Re:EFF, ACLU Sue Over Warrantless Phone, Laptop Searches at ...
by mikeash on Friday September 22, 2017 @04:21PM
(#15315446)
If you are a US citizen entering the US (don't try this if you're a green card holder or a visitor), then in the case of (3), they can't hold you indefinitely, although they can hold your phone indefinitely.
This has never happened to me, and it probably never will, but if it does my plan is to refuse to unlock the phone and wait it out.
Re:EFF, ACLU Sue Over Warrantless Phone, Laptop Searches at ...
by crispyambulance on Monday September 25, 2017 @09:55AM
(#15330467)
I used the term "indefinitely" too loosely. I should have said "far longer than most people are willing tolerate for the sake of making a point."
But OK, staying locked is a fine thing to do but most people would want to get on with their lives.
1) Handover unlocked device, let CBP knuckle-dragger browse through it, in front of me, until they're bored and they hand it back. Get on flight. This is the best case scenario.
2) Handover unlocked device, CPB knucke-dragger takes it to back room where he may or may not download all contents and store it, enabling NSA to play seven-degrees-of-keven-bacon, Osama-edition, forever. That's the worst scenario, but very unlikely that anything comes of that.
3) Laugh at CBP knuckle-dragger, keep phone locked, miss flight, go to airport detention for an indeterminate amount of time until I give in and handover unlocked phone, be subject to scrutiny and "commentary" from CBP official, and maybe, get put on a list somewhere which will cause this to happen every time I fly.