpoena this HN comment. ;)

>Not after they subpoena this HN comment. ;)

Anyone subpoenaing this comment would discover I post on HN exclusively over Tor :)

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