An Appeals Court panel has ruled that federal agents can legally search through travelers’ cell phones without reasonable suspicion, probable cause, or a warrant when they cross an international border.
What’s to stop you from factory re-setting your phone when you approach the border? You can sync it back up once you’ve cleared security.
Nothing. That’s standard procedure for anyone carrying anything remotely sensitive.
Anyone selling cheap burner phones to use exclusively for border issues like this? I’d rather not use my actual phone but I don’t think I can travel without one.
Ebay, or whatever equivalent in your country.
You could also back it up, wipe it, then restore it afterwards. Or if your phone supports multiple profiles, set up a secondary one with minimal apps and social media. Just don’t like them take it, because they can still Cellebrite you in that state.
For certain definitions of “legal”, given that the fourth amendment makes no such allowance.
FedEx your phone into the country when traveling into the US… Meet it here.
You want to let you phone out of your control for that long?
