Best thing to do is just avoid the states all together, I've done it my whole life and am continuing doing so.
this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
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Privacy
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Even though I have nothing incriminating on my phone, I still do a check up on my phone before I go to the airport. Just move all my photos/files/downloads to my PC.
Regardless of what you or anyone has on your phone that is, in any context dystopian and authoritarian asf, there's already been cases of people being detained by US border authorities for anything anti-govt. found on their devices. It's like Trump read 1984 and thought it was an instruction manual.
Worst part is he's disguising himself as a libertarian and someone who's pro free-speech, when his ideas of libertarianism only extend to his govt. and cronies and his ideas of freedom of speech extend to his own views and his own supporters. He's using the guise of being censored himself to censor literally anyone who opposes him.
On another note, for those who don't care abt using free software, or don't care about privacy cuz they have "nothing to hide". Think about how much power the US govt. has over data collecting corps. like Microsoft, Google and apple, now think abt how much power a man like Trump can give himself over the US govt. How much control do u rlly have over your own devices? If there's no way to truly, freely express yourself without govt. interference then there is no democracy.
Realise you’re about to enter a bad place, turn around and go back
Pull the glock and clock out
Ok, I've pulled the Glock and my cock out, now what?
Profit
Realistically, what the article suggests to me is that I should carry a burner phone when crossing borders and if I need my real phone, turn on lockdown mode and then turn it off and stow it in my luggage with the understanding that it may get confiscated and never returned.
Mail it to your destination.
Encrypted backup -> remote storage -> factory reset -> cross border -> restore backup.
How can you do this especially if you don’t pay for cloud storage? I have self hosted cloud
VPN to your cloud server.
But how would I backup everything from an iPhone? I got photos and contacts down. Idk about the rest. Maybe you’ve given me a new project.
Pay for one month of iCloud, it's $3 to $11 depending on need. Cancel after trip.
Macs, or iTunes on Windows. There are two modes of a backup: actual one or backup in name only (like the names of the apps, I wish the latter fucks off).
iCloud.
Local iTunes backups don’t work over a VPN. Those are your only two ways to get a system level backup.
Edit: Downvotes don’t make it any less true.
Most "incriminating" stuff (if I even know what that is) ON my android phone is probably text messaging. I use a program called Textra. Any suggestions for that?
The rest would be in the cloud, like comments here or on YouTube videos or wherever Google stores the stuff I say while my phone is near.
IDK, kind of thinking about leaving it at home, but I really want the communication while I'm in airports and I use it for music on airplanes and in hotel showers and stuff.
- Don't go to the United States
If you really have to...
- Backup phone.
- Factory reset (make sure you really backed up everything)
- Install only essential apps (not from backup). Don't log into anything.
- Cross border. (you just got a new phone and haven't set it up yet)
- Restore backup.
Well, regrettably, I live here. I will, also regrettably, be returning from a trip to Europe.
But I didn't really want to lose my text conversations. Very little of it has to do with politics but, you know, there's probably some on there somewhere.
You won't lose them if you back them up. SMS Backup and Restore can automate the task for you.
I'll look into it. In the past I seen to recall that all of the contacts were there but the previous conversations were either fine or severely truncated.
Say no
Probably worth reading the article. There are consequences to saying “no” at the border.
Saying no at these checkpoints means they force you to pull over further and force a search through everything in your car including you. Literal videos of people having their windows bashed in and bodies dragged out of the vehicle.
including you.
inside you as well and with the only intent of "teaching you a lesson" for not obeying them.
cpb, ice, & the police are cut from the same thin-blue-line cloth.
Lawsuit alert lol
Get a fair phone and dismantle it