If you are doing something illegal then you should definitely bring a new device. If you are not doing something illegal then you should just bring your normal device and keep it locked/off when entering.
They can force biometrics but not pin, but they will only do that if you're already in super deep trouble for breaking the law. Just be normal and you'll have no issues.
This is all extremely unlikely unless you are a known enemy of the state or are bringing in illegal goods.
In customs they simply ask you why you're visiting, where you came from, if you're bringing any illegal goods, then let you pass through. If you're flying in, there's usually a huge line of people at the airport and you only end up talking to the customs agent for 10 to 30 seconds.
If you have a very suspicious story that doesn't check out or you're trying to bring in illegal goods to the country or you know that you are doing something nefarious then you should be concerned that they might pull you into a back room. I think all of these concerns are very overblown for the average person though.
When I was reading about whether to bring my phone to China, everyone online had similar recommendations about bringing a new device and it ended up being completely unnecessary. They don't check anyone's phone and they asked no questions other than reason for visiting. When I told my co-workers about my concerns they all thought it was quite comical because they've traveled more than anyone and see this as extreme paranoia.
Of course they could take your phone and put you in jail for any reason they want if they really wanted to, the most important thing is to not give them a reason to. They will only get your phone if you give them a reason in the first place.
Just keep your phone locked/off when you go through the border so it requires a pin.
Thanks, I think the RGB shirt might be custom to him because the same image is his YouTube channel's profile header image.
Does Technology Connections sell shirts? In most of his recent videos he has worn a black shirt with zoomed in RGB pixels from a digital display and I've been looking for it everywhere because I work in a related industry.
Congrats! It's scary, but this is when you finally have the freedom to live your unique life. Stay in touch with your close friends, everyone else will fade away. And remember, wear sunscreen.
No, that is a common misconception. Most (~85%) companies in China are completely private and just pay taxes. Most of the super large companies (like fortune 500) are partially or completely state owned though. They have embraced aspects of capitalism the last decade, but with checks to ensure that huge corporations don't control society like in the US.
No problem! When I was picking out which search engines or "plugins" to install, I visited most of the sites on the list and chose the ones I had heard of plus some other ones that looked like they were for English content. Some of the sites were clearly for other languages or for niches like anime, so just pick out whichever ones are relevant to your interests and then you'll be able to search all of their databases instantly without dealing with their terrible websites and just get the magnet link.
Have you tried using the search engine built into qBittorent? For example, here is what it looks like when searching for Paw Patrol S01:
How to install search engines in qB:
https://www.makeuseof.com/qbittorrent-add-search-engines/
Check out TrackerControl on the F-Droid app store. It lets you block Internet access to individual apps and selectively block trackers and other analytics. It does this by acting as a VPN in the android OS so it won't work while on another VPN but that's good enough for my needs.
You're already on hundreds of cameras by walking into any airport in the world. Do they need your consent to run facial recognition software on the security footage?