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by guelo 459 days ago
This is ridiculous. Why are they even searching their phone? Many Americans travel to Europe without having their phones searched. We do not want to become that kind of scary country to travel to, especially not the kind of shithole country where you have to be afraid not to offend dear leader.
4 comments

> We do not want to become that kind of scary country to travel to

It is too late for this. The common policy for researchers going to the US for conferences is to use a burner laptop with nothing but a PowerPoint file. That is the official requirements for public research institutions (which this person should have followed). Just like we do for China and we used to do for Russia. It does not make headlines every time, but a lot of us know a couple of people whose laptops were taken away for searching it. Personally I have also been using a burner phone for a few years (I should say that I had been, because all my scheduled trips to the US this year were cancelled).

> especially not the kind of shithole country where you have to be afraid not to offend dear leader

Before, providing social media handles was a nuisance (and I was never questioned about them). Now it’s scary.

Same for the questions about terrorism. It used to be funny and over the top, but if liking a post about Luigi Mangione is terrorism then it puts the whole thing in a quite different light.

Australian authorities will search your phone upon arrival if they believe it contains CSAM.
Just a reminder that UK Border Force can confiscate all of your electronic devices for 7 days and you have to give them all your passwords to these devices and associated accounts - refusing to do so is punishable by up to 2 years in prison. And no, they don't need any warrant, just a probable cause. If you want to see more how that looks like this is a video by a guy who experienced it first hand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=991kRp8KUmo&t=1s

UK is one of several countries issuing travel warnings because US border gestapo have been putting Europeans in chains and deporting them. Apparently we have gone insane as a country. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2030132/UK-issues-new-t...
To my knowledge in the U.S. foreigners can only be denied entry for refusing to give up their passwords. I suppose an act of Congress could make it more like the situation in the UK.
I travel to Australia regularly to visit my wife's family and I have never had my phone searched.
"It happens sometimes" and "it never happened to me" are not mutually exclusive. Both can be true at the same time.
The search phones in Australia, they also absolutely do it in Europe. As in the U.S., not everyone is getting their devices searched. Travelers to Europe even get denied entry as well — but their home country’s foreign minister doesn’t typically get involved.

The UK will deny entry over social media posts.

Let’s just please be factual.

Can you please provide evidence for your claims and be factual?
But this has already happened, is it not?