Cybersecurity for the Trumped: 11. Crossing borders
Thursday, 16 February 2017 21:47![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moemThis is not an article. That's because I haven't written the article yet. It may be the hardest thing for me to write about so far, because things are changing so rapidly and so much is currently unknown. What is known, however, is that crossing the US border in either direction can result in unprecedented attacks on your privacy.
US border agents get to ask you a lot of things. You get to refuse to answer. But then they get to detain you for an unlimited time, or simply block you from crossing the border. They may ask you to give the names of your social media accounts; they may also ask you for the passwords. They can ask you to unlock your phone or computer so they can look through it. And they have software that can extract a whole lot of data in a short time.
In other words, they can get a very intimate snapshot of your contacts, your conversations, your interests, your friends, your job, your love life, your past... in short, your life. They can also get a lot of information about the people you know, who aren't even present.
I've not written the article but I've started gathering information. And this is too important to wait. So I'll just go ahead and give you the links I've found so far, and add more as I find it.
Updated with more links on February 25, 2017.
Added the new EFF guide on March 9.
Back to Index
US border agents get to ask you a lot of things. You get to refuse to answer. But then they get to detain you for an unlimited time, or simply block you from crossing the border. They may ask you to give the names of your social media accounts; they may also ask you for the passwords. They can ask you to unlock your phone or computer so they can look through it. And they have software that can extract a whole lot of data in a short time.
In other words, they can get a very intimate snapshot of your contacts, your conversations, your interests, your friends, your job, your love life, your past... in short, your life. They can also get a lot of information about the people you know, who aren't even present.
I've not written the article but I've started gathering information. And this is too important to wait. So I'll just go ahead and give you the links I've found so far, and add more as I find it.
- What Are Your Rights if Border Agents Want to Search Your Phone?
- I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again. Neither should you.
- A Guide to Getting Past Customs With Your Digital Privacy Intact
- The Register's guide to protecting your data when visiting the US
- US Customs block Canadian man after reading his Scruff profile: What non-Americans can do to protect their privacy at the border
- Information from the ACLU about the constitutional rights of Americans within the 100-mile border zone
- Defending Privacy at the U.S. Border: A Guide for Travelers Carrying Digital Devices (EFF, very good)
Updated with more links on February 25, 2017.
Added the new EFF guide on March 9.
Back to Index
(no subject)
Date: 19 Feb 2017 20:47 (UTC)At the moment I am thinking of not travelling outside the EU. Just to be on the safe side.
(no subject)
Date: 20 Feb 2017 11:36 (UTC)Then again, not much chance that I'll be travelling to the US soon, either.
(no subject)
Date: 20 Feb 2017 12:08 (UTC)This makes me think that tourism in the next few years will suffer in the USA. At least hardly anyone from Europe will travel to the USA, I would suppose. In fact, I have friends who had planned a trip to visit friends and then tour the USA for a bit in late summer/early autumn and they have decided not to go. That's 20 or 21 nights of hotel rooms, restaurant visits, rented car(s), flights within the USA, entry fees and whatnot not happening for two people. Most people I know travel to the USA for three weeks, so a lot of income on the tourist spots will not be happening.
(no subject)
Date: 20 Feb 2017 12:51 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 21 Feb 2017 19:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 22 Feb 2017 21:07 (UTC)