Hello,
I am trying to gather some information on steps, procedures, and options for increasing privacy while crossing into the US.
My girlfriend goes to school in Canada and crosses the borders frequently throughout the year for; long weekends, extended holiday breaks, semester breaks, and summer breaks.
She’ll be going back to Canada for this next year and with everything happening she’s asked me to help her find ways to limit her exposure to data being reviewed or stored as she’s studying a more Social/Liberal Arts degree which could flag her as a target because of the current political climate.
I’ve also suggested possibly limiting border crossing instead of coming back as often as she used to.
I’m working through articles and finding things from EFF and ACLU, but would happily taken suggestions, guidance, or any direction from anyone willing to share.
I’ve considered trying to find a way for her to backup her devices, maybe store those backups in the cloud, create “decoy” states of her devices (elaboration below), then restore the original state of the devices once she’s safely past the border.
Devices:
iPhone 11 [18.6]
MacBook Air 13 [Possibly Sequoia 15.5, as stated in her iCloud, she doesn’t have it with her right now]
For “decoy” device states, I mean having some apps and data on the devices, but nothing identifying/or that might otherwise give agencies data to further search (online account names/services, stored passwords, large collections of contacts/message histories, etc.)
I’ve suggested trying to switch to android/PC devices to provide alternative privacy/security options, but her family pays for the devices so it’s just the same brand as whatever they have. So, that’s not an option at this point, but any statements regarding increased effectiveness, or even lack thereof, by switching to different brand devices may help with any future transition considerations.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read through my post and any guidance you might be able to provide is highly appreciated.
Hi vimmiewimmie
My friend travels to the USA fairly often. or used to.
Before she goes, she has an old laptop that she rarely uses. I wipe the drive and re-install her favourite linux distro and do a basic set up. She has a laptop with a newly installed linux going through customs with no password. nothing to see here.
She has a spare Oneplus 6, especially for the USA, with Lineage on it, with no social media or any signed in apps. It is factory reset before she goes again with no password. she also takes usb drive with a distro already on it.
When she gets settled in the USA, she connects to wifi and installs the apps she needs. VPN, messenger etc, and emails me.
Between us we set up Signal messenger / molly. She installs it on her phone, I use her phone number from home and I send her the code/details via encrypted email.
once she is set up she only uses Signal to phone her friends, no open line calls or text messages, she only uses Signal’s camera to take any photos, so they are not stored on the phone.
she has nothing to hide, she is not a criminal, its just that we value privacy and confidentiality.
anything that she needs, she messages me and I send it to her via signal.
When she leaves the USA, she resets her phone. I have taught her how to erase her drive with the USB using dd and re-install linux from there.
She has decided that she will not go to the USA after the recent nightmares for foreign travellers.
The best thing to do is probably not to bring them at all.
If possible, maybe a dumbphone for the time she’s in the US? Or a second, cheap old iPhone for that time, and never bring a phone across the border? And maybe the cheapest pay-as-you-go Tracphone during the crossing for emergencies.
Yeah, I think I would acquire a dumb phone just in case of an emergency. And wipe all the data on all of my devices.
It matters a lot whether she is a US citizen or not.
If she’s a citizen, then she can shut up / lawyer up. She has a fifth amendment right to not divulge a phone or computer password, code, pin, or whatever. CBP can detain her for up to several hours, but at the end they have to either charge her or release her into the country.
If she’s not a citizen, then things are a lot tougher. She still has constitutional rights, including the fifth amendment. But CBP has a lot of leverage, because they can rule her inadmissable. Once that happens once, then it can become really hard to get readmitted later, because this “strike” is on your record.
The main thing that is tripping up green cats holders at the border currently is old criminal records. That DUI or marijuana or shoplifting charge or conviction from 20 years ago is often not enough dirt to get an LPR deported, but it is enough dirt to deny readmission if they happen to leave voluntarily.
Can you consider acquiring a second phone dedicated to the trips back and forth?
Yeah, she can back up to iCloud, wipe the devices, cross over, then restore from iCloud. But why? Are they looking at the files on her MacBook or something?
EDIT: She should absolutely back up to iCloud and delete before crossing. Have a secondary “fake” email to use or something if they ask. Get a second cheap burner SIM to swap in during crossing. iPhone 11 should still take physical SIMs. With those steps taken, I can’t see how they could determine what social media she does or does not actually have.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11344109/us-border-phone-searches-data/
U.S. border agents are searching travellers’ smartphones and other electronic devices at a record rate, new data suggests amid a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.
The U.S. State Department said in June it would require all international student visa applicants to allow their social media to be reviewed for content deemed hostile to U.S. interests, and could reject anyone who doesn’t make their accounts public.
Earlier this year, the Canadian government updated its travel advice for people entering the U.S., warning travellers to “expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.”
Ok yeah, then she should DEFINITELY back up to iCloud and wipe her devices before crossing.
Are they looking at the files on her MacBook or something?
If the apps are logged in yes, that’s what they do. The agents have a lot of discretion so it’s sort of up to them how much they want to search around on a phone/laptop/whatever but I assume they would look at every single social media app for starters. Essentially any app currently logged into an electronic device would be fair game for an agent to review. And since CPB can ask for your phone/whatever password (or ask you to unlock it for them) that will give them access to basically any logged in app on the device.
I don’t know if OP is referring to a U.S. citizen or something else so the specific rules that apply may be different but that’s the general idea.
Wait. You have actually seen the border patrol doing this to a Canadian citizen, or this is what you are worried about?
It’s been a thing, not specifically just Canada
https://www.wired.com/story/phone-searches-at-the-us-border-hit-a-record-high/
That said I don’t personally know any canadian citizens that have traveled in/out of the U.S recently. Not too sure if it relates to OP’s question, OP never mentioned canadian citizens only that they has a GF that goes to school in Canada.
Oh I know it’s been a thing, but I (perhaps naively) did not expect that border patrol would be searching the electronics of every Canadian citizen who crosses over. I hate this administration so much. This is why I am running for local office.
