How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.

Posted by sipofwater 4/9/2025

How to lock down your phone if you're traveling to the U.S.(www.washingtonpost.com)

290 points | 339 commentspage 5

basisword 4/9/2025|

Almost everyone reading this doesn't need to worry about this. And if you are one of the few that do need to worry - just don't travel to the US for now.

Larrikin 4/9/2025|

What do you believe the valid reasons are to worry and what are the ones you consider invalid?

LWIRVoltage 4/9/2025||

Does obtaining Global Entry minimize the chance of them deciding to harass a citizen crossing the border, I wonder? It is at the cost of your biometric - but data on your devices might be worth more, and as I note elsewhere in this thread, you can image a computer and back it up fully, but not a phone without some data loss, unfortunately. [ TWRP possibly can do it right perhaps, but it requires unlocking the bootloader (which wipes the phone), and once bootloader is unlocked, it's more vulnerable to Cellebrite and company, to my understanding, ]

seeing the latest (leaked?) Cellebrite info from 2024 Summer- BFU State[Before First Unlock state] after posting on, modernimoPuxelsiPhones on the latest OS, and graphene devices see moto be the hardest to get into.

Anyway- , with computers - this was a solved problem from a technical standpoint- Yes I'm talking Truecrypt then, and today Veracrypt. The Hidden Container feature is impressive- but the Hidden OS feature allows for a truly hidden OS behind the scenes that can't be found at all. However, there's a unfortunate weakness that makes this hard to use today- it's limited to MBR , not UEFI [GPT]systems- so unless you like your computer not being able to have more than 2 Tb - and only 4 partitions (so good luck If you do a lot of stuff from dualbooting to other whatnot) We need a Veracrypt Hidden OS equivalent for UEFI systems that's truly undetectable.(That also will work for Linux and maybemeMac not just Windows as Veracrypt currently does - you can only make the Hidden Volumes on the non Windows versions of VC) There was one project to do it - and there were articles and a black hat presentation on 'Russian Doll Steganogrpahy" for a OS- but it didn't go anywhere from what I can tell, and everyone is now wide open .... Unless you have a MBR system. I also think I've heard UEFI is more easily secured than MBR in general and for the foreseeable future...

https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/russian-doll-steganograph...

https://i.blackhat.com/eu-18/Thu-Dec-6/eu-18-Schaub-Perfectl...

fragmede 4/9/2025||

What the fuck happened to the first amendment?

WorldPeas 4/9/2025|

you are free to say anything you want, so long as they are free to act on it.

aaron695 4/9/2025||

[dead]

GenshoTikamura 4/9/2025||

[flagged]

mvieira38 4/9/2025||

Why even go to the US if you're fearing it that much

kashunstva 4/9/2025||

OK, I'll bite. I'm a dual citizen of the U.S. and a neighbouring country whose sovereignty has been threatened recently and live in that country. Our daughter goes to school in the U.S., though, so travel to the U.S. for performances & to schlep her stuff to/from school at the beginning and end of the year is non-optional.

People have all sorts of reasons to have to travel to U.S. So I very much appreciate the advice rendered in TFA because the Due Process Clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments are considered optional at the U.S. border.

wat10000 4/9/2025|||

Because I live here.

esbranson 4/9/2025||

[flagged]

mediumsmart 4/9/2025||

I lock it down in the living room and then head for the airport. I didn’t even have to read the article to know.

NoImmatureAdHom 4/9/2025|

The situation at the U.S. border re phone privacy is exceptionally good. In most countries this isn't a live issue because you have no such rights and everyone would laugh at you for asserting them. There are exceptions, perhaps Germany? In Britain they'll throw you in prison for refusing to give them your phone password, and if you do they'll throw you in prison for the wrongthink tweets they find on your phone.

Should Americans be subject to search-for-no-reason at their own border? No, and I hope that as these border issues work their way through the legal system this will get sorted out. Please note that the CBP can say whatever they want about you having to give them a phone password, but you don't have to. They might keep your phone for a while and fuck around with it.

Hercuros 4/9/2025|

Exceptions, such as the entirety of Europe? This level of privacy violation is truly incomprehensible to most citizens of European countries.

NoImmatureAdHom 4/9/2025|||

I gave the example of the U.K., a dystopian privacy violator. The U.K. is in Europe.

The entirety of Europe would not come close to making a majority of countries. Even if I grant you the "entirety of Europe", I bet I'm still right that most (i.e., more than half) of countries reserve the right to search your device at the border, and will compel you to give the password.

For instances where the authorities wish to suspect you of a crime, looks like France was prepared to compel you to give a password in 2022: https://www.fairtrials.org/articles/news/french-court-rules-...

EU-wide, 2024: https://www.politico.eu/article/police-can-access-mobile-pho...

In the U.S., I believe you are covered by your 5th Amendment self-incrimination protections. I have some recollection that there are situations where authorities will compel you, like if you're not the one being accused of the crime.

lolc 4/12/2025||

The linked cases disturb me but they are about criminal investigations. Not "reserve the right to search your device at the border".

fragmede 4/9/2025|||

It's incomprehensible to most citizens of the US as well, which is why it's an important article by a major newspaper and we're discussing it.