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Traveling to the US - How to prepare
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this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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Privacy
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Do not take your normal devices in case they are seized for random bullshit reasons. They can and will. They will often be returned to you destroyed and unusable.
Take a device you buy just for this trip. Maybe ditch the tablet instead of buying one for the trip. Do not set up biometrics on it. Do not connect it to your usual services.
Is it a gaurantee this kind of thing will happen? No.
Does this thing happen often enough to foreign travellers to make it worth leaving your main devices behind? Yes.
All that "freedom" is just for US citizens. They absolutely can and will fuck with any and all foreign people. Its stupid.
ITT: A lot of folks with way too much trust in the USA being "reasonable." I'm sorry, but when the TSA interrogates people with autism because they act different you're not convincing me they know what the fuck they're doing or won't harass random fucking people. This "act normal" shit is so stupid say to anyone who is neurodivergent, which is enough for USA security forces to choose to fuck with you.
This is all extremely unlikely unless you are a known enemy of the state or are bringing in illegal goods.
In customs they simply ask you why you're visiting, where you came from, if you're bringing any illegal goods, then let you pass through. If you're flying in, there's usually a huge line of people at the airport and you only end up talking to the customs agent for 10 to 30 seconds.
If you have a very suspicious story that doesn't check out or you're trying to bring in illegal goods to the country or you know that you are doing something nefarious then you should be concerned that they might pull you into a back room. I think all of these concerns are very overblown for the average person though.
When I was reading about whether to bring my phone to China, everyone online had similar recommendations about bringing a new device and it ended up being completely unnecessary. They don't check anyone's phone and they asked no questions other than reason for visiting. When I told my co-workers about my concerns they all thought it was quite comical because they've traveled more than anyone and see this as extreme paranoia.
Of course they could take your phone and put you in jail for any reason they want if they really wanted to, the most important thing is to not give them a reason to. They will only get your phone if you give them a reason in the first place.
Just keep your phone locked/off when you go through the border so it requires a pin.
You really want to reason with the unreasonable?
I guess all those neurodivergent people constantly harassed by the TSA for "being suspicious" just need to "act normal" for once! /s
I think we have very different definitions of "often"
Doesn't need to happen often, its a possibility for x number of people passing thru the borders any given day. They have the legal right to force your biometrics to unlock your device. Removing it ahead of time is prudent.
If you breeze thru no problems; no harm no foul, just add your thumb again.
I thought if the device was off, or just booted, or in lockdown mode, then biometrics could not be used without entering the password first?
Yup! Holding power and volume up or down on an iPhone for a few seconds will lock it and require a password before it will unlock again.
I've never heard of or scene a device confiscated but it isn't impossible. Generally they would need a reason. Maybe avoid making your device look like a bomb.
If they ask for a device's password and you decline to give it to them, they will "detain" the device. See this comment for some links on the subject.
They only do that if you are a threat. Remember, time is money
Lmao. Even CBP does not claim that. On the contrary, they say (and courts have so far agreed) that they can perform these types of border searches without any probable cause, and even without reasonable suspicion (a weaker legal standard than probable cause).
In practice they routinely do it to people who are friends with someone (or recently interacted with someone on social media) who they think could be a threat, as well as to people who have a name similar to someone else they're interested in for whatever reason, or if the CBP officer just feels like it - often because of what the person looks like.
It's nice for you that you feel confident that you won't be subjected to this kind of thing, but you shouldn't assume OP and other people don't need to be prepared for it.