
Ask HN: How to monitor what happens to device examined at US border? - PuffinBlue
If these folks are going to monitor us and take our electronic devices, we might as well monitor them whilst they do so...hypothetically speaking of course.<p>So what are your suggestions for software that would monitor everything that happens to the device?<p>I&#x27;m talking both phones and laptops or any other devices you carry.
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bsvalley
For iPhone owners for example, use 3rd party apps for contacts, emails, web
browser, etc. Typically google apps like chrome, gmail, etc. Delete them right
before the border check. Clear your caches just in case. Then re-download them
when you're done.

Long story short, move all your data to the (evil) cloud and just synch so you
never lose your history and configurations.

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PuffinBlue
Good advice, but this doesn't answer the question posed though.

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DamonHD
If I ever* travel to the US again I shall avoid all of the above by NOT taking
my real laptop and phone; I may take fresh ones or buy/borrow while in the US
to finesse the issue.

I know it doesn't answer your question directly, and whatever other answers
you get may still be applicable to fresh kit brought in.

*In the foreseeable future, with fingerprinting and device scanning and generally treating all visitors as at least a nuisance...

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mod
There was extensive discussion about this in another thread, and the basic
idea was that it doesn't matter if you carry dummy devices. They can just
force you to login to your accounts.

At a minimum you'll need an email and facebook to appease them, likely. If
you're targeted.

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DamonHD
I simply won't be carrying my passwords with me, and I don't have them
memorised.

I would use fresh accounts while travelling and not update social media.

I would apply the same rules to China, but nowhere else that I can think of
right now. Maybe Russia.

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Artlav
How often does this actually happen? Never been to the states, keep hearing
rumors of illegal device searches like that.

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DamonHD
I gave up travelling to the US approximately at the intersection of the time
that (a) automatic fingerprint scanners were brought in at US borders and (b)
the TFA lost a copy of all its own staff's confidential data. I can't afford
to replace my fingerprints when the TFA discloses that data. Plus from other
environments I know that my fingerprints don't scan very reliably for whatever
reason.

Also I realised that on every visit that I could remember I was getting my
baggage searched like some kind of persona non grata, which annoyed me a lot
when I thought about it. And this on various flavours of visa/waiver coming
from the UK.

So searching laptops etc just for the sake of it, never mind necessity,
utility, privacy or courtesy, is a logical (unwelcoming) extension of this.

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odonnellryan
I'm from the US, got my stuff searched both times I went out of the country by
that country's border patrol.

