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

theregister.co.uk

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

#241

Post by wang_li »

throwaway91872 wrote: post #194
musha68k wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Canada is not exactly welcoming to visitor. Particularly visitors that may have a mark on their background check from any number of years ago. Good luck getting in at all -- its becoming a common mention in hip hop lyrics even.

Americans who have concealed carry permits on their person when entering Canada will have their vehicle searched with a fine toothed comb.

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

#242

Post by GordonS »

3487fm9so8g wrote: post #121
musha68k wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

[flagged]

> This is a shockingly unamerican sentiment to hear

So feeling fear when surrounded by 3 armed guards is "unamerican"?

My questions are why were there 3 in the first place, and why were they armed? Surely that kind of "show of force" could only be justified in response to a credible threat?

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

#243

Post by southphillyman »

I'll never forget how I was strip searched coming back from Costa Rica. They went through every photo in my digital camera, ripped open all of my packaged food items, made little snide remarks to me, and ultimately made me miss my connecting flight. The whole time I was fully cooperative.

Only explanation I have for the level of examination is maybe because I was a young minority returning from a random latin american country solo(?)

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

#244

Post by TheRealPomax »

ngngngng wrote: post #231

This is why i'm so excited for the Librem smartphone. If i'm in complete control of the operating system, I can put measures in place to combat this. For example, a function that requires a password whenever the phone leaves a certain location (so if the police confiscate my phone, i'm sure it's locked). Or maybe a function that you can activate that makes the phone appear bricked until the power button is pushed 20…

Of course, they are entirely within their right to just take your phone, and then never give it back. You "officially" have legal recourse to get it back, but in reality, you plain won't.

If you _really_ care about this, travel without your phone, and travel with a minimal-account wiped laptop that runs, has some apps, and has zero work or personal data on it. Stick some steam games on it at most. Then get a burner phone once you're in the country you need to be in, let people you need to talk to know what your new temporary number is, and restore your data from a secure source that you can access using your laptop. Then when you leave, "burn" the phone and properly wipe your laptop again.

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

#245

Post by cyphar »

alehul wrote: post #205
alex_hitchins wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you left the /s from that post. I don't believe you can seriously believe such statements.

> I don't believe you can seriously believe such statements. While the parent commenter's tone was extremely glorifying, do you _not_ believe that the U.S. leads the world in R&D? Or that China _is_ a surveillance state, and one in which the citizens have much less in terms of rights? Does the U.S. not hold the most patents? At least half of his statements aren't even subjective ones... Are you berating him for his c…

> Or that China _is_ a surveillance state

It is, as is the US. Or most other developed nations, if we're going to be honest with ourselves.

> Does the U.S. not hold the most patents?

The US patent system has a very large number of patents (maybe the largest number in the world), but how many are held by US citizens and companies? Foreign entities are allowed to register US patents (and many do) in order to be able to sue US entities.

In fact, this effect is significant enough that the Australian Government's Law Reform Commission noted in a 1990 report[1] that the existence of a patent system may actually have a net negative effect to the economy because of this effect.

[1]: https://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/2-patent-system/economi...

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

#247

Post by TheRealPomax »

ngngngng wrote: post #239
macintux wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lying to law enforcement is illegal, so subterfuges like that are perilous in their own way.

Would it perilous if you just plead the fifth? If you knowingly state that you don't know how to turn the phone back on, then it's a lie, but if you just plead the 5th? Also, why is it legal for them to lie to me when I can't lie to them?

It's not that it's legal, is that you have no way to hold them to account when they do.

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

#248

Post by schrodinger »

filoleg wrote: post #227
metric10 wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good advice! Things like mobile boarding passes and the "Mobile Passport" app encourage and train people to hand their devices over to TSA and CBP personnel. In that later case, unlocked and with an app CBP/DHS controls already installed (with a lengthy ToS no one ever reads).

I’ve been using mobile boarding passes exclusively for the past few years and it doesn’t even remotely work in the way you describe (within the US, at least; cannot comment on CBP). 1. There is no special app you need for mobile boarding passes. It has always been either a PDF or a PNG file emailed to you. 2. I was never asked to hand over my phone to TSA agents at any point. They just ask you to put your phone with…

Mobile Passport is different, and _does_ require a special app.

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

#249

Post by pbhjpbhj »

zitterbewegung wrote: post #198
falcor84 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alternatively, prefer to avoid bringing your own devices with you when you fly. Leave your laptop and smartphone at home, and rent temporary ones after you cross.

Nah , just backup and then wipe all your devices and then restore them after customs. (Kevin mitnick does this).

Or, perhaps he says that but has two passwords, one that decrypts and runs an OS and one that presents as if no OS is installed?

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

#250

Post by marrrky »

Marsymars wrote: post #60
musha68k wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not much better in Canada: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/guilty-plea-ends-case-t...

“On the other hand, we’ve got very recent case law from the Supreme Court of Canada, starting in about 2010, that says you’ve got an intense amount of privacy in your electronic devices."

If he went all the way up to the supreme court instead of taking the plea deal, the story might have gone the other way.

Well if CBSA continues with this practice I hope it ends up with a lawsuit and gets shut down by the supreme court.

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