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New Zealand will now fine travellers who do not provide phone passwords when they cross the New Zealand border. Travellers who refuse to provide the password to their mobile device will be hit with a fine of up to $5000. This change to NZ law does not bode well for the New Zealand travel industry with an averse reaction from tourists who will now avoid New Zealand. Previously NZ customs officers could demand that a device be relinquished but not the password to unlock it. The intent of the access is to search the phone file-by-file where customs have a "reasonable cause to suspect" that a search is required. In 2017 a total of 537 searches were carried out. The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has objected to the new law describing it as a grave invasion of personal privacy". Travellers have taken to social media to express their opinion on the new law.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Friday October 05 2018, @07:51PM
If the removable device can be unlocked on the phone, I'm guessing a NZ lawyer will own your ass if you remove the sd card, hide it somewhere, and they find the card.
A phone seems like one of the very worst places to keep sensitive information -- a lot of the hardware and software is very opaque making security questionable. They are also easy to lose/misplace/steal/confiscate thus giving anyone with physical access a lot options to take advantage of that opaque hardware and software.