Then you can deny you have one, and they won't be able to prove anything. Or you can have two, and then give them the one with a porn collection or something. Or you can have three, in case they suspect you of having two.

Or you just have none, and they detain you indefinitely because you can't prove otherwise… though if you fear that, you probably shouldn't cross the border ever again.

I was wondering what they'd do if they ask for my Facebook account credentials, and I explain to them I have no Facebook account. Will I be detained for lying to an officer of the law? I don't have a Facebook account, but they might not believe me.

As you may have learned in recent news, lying to a Federal officer is a felony. If you have a blank phone, and you tell them you have no backup, and they later find out you did, you could go to prison just for that alone.

And what if you do have a Facebook account, but don't know its password because it's only on a password manager application on your home computer? Or what if you need two-factor authentication to login, but left the device with the second factor at home?

They would detain you, and we'd probably read about it.

> Until a court rules that they can ask for your encrypted remote backup because reasons.

Is there legal precedence for this though? I thought the law (and precedence) was that they can only search what you are carrying with you at the point of entry?

A lot of companies (US and foreign) will send encrypted laptop computers with employees going to the US, and the employees don't get the key. The key will be provided over the phone when, and only when, they arrive at their destination (usually a customer site), and if everything at that time is ok. This is simply to avoid having company intellectual property stolen (because that's what a copy will do). It's not contempt or lying to an officer if you really don't have the key, and even if you called home from the airport you wouldn't get one. This has been quite common for the last decade at least.

Grand-parents question

> How do I protect myself from such unwarranted searches

knows plenty of technical solutions.

The question which needs to be answered in political terms is about the conditions under which it is lawful to put pressure on individuals to warrant such a search.

This is the real answer. The problem is that the government feels entitled to any data they may request of you. Regardless of your technical acumen, they can always fall back on a $5 wrench.

I was just waiting for someone to mention the XKCD Universal Decryptor... a $5 wrench and a length of hose...

You can leave your phone at home and buy another one in the new location. That's why they have phone shops in the airports.

As silly as this sounds, it was standard procedure for one company I worked with. Don't bring your phone, get one from the US office. Same with laptops.

Didn't half speed up border crossings when your itinerary is a week and all you have are your clothes, your passport, some travel money and your tickets.