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A comment on What could happen if you refuse to unlock your phone at the US border?. Parent comment

Re:What could happen if you refuse to unlock your phone at t... by tom_mellior on Thursday February 16, 2017 @10:15AM (#13660461)
That doesn't necessarily help. Many people have Facebook accounts with names that are not their "real name" as on their ID and plane ticket. If they want to, they'll just claim that you most likely do have an account and you're lying to them, and hold that against you.

If you're a foreigner, there is no way to win this if they are determined to make you lose. US visas as well as the documents for the Visa Waiver program make it clear that even if you do have all that is required, you are not guaranteed entry to the United States. The officer on the border can turn you back on a whim, and you have no legal recourse. Presumably they have some internal controls, but that won't help you in particular.

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Re:What could happen if you refuse to unlock your phone at t... by gregmac on Thursday February 16, 2017 @12:01PM (#13661495)
> Many people have Facebook accounts with names that are not their "real name" as on their ID and plane ticket. If they want to, they'll just claim that you most likely do have an account and you're lying to them, and hold that against you.

There is also a fairly good chance that someone else with your name does have a Facebook account, and I'm not sure how you'd prove that one of them isn't you.

Even worse, someone could create a fake Facebook account with your name and picture, and put some pretty damaging stuff on it. How would you prove to customs that no that really isn't your account, none of the public posts are yours and you really, truly have no way of logging in? It's like Doxing or SWATing taken to the next level, but you could potentially end up in jail.

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