US visitors may be forced to turn over phones and passwords before they get visas
The plan, under the guise of “extreme vetting,” may apply to citizens from a wider selection of countries than first considered, such as the UK, France, and Germany.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/us-visitors-may-be-forced-to-turn-over-phones-and-passwords-before-they-get-a-visa/

Ok, so headlines aside this is something being suggested with nothing to say it’ll ever happen, but kinda worrying that it’s even occurred to someone to suggest might be a good idea.

I have nothing to hide, but wouldn’t go.

Possibly restore phone to factory, then iCloud restore once inside the Trumpdome.

I was supposed to be going to Baltimore in a couple of weeks but cancelled. Quite apart from not being able to cross my legs for a week, I now have stamps in my passport from Morocco. Add to that them already having my fingerprints on record from a previous visit but under a different name, I reckon getting through US Boder might not be a pleasant experience… 😳

Rachel

My only dodgy bookmarks are linked to American ‘content’ anyway 😆

Some people are already being forced at immigration to power up and unlock their devices which can then be taken away and data copied before returning and either allowing entry or not.

Currently happening to selected people, but many calls to make this mandatory or have to do it up front.

Likewise you now have “voluntary” questions about social media accounts on the ESTA (visa waiver you fill in and pay for online now, else no fly). Just done a trip and between a group of us the difference is that by not answering those questions it seems to take a day or two to get approval. Answering them it seems to be instant. However again it’s been suggested this could become a mandatory question and extend to having to supply your social media account passwords also. Or alternatively being asked this at immigration and if you refuse, you’re sent back home.

The suggestions have to be approved in law of course.

As for “nothing to hide”. It’s more a problem of trusting their security with my private information and also if you have corporate information. I would not be able to take company devices or have company email and files on them.

They will never crack my cunning code.

Along as we start reciprocating I don’t see a problem. A bit of ‘tit for tat’ never did any harm 🙄 Maybe start with Murdoch next time he flies in (he’s probably been to Saudi recently so has to be suspect). 😀

The important word is “may” here. Unless you are on a watch list IMO there is zero chance you’d be asked.

As for “nothing to hide”. It’s more a problem of trusting their security with my private information and also if you have corporate information

Indeed.

Simple solution though: just change your pass word immediately after..

It’s been coming for a while. It already happens if you visit Israel.

If travelling, leave your laptop at home, get a loaner from your employer, and rent a phone at the airport (which is probably more useful anyway).

Also worth creating a second singletrackworld account, populated with some suitably innocuous questions about headsets and picolax.

The important word is “may” here.

I dunno, I’d go with forced being more important than may in the context of that article. And the linked ones, where they’ve pointed out that you might be on a list if you’re a software dev or have links to the climate movement.

Christ, how slow would airport security be?! Imagine if it was Gatwick – you’d have to allow a whole day at the airport coming into the country. I couldn’t handle it.

Simple solution though: just change your pass word immediately after..

So after they have all your data, change your password?

Am going to ask at work what the procedure would be if stopped with a work laptop.
Mainly as we have big bases in the uk and us and I’m interested to see what they say.
I half suspect that we would get issued a laptop either side somehow.
I think i would be taking a spare phone that’s been wiped and using whatsapp for the trip, although that would most likely annoy them

Unless you are on a watch list IMO there is zero chance you’d be asked.

not true at all. But y’know, crack on. 🙄

I now have stamps in my passport from Morocco

Morocco is pretty benign!

I’ve been in and out loads of times with Visa for Syria (an official axis of evil country) in my passport.

Add to that them already having my fingerprints on record from a previous visit but under a different name, I reckon getting through US Boder might not be a pleasant experience…

Unlikely, the scanner just checks your fingerprint against the current passport, not against all passports, hence when you change passport you rescan from scratch (I had two passports and am in their system twice).

I’m about as squeaky clean as the come but still got stuck in an immigration holding room for an hour when I went to New York in January. Something about someone with the same name as me but with a middle name on their “list”. Wasn’t much fun.

The US profile according to country so you would have to be very unlucky coming from the UK unless you have some odd stamps in your passport or a dodgy past. I’d have no worries about visiting again (and I’ve been every month for the past 4 years). It’s completely benign entering the US compared to visiting Israel….

How about stuffing your phone into the hold luggage and taking an old phone with nothing much on it through the gate?

Possibly restore phone to factory, then iCloud restore once inside the Trumpdome.

Well, exactly.

Some people are already being forced at immigration to power up and unlock their devices which can then be taken away and data copied before returning and either allowing entry or not.

That’s a world apart. What if you (foolishly) reuse your password in other places?

Am going to ask at work what the procedure would be if stopped with a work laptop.

Good point. Could be any amount of corporate confidential info on there.

