SoylentNews

canopic jug [soylentnews.org] writes:

Wired has an interview about precautions to take with mobile devices if one cannot avoid crossing into the United States [wired.com]. The advice applies to all electronics.

[...] In some cases, it can involve an electronic search where they hook your phone up to a machine and it sucks all the information off of your phone and then they can do more complex data analysis on it. But what you should know is that if you're a US citizen, or if you're a green card holder, you can refuse to have your device searched at the border without being denied entry into the United States. You can have your phone confiscated, you can be brought into a little room and asked more questions. You will be scrutinized if you deny them the opportunity to search your phone, but they can't keep you from entering the country under normal circumstances.

[...] Lauren Goode: If you're a visa holder or a foreign visitor and you refuse, you can be detained or deported.

[...] Katie Drummond: That's a really interesting point. I feel like that's very smart-in-the-weeds guidance. Mike, here is a follow-up question: If someone turned a device to you and said, “Log into your X account on this computer,” can you say, “I'm sorry, officer, I can't help you with that”?

Michael Calore: Yes. And the explanation there, which should be what you actually do so that you're not lying, is that you're using a strong password that is stored in your password manager and that you do not have access to your password manager.

Previously:
(2025) Cell Phone OPSEC for Border Crossings [soylentnews.org]
(2024) 'FYI. a Warrant Isn't Needed': Secret Service Says You Agreed to be Tracked With Location Data [soylentnews.org]
(2024) CBP Needs Warrant To Search Phones, Says Yet Another Judge [soylentnews.org]
(2023) Snowden Ten Years Later - Schneier on Security [soylentnews.org]
(2019) We Got U.S. Border Officials to Testify Under Oath. Here’s What We Found Out [soylentnews.org]
(2018) U.S. Border Searches of Electronic Devices Rise 60% in 2017 [soylentnews.org]
(2016) US Government Pays $475,000 for Illegally Searching Woman's Vagina [soylentnews.org]
(2016) US Customs Wants to Know Travelers' Social Media Account Names [soylentnews.org]

Original Submission