Finally, Wessler recommends that travelers will be sure to update their operating systems on laptops and phones before crossing the border. Indeed, CBP could, in some cases, use tools such as Ce çabite or Graykey to exploit unrelated vulnerabilities in these devices, accessing them without the user unlocking them. “It may be that if your operating system is six months old, your device is vulnerable,” says Wessler. “The latest version may not be.”
Keep the secret passwords
This is the delicate part. American citizens cannot be expelled for refusing to give up passwords for social media accounts or encrypted devices, explains the ACLU Wessler. This means that if you hold your terrain and you do not reveal passwords or pins, you can be detained and your devices are confiscated – even sent to a forensic installation, but you will end up spending with your private life much more intact than if you disclose secrets. “They can enter your device, even for months while they are trying to erase it,” said Wessler. “But you’re going to go home.” (Despite the shocking of the Trump administration treatment in some cases of permanent foreign residentsThis protection also applies to green cards holders, says Wessler.)
Be notified, however, that denying customs officials of access can at the very least lead to hours of uncertain detention in a dark and window -free CBP office. In certain American airports and in various states, court decisions have put Limitations and restrictions On what CBP managers can do to access your devices, but there is little guarantee that these restrictions will be followed in practice if the border agents have your computer or your phone under their care without supervision.
In general, CBP outline Two types of searches of devices: Basic, where an officer “manually” examines the content of a device; And advanced search where a device is connected to external equipment and its content can be examined, copied or analyzed. The latter research requires a “reasonable suspicion” of a crime, says CBP. The official agency guidelines avoid saying explicitly adage The devices must be presented “in a condition that allows examination”.
“If the electronic device cannot be inspected because it is protected by an access code or encryption or another safety mechanism, this device may be subject to exclusion, detention or any other appropriate action or provision,” said the agency online.
For non-Americans who come to the United States on a visa or from a visa-access country, Wessler warns that they face a much rarer dilemma: refuse to abandon an access code or a pin and you can be refused entry. “There is a very practical assessment that people have to do on what is most important to them,” he said. “Entering the country but sacrificing privacy or protecting your privacy, but risking that you can return to the border.”
Minimize the data you carry
For the most vulnerable travelers, there is a clear solution to this dilemma: the best way to keep customs far from your data is simply not to travel with it. Instead, like Lackey, configure travel devices that store the minimum sensitive data. Do not link these “dirty” devices to your personal accounts, and when you need to create a linked account – like an Apple ID for iOS devices – Create fresh costs with unique usernames and passwords. “If they ask for access and you cannot refuse, you want to be able to give them access without losing sensitive information,” explains Lackey.
(Certainly, social media accounts cannot be so easily abandoned. Some security experts recommend creating secondary characters who can be offered to customs officials while keeping a more sensitive secret account. But if CBP agents link your identity with an account that you have tried to hide, the result could be a longer detention and, for non-citizens, even the denial of the entrance.)
