Ignoring the US political situation for a moment I want to point out how ridiculous modern phones and apps storage access given to their users is. You used to be able to mount a phone as a full hard drive and have access to all your files, do a real full backup without some encrypted databases that only facebook, google or apple hold the key for. The first tragedy is that we accepted that the US gives no rights to non citizens the second tragedy that no one talks about is that we accepted giving away our own data sovereignty and using devices that make us more vulnerable and effectively digital slaves.
How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
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Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#112Not sure about CBP specifically, but many countries already use specialized tools to break into phones and silently install backdoors — Cellebrite comes to mind. As my favorite blogger puts it: "If the data is important, it's not stored in only one place. If there's no backup, it wasn't important." With that in mind, wiping the device and filling the gallery with high-resolution images of genitals covered in excremen…
> gallery with high-resolution images of genitals covered in excrement remains one of the more effective passive defense strategies.
I would not call that passive defense, that's a full on attack on the stomach.
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#113> Before traveling, back up your devices so you don’t lose anything permanently. Then delete anything you’re worried about being misinterpreted or saved by the government. That can include conversations that compromise the privacy of the people on the other end. You might delete messages about politics, contact information for political dissidents, apps that save offline copies of sensitive documents like Google Docs, even your phone’s built-in Notes app.
Mind you, this is for entering the country that considers itself the freest in the world...
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#114"Locking down" is almost always a bad approach when it comes to border crossings. You have very little rights at the border, so keeping your phone locked and refusing to divulge the 20 characters password isn't really an option. Even without the threat of detaining you, they can refuse entry (if you're not a citizen/permanent resident), or seize your $1000 phone/laptop. Far better to wipe your phone and restore from…
> refusing to divulge the 20 characters password isn't really an option > wipe your phone and restore from backup If they can compel you to divulge the password, then they can compel you to restore from backup in front of them.
I think their point is that you have plausible deniability because they wouldn't know you have a backup.
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#115It's surreal for me to see such a headline and article on a major US newspaper.
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
Most android phones I use provide an option to wipe the device if the wrong passcode is entered too many times. There was a lot of talk about duress passcodes several years ago, but I don't think any phones ever got it. Sure would be nice to have
GrapheneOS has the duress password feature [1]. I have it enabled, but have never needed to use it. [1] https://grapheneos.org/features#duress
A duress password that booted into an innocuous "safe mode" without access to your full browser and chat history would be a whole lot less likely to get you into more trouble than one which wipes the phone...
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#117Or use the n-1 phone you already have in that junk drawer.
I have old pixel phone that will work for simple stuff.
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#118"Locking down" is almost always a bad approach when it comes to border crossings. You have very little rights at the border, so keeping your phone locked and refusing to divulge the 20 characters password isn't really an option. Even without the threat of detaining you, they can refuse entry (if you're not a citizen/permanent resident), or seize your $1000 phone/laptop. Far better to wipe your phone and restore from…
> refusing to divulge the 20 characters password isn't really an option > wipe your phone and restore from backup If they can compel you to divulge the password, then they can compel you to restore from backup in front of them.
Well since the phone is wiped just don't be logged into your real account and don't have any cloud backups to backup from?
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#119It's surreal for me to see such a headline and article on a major US newspaper.
we still have freedom of speech for now at least, actual citizens do, anyway
Re: How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh yes, this is one of the possible solutions with common sense. This is what I decided to do BTW.
You made the right choice, I didn't mean to sound critical of you, more the situation. Its sad but people taking these other measures are rolling dice every time they go. Negotiating the leopard. my biggest worry entering and leaving my own country is that my bag was lost, or theres a queue.
I used to travel to the US once a month for years and years (from Europe or Asia). It was either for business, or for vacation with the family. The larger the airport, the shittier the border but at least this was a moment to go through and that's all.
Now, as a French, I seriously consider being detained for something trivial and getting into a net of bureaucracy which would certainly extend my stay in the US. And I will not do that.
My grown-up children are suggesting vacation in New York and some other places, we will go to Asia instead where I was lucky enough to have only good experiences (especially in some countries). Nobody will care in the US but this is one less person to visit.
I would love the Americans to continue visiting us as nothing changed for them but I can totally understand that they will slow down as well, expecting unpleasantries.