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Returning from vacation? The government can search your phone without a warrant

411 points · 378 comments · rbanffy

crispyambulance · 1790856964 · focus · HN ↗
I wonder if there's a way for "targets" of CBP to easily maintain phones that can be toggled between their "real work" profile and some boring anodyne "CBP-safe" profile?
Locking/disabling the phone, I think, only creates suspicion as we've seen in a previous case not long ago. But if phones can have a cloud back-ups, shouldn't it be possible to have TWO different "back-ups" that can be chosen at will?
1. LadyCailin · 1790857277 · focus · HN ↗
  With the current political climate, that might be tantamount to destruction of evidence or contempt, and be the worst of all options. The problem isn’t any particular technical thing, it’s that the US government has become authoritarian and fascist, there is no legal “gotcha” that will ultimately work here.
  1. adhadion · 1790858687 · focus · HN ↗
    (Allegedly) hiding evidence that a person accused of vandalism has read the wrong books will get you 30 years in federal prison these days.
    <a href="https://freedom.press/issues/texas-man-sentenced-to-30-years-for-transporting-pamphlets/" rel="nofollow">https://freedom.press/issues/texas-man-sentenced-to-30-years...
  2. someonebaggy · 1790860281 · focus · HN ↗
    It's only illegal if you get caught.
  3. maxerickson · 1790863267 · focus · HN ↗
    If nothing matters, people who have reason to use technical countermeasures aren't really taking extra risk by doing it.

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