this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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France’s research minister said a French scientist was denied entry to the US this month after immigration officers at an airport searched his phone and found messages in which he had expressed criticism of the Trump administration.

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[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 65 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (9 children)

How’d they get into his phone? Face or fingerprint?

Make sure you turn off biometrics before traveling. They can’t force you to disclose a passcode.

EDIT: Actually, if you have to travel to the USA, wipe your phone before you leave.

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 92 points 1 month ago (3 children)

IIRC they can compel you to unlock your phone. Or just deny you entry if you don't. It's best to make sure you travel with a 'clean' phone and PC, border patrol got ridiculous powers in the patriot act and nobody's ever rolled any of it back despite decades of abuses.

[–] allo@sh.itjust.works 86 points 1 month ago (3 children)
[–] jonne@infosec.pub 17 points 1 month ago
[–] x_cell@slrpnk.net 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

As a Latin American, the US is the very last county I want to visit on the entire continent. Literally the only thing that I kind of want to see there is the Lego store in NYC.

[–] Blinsane@reddthat.com 19 points 1 month ago

Better off going to Legoland in Denmark in that case.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've been very purposefully avoiding the US ever since the Patriot Act exactly because it became possible for the TSA to riffle through your electronics (even confiscate them) and do this kind of shit.

Then on top of that festering pit of autocracy which, by the way, nobody reversed in all this time, Trump added the risk of ICE detention and "free trip to El Salvador (to go check a mega prison there)".

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Yep, 12 years of Democrats in charge and none of them did anything to reign in this whole apparatus that could easily be abused by an autocrat. Now Trump has a turnkey surveillance state that can be turned on anyone in the country. All your internet traffic, current location, licence plate readers, face recognition, etc. It was all created to alternately catch terrorists or pedophiles, and now Trump is going to use it against anyone he doesn't like.

And it's not like nobody was warned, there was plenty of dissent about the patriot act from experts and the people, but politicians were just like 'don't worry, it'll only be used against terrorists'. Guess what, everyone's going to be deemed a terrorist now. They're trying to charge Luigi with terrorism already (and those are state charges in a Democratic state).

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

ive seen people buy budget/used phones and leave thier main ones at home.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I've got old phones that I've been considering for this use.

They both still work, minus the cellular data. So I'm having a tough time deciding between making my actual phone squeaky clean, or using the old ones have making it a bitch to get home from the airport with no internet to call an uber/friend/deal with airline shenanigans.

[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Since when did travel to the US become worse than to Russia? This is shocking...

[–] Technoworcester@lemm.ee 37 points 1 month ago

They can still make your life difficult though. I think the better option is don't fly into or through US territory if you can help it.

[–] Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world 30 points 1 month ago

Get a burner for ANY international travel.

Consider it an insurance expense as a part of the trip.

[–] philpo@feddit.org 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They will also ask you for your password for online accounts and refuse entry if you don't. And as we have all seen recently that does not necessarily mean "next flight home".

[–] notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

people can make social media accounts full of soft core rat erotica just for travel purposes.

[–] darksiderbun@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 month ago

John Oliver? Is it really you?

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

Just don't come here unless you have to. And get a burner if you do come.

[–] Sabin10@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If you have an android device, setup a second user account with nothing on it and use that when going through customs.

[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How’d they get into his phone? Face or fingerprint?

I was looking for this as well. It seems like a rather important piece of info for the article to leave out.

[–] leds@feddit.dk 7 points 1 month ago

Years ago they would already ask for social media accounts and email address on US visa forms, it was creepy back them , scary now.

[–] Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

So, what if I as an american, travel to canada. On my re-entry, am i going to get my phone searched for anti-maga stuff?

[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

They could try. They can compel you to open it with Face ID or fingerprint. If that’s turned off they cannot compel you to disclose your passcode. They can seize your phone. They cannot prevent you from entering the country.

They’re probably only going to do it with some kind of suspicion. But that suspicion could be the border protection officer is having a bad day.

[–] Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thanks. It's fucking wild the things we have to be concerned about in this upside down timeline.