this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2026
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Privacy

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An Appeals Court panel has ruled that federal agents can legally search through travelers' cell phones without reasonable suspicion, probable cause, or a warrant when they cross an international border.

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[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)
  • Travel with a cheap burner phone.
  • Just before returning change your password to a long randomly generated string of letters and numbers.
  • Write it down and mail it your home address.
  • Lock your phone when you arrive at customs.
  • Tell border agents what you did and that you can't unlock it until you get your letter next week.

Thus they only have 2 options: A. Seize it and have the lab unlock a burner with nothing on it. B. Or they can just let it go. In either case they're suckers wasting their own time instead of yours.

[–] stumu415@lemmy.zip 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

You also have to provide all your social media handles when applying for a visa. Even a tourist visa so they can check if you ever posted anything negative about the US or it's leader.

[–] modus@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

What if we all start giving them the same handles?

[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Just give them a second facebook account filled with thousands of images of MLP porn.

Or a youtube channel with dozens of variations of the "Most annoying sound" scene from Dumb and Dumber with the screeching repeated for hours and hours.

[–] adjectivenoun@lemmy.world 9 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I don't know if any phones have this, but on a PC you can set up multiple partitions and have the password you entered determine which is logged into on boot. Then if the ICE brownshirts demand to see your sick memes, you can show them a boring install with some basic apps, instead of the install where you're informing the denizens of the interwebs that Trump raped kids and the entire GOP is covering it up.

[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Android has this: every OEM calls it something different, but it’s called something similar to second space. iPhones don’t have it at all unfortunately.

[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

The brown shirts just clone the whole drive and hand it to the egg heads.

[–] adjectivenoun@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

I'm hoping the brownshirts aren't smart enough for that, but you may be right.

[–] wowwoweowza@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago

So… traveling outside the US and think you want back in… break out that old phone and keep it effing clean for travel. Actual phone goes in to safety deposit box.

[–] FunnySalt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

That's a hassle. They won't find anything they'd be interested in while searching through my phone. Because I am a fairly boring man (and I'm cool with that). But I don't agree that they should have the right to do so in the first place, and I do travel fairly frequently so this is a concern.

I guess I can get a burner and create a separate password database that just has stuff I know I'll need to use while traveling (like airlines and rideshares). And memorize ones that I don't want them having access to, like my email account (makes password resets a risk) and bank accounts.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Nice thing for me is I already have 2 phones. I get a phone stipend for work so I can keep my sensitive personal stuff and my sensitive work stuff on separate devices. I work in the public sector, so it's especially important because of Open Records stuff.

But it also means that if I'm going on vacation out of country, I can just take the work phone that's already sanitized.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 8 points 14 hours ago

Well that's convenient, now they don't have to do it illegally anymore.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

With protesting and dissent nearing illegality, It's no longer safe to have password managers, browser history or social media on your phone. (at borders for now)

I see a lot of people saying just shut it off. They will turn it on, tell you to unlock it, you refuse, they'll detain you, try tools to bypass, confiscate it (you need to make sure you get a receipt) and they'll let you out without it at some point. Even citizens can get detained for periods greater than 24 hours.

If you express any public dissent toward the administration, you should consider traveling with a dumb phone or a burner, not connected to your email/social online services/password systems.

[–] FunnySalt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

With protesting and dissent nearing illegality, It’s no longer safe to have password managers, browser history or social media on your phone. (at borders for now)

I had not considered the risk of having a password manager on my phone and being cohered to unlock it. There's nothing dissentious there to find so I'm not concerned about that (don't infer from that that I think it's acceptable that they can look, I do not). But what's to stop them from stealing financial login info while they're at it? That's the worry that just triggered.

If you express any public dissent toward the administration, you should consider traveling with a dumb phone or a burner, not connected to your email/social online services/password systems.

Traveling with a dumb phone isn't always viable. A recent example I can think of is I had to scan a QR code and fill out a customs form on a website. There was not a paper based alternative. But a burner works.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, that and actually taking decent pictures. If you just need a function, you can get non-flagship Android burners really cheap, or just keep a previous phone, wipe it, and travel with an eSIM.

My primary concern isn't so much what i'm saying now, but what they think about it later if we keep heading toward darker times.

[–] FunnySalt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, that and actually taking decent pictures.

Cheap phone + nice camera is another option. But with the downside of more to pack and carry around.

My primary concern isn't so much what i'm saying now, but what they think about it later if we keep heading toward darker times.

... yeah that feels entirely possible. Valid concern.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 hours ago

In the early 00's there were a few nice cameras with a 3x zoom that would fit in an altoids tin.

I think most of the current crop of micro cameras are toys :(

[–] cloudshouter@lemmy.zip 7 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

So anywhere within 100 miles of a border or international airport.

[–] SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 8 hours ago

That's basically anywhere in the us

[–] siravious@lemmy.world 19 points 18 hours ago (8 children)

I have a question.. there’s data on my phone and other devices that are protected under an active NDA. I am legally obligated to prevent disclosure of that information.

So.. what happens then?

[–] emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works 1 points 43 minutes ago

An NDA is just a contract, an actual law always trumps it.

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[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 3 points 12 hours ago

I mean, it's the US, literally nobody expected otherwise. If they were unable to do it, they would invent something, or coerce whatever they need to, in order to do it anyway. They kill children daily, in so many ways already.

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