
Tourists to US may get asked to hand in passwords or be denied entry - smb06
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/09/uk-tourists-to-us-may-get-asked-to-hand-in-passwords-or-be-denied-entry
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ilaksh
I believe this can also be a problem for US citizen's coming over. If you
don't unlock your phone they might take it and/or delay your entry with
questioning.

This border/airport security is just like the old fashioned Soviet/German
stereotypical scenes. The problem is that propaganda about 'Muslim terrorists'
is so effective people think that's what its about. All of that is a lie. This
is about restricting freedoms in order to close down a country.

The answer is don't come to the US if you value privacy (i.e. are human).

The United States is becoming a repressive regime. Many people who have the
means to do so are emigrating while it is still feasible.

~~~
smb06
US citizens ARE being asked for passwords.

1)[http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-
bikkann...](http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-bikkannavar-
detained-cbp-phone-search-trump-travel-ban)

2)[http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/traveling-while-
brown-u-...](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/traveling-while-brown-u-s-
border-agents-can-search-your-n732746)

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lithos
I know that I couldn't hand over passwords without consulting legal
departments in multiple companies. Just from the NDAs that I've read.

I'm sure there are a lot of people here (freelancers, engineers, programmers,
and similar that customize solutions for external companies) that fall into
the same category.

~~~
Theodores
Ah but they wouldn't be 'tourists'.

~~~
clintonb
Yes they would. Some people co-mingle work and personal data on the same
computer. Granting a third party access to the non-personal data might violate
some NDAs. The obvious solution is to remove, or further encrypt, this private
data.

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thomastjeffery
Honest question: why? What reason could they possibly have to do this?

> Keeping America safe and enforcing our nation’s laws in an increasingly
> digital world depends on our ability to lawfully examine all _materials_
> entering the US

Key word: materials. Data does not fall into that category.

All I see is "extreme vetting". What, specifically, does that mean? How is any
data a threat to national security?

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mcv
_" face detailed ideological questioning"_

That sounds scarily close to full-blown Stalinism having come to the US.

~~~
philsnow
We've had homegrown McCarthyism for a long time, no need to import.

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teekert
Hmm my passwords are in a keepassx database in Nextcloud. I don't have an app
on my phone to read the database (nor do I have the keyfile). It seems I have
quite some prepping to do if I don't plan to take my laptop to the US.

~~~
mattnewton
Enjoy being detained until they give up because they don't understand you
cannot comply with what they are asking. Or don't visit :(

~~~
maxerickson
Under this policy they would be denied entry, so the detention would only be
until their flight out.

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luckydude
That's going to be great for tourism. Not.

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chrismcb
This isn't just about phones or other devices. But my worry, as an American,
is reciprocity.

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salesguy222
May I suggest "Tourists might be asked"?

Or even better, "US might ask tourists to hand in..."????

Get asked? Sure, the meaning is conveyed fine, but "get" is this mysterious
slang construction from my generation that is fine for everyday conversation,
in my opinion, but not from a reputable news outlet LOL

~~~
wgjordan
Whatever your opinion on whether it's appropriately formal for a news article,
the 'get-passive' [1] is definitely not 'this mysterious slang construction
from my generation', unless you're a contemporary of Mark Twain.

Here, 'get asked' conveys the additional meaning of an emphasis on the subject
and a negative connotation of the action's effect on it, which 'be asked'
would not convey.

[1] [http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-
grammar/p...](http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-
grammar/passive/get-passive)

~~~
salesguy222
Cool link, thank you. Ultimately people are allowed to express themselves in
whatever way they wish, but this particular construction feels a bit obtuse,
unnecessary, and as your link noted, informal.

I was speaking with a linguist from my alma mater who said that "get" is a
uniquely "millenial, valley girl" construction that has been popularized in
our generation through schools and tv shows for teenagers.

I don't see any of us praising "like", "kind of", vocal fry, upvoice, and etc?

