I may be traveling out of country in the near future. In the visited country I probably won't be making many phone calls. However, I would like to access the internet and keep some crucial information with me (or access it). On crossing back into the US it's improbable but customs might ask me to open my phone for them. I don't want to hassle with not opening the phone for them. I want a "clean" phone or device that I can open for them that has no access to any of my emails or other personal information. I think I know how to do this but am wondering if others have some real experience with this.
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Other "Clean" phone at international border crossing.
- Thread starter Cobalt50
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If you have a good encrypted backup you can simply reset your phone just before you go through customs.
You can turn on restrictions to allow the phone to only show stock apps on the screen. That will take care of that.
If you're using Mail app for email, you can simply sign off/delete the account from he phone and then Mail won't show any emails (but your email will still be safe on the servers). I've done that before.
There's no workaround for Messages. Personally I don't think anyone should store messages on their phone for more than a short while.
If there's a few photos you don't want anyone to see, you can paste them into a Notes file and then encrypt that note so it can't be opened without Touch ID.
But the bottom line is: don't keep anything on your phone that will get you in trouble. The iPhone is the world's greatest incriminator.
If you're using Mail app for email, you can simply sign off/delete the account from he phone and then Mail won't show any emails (but your email will still be safe on the servers). I've done that before.
There's no workaround for Messages. Personally I don't think anyone should store messages on their phone for more than a short while.
If there's a few photos you don't want anyone to see, you can paste them into a Notes file and then encrypt that note so it can't be opened without Touch ID.
But the bottom line is: don't keep anything on your phone that will get you in trouble. The iPhone is the world's greatest incriminator.
What are you trying to hide? And why would the customs single out your phone when they otherwise never check phones?
[doublepost=1529854337][/doublepost]Needless to say if they suspect you this much a clean phone may lead to your arrest because they may feel you’re trying to hide something.
Why not behave like a normal human being? Let them check whatever they want. Unless you are already hiding criminal info.
[doublepost=1529854337][/doublepost]Needless to say if they suspect you this much a clean phone may lead to your arrest because they may feel you’re trying to hide something.
Why not behave like a normal human being? Let them check whatever they want. Unless you are already hiding criminal info.
They do (feel) they have the right to seize electronic devices, although I believe there may be some traction on finally blocking this without due cause.
That said, this is not something they've done on a whim; invariably certain subsets of passengers may have been targeted - i'd imagine some journalists or activists may be on that list.
This is nothing to do with 'acting like a normal human being'. How would you feel if your phone was seized and broken into into and every social media post, every email etc. was then exposed for the authorities to read and treat as they will?
If the OP is in that position then I could understand, given the current situation, their reticence. That said, the risk is small.
I've never seen or heard of people being stopped at customs and having their mobile phones checked. Do you live in North Korea or something?
Really?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...asked-allow-access-phones-devices/1012493001/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...rder-agents-can-search-your-cellphone-n732746
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/31/us-border-phone-computer-searches-how-to-protect
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/business/border-enforcement-airport-phones.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/usa-border-phones-search-1.4494371
Five, just to name a few.
US Customs and Border Patrol have a standing policy whereby they can demand you open your phone. And unlike the interior of the US where a passcode and a warrant is your defense, you must comply.
Ah well. Land of the free and all.
I suppose the NSA will already know whats on your phone anyway.
I suppose the NSA will already know whats on your phone anyway.
Same here. What country would force someone to unlock their phone so that authorities can have a browse?
Ha. You guys crack me up. I'm no villain. I'm not an activist. I'm just an ordinary schmuck. But if you think Customs needs some super duper "legit" reason to pull you over for secondary inspection, think again. They can do it on a hunch or a bad mood. Sometimes you fit a "profile". Sometimes they are looking for someone that resembles you. A greenhorn agent can think you took too long to answer a question. If that happened to me I'd prefer not to have all my contacts, emails, messages and whatever sucked up into a government database. Although I don't doubt most of it is on a government accessible server somewhere anyway. To Customs credit, they don't do this very much that I know of. But the threshold to do this is very weak. Agent discretion pretty much. I think I might buy a cheap internet device at my destination, use it there, and then chuck it before I go home.
sometimes they just look at you and have a pre concieved paradigm about you and your "type"
Uhhh…the United States of America.
Never happened to me and never heard of anybody having that experience. Did it happen to you? Sounds excessive, to say the least.
Thanks for the info!
Exactly.
Case law over the last 50 years or so has defined America's borders as extending from 50 miles out to sea to 100 miles inland.
Within this stretch, the Border Patrol and Customs do not require a warrant to stop and board buses, trains or watercraft. Warrants are not required for them to ask questions and they can detain you for any reason.
And if you don't think they aren't boarding buses within this 100 mile inland zone daily, think again.
[doublepost=1529872495][/doublepost]
Did you even look at the articles I linked?
It's happening. No, it didn't happen to me. But it has happened to American citizens.
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It seems there is a sizable portion of the American populace that thinks government agents can't jam up the average American citizen without jumping through a lot of legal safeguards. Wrong. The average citizen can be jammed up pretty seriously within the law. A lot of legal restraints that do exist are easy to circumvent. That same portion of the populace thinks that government focus only goes on "bad" people. I'll give credit to where it is due. "Bad" people is where the predominance of government focus goes. But ordinary "innocent" citizens do get jammed up through one way or another and it's often some crazy way. And it's not one in a million "innocent" citizens. Five percent? With the number of people who have customs contacts each year, that's a lot of people.
There was nothing linked when I posted in this thread. Thanks for providing the links.
I was purely asking from experience. I have been traveling internationally and often into the US and had not experienced this kind of invasion into my privacy.
Not only can they seize it they can keep it as "evidence" and you have pretty much zero chance of getting it back.
I would definitely wipe the phone before getting to the gate, and have just the stock apps loaded.
I travel a lot overseas and Customs has never looked at my phone. But I do not fit any of the profiles which might draw additional attention, nor do I have anything on my phone which I would consider sensitive.
If you plan to make multiple trips you might want to consider applying for TSA pre or Global Entry if you feel that you are at risk. I just hand customs the printout from the Global Entry kiosk and they pretty much ignore me. [It also allows me to skip both the passport and Customs lines, which can be hours long].
Now that I think of it, I've gone though Customs in over a hundred airports here and abroad and I have never seen them show any interest in a passengers phone.
If you plan to make multiple trips you might want to consider applying for TSA pre or Global Entry if you feel that you are at risk. I just hand customs the printout from the Global Entry kiosk and they pretty much ignore me. [It also allows me to skip both the passport and Customs lines, which can be hours long].
Now that I think of it, I've gone though Customs in over a hundred airports here and abroad and I have never seen them show any interest in a passengers phone.
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Perform an encrypted backup on your encrypted hard drive; use different passcodes (strong ones). Do not back up to iCloud or store anything in its servers.
Erase All Contents and Settings through the settings app, or restore through iTunes.
Set up the device as a new iPhone and do not sign into iCloud as a part of the process.
Restore from backup later.
Erase All Contents and Settings through the settings app, or restore through iTunes.
Set up the device as a new iPhone and do not sign into iCloud as a part of the process.
Restore from backup later.