The US profile according to country so you would have to be very unlucky coming from the UK

Not what that link says.

It’s completely benign entering the US compared to visiting Israel….

Do you mean leaving Israel? Entering is easy, just hop on a BA flight and there in a few hours, 10 min queue, Visa on arrival and you’re in.

Getting through security at Ben Gurion airport to leave is another matter entirely….

Some light reading from a 70 yo female children’s book author detained at US immigration earlier in the year:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/australian-childrens-author-mem-fox-detained-by-us-border-control-i-sobbed-like-a-baby

I was planning a trip to the US next year, however, I’ve changed my mind…

I still remember going to Canada when mobile phones weren’t available, I still had a great time so I reckon you could leave your phone behind & still manage to exist. Maybe even have a good time.

I still remember going to Canada when mobile phones weren’t available, I still had a great time so I reckon you could leave your phone behind & still manage to exist. Maybe even have a good time.

I see what you’re trying to do there, but lest not forget phones are not just phones now. I don’t use my for social media etc, but I do use it for payments, taking pictures, satnav etc and sometimes even calling people. So I do like to have it with me.

@footflaps – yes entering Israel relatively easy. Leaving 2hrs of full on questioning from a whole bunch of different security officials. Really grim. It’s a country I’m never going to again.

Our official work guidance is to unlock a work phone if asked (big US bank).

I thought about going through the rigmarole of having a “clean” phone for travelling but couldn’t be arsed in the end – I’m not a journalist or a NASA engineer or non-white so I’m sure I’m low down on the list.

but I do use it for payments, taking pictures, satnav etc and sometimes even calling people. So I do like to have it with me.

WHAT? Lol!

Our official work guidance is to unlock a work phone if asked (big US bank).

That’s a potentially worrying attitude to security from a bank. What corporate / personal / customer data are you likely to have on there, any or none?

For a while now they have had the power to inspect all electronic devices. Although I me people are confident about watch lists etc there is a very high chance that definition will be expanded to include people who look like they might be a you know, one of them people with that religion thing.

More here https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/14/reg_guide_to_data_security_when_entering_us/

Paranoid / thorough persons guide to the practicalities at https://www.zdziarski.com/blog/?p=6918

And from that article

Even though President Donald Trump’s crackdown on refugees and Muslim immigrants has been put on hold by the courts, US border officials have got the message: now’s the time to make life difficult for some people entering the country.

Just last week, American-born NASA scientist Sidd Bikkannavar said he was stopped by border agents when he returned from racing solar-powered cars in Patagonia, South America. The G-men insisted to their fellow citizen he hand over his JPL-issued government phone and PIN so it could be inspected and its contents copied.

“On my way home to the US last weekend, I was detained by Homeland Security and held with others who were stranded under the Muslim ban,” Bikkannavar wrote on Facebook. “Officers seized my phone and wouldn’t release me until I gave my access PIN for them to copy the data.”
How did that guy get on a watch list? Looks more and more directed policy against suspected Muslims. It’s sickening.

Given their ability to check social media with what i’ve posted in reply to the orange bawbags tweets i guess i should not plan on flying to the USA anytime soon, not that I’ve ever thought about visiting the states nor could i ever afford to……so i’ll just carry on hurling abuse in his general direction at every opportunity.

I now have stamps in my passport from Morocco.

I doubt morocco would be a problem. They didn’t even blink at my DPRK one. That said I do understand your other reasons for not wanting to visit.

It’s completely benign entering the US compared to visiting Israel….

They don’t have a Disney in Israel though. I’m the only person I know of in my friends and family (not colleagues) that have been to Israel (sweaty palms double-grilling treatment like other posters reference). I know a ton of people that have been to USA. That in itself isn’t a justification for either country’s border policies but the impact/effect of US policy is far more apparent.

@gonfishin that was then…
I wouldn’t like to know what comes next for people entering the US.

My wife is American and is distinctly cool on the idea of visiting currently, even though all her family are there.

How many photos of me naked does the US government need? The mind boggles…

😯

WHAT? Lol!

I see reasonable discourse is off the table.

I see reasonable discourse is off the table.

Wrong Forum

mikewsmith – Member 
How did that guy get on a watch list? Looks more and more directed policy against suspected Muslims.

I kept getting dragged off for investigation because I had the same name and DOB as someone on a watch list, despite different passport number and country of origin, and I’m white with a Christian name. Eventually sorted it out as you can file a complaint that you keep getting stopped and they’ll investigate and maybe clear you.

Was before these new rules but had it happened more recently I’d bet they’d be taking my phone away.

Getting back in the UK the main hassle is getting the stupid e-passport machine to recognise you without it crashing (half of them crashed last time through and staff stood around clueless and just said it will probably reset in a minute).