• us border searches data

    From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to All on Fri Aug 22 18:48:00 2025

    Interesting.. "The guidance says border agents cannot use the
    device to access information stored remotely, such as on "the
    cloud," and will ask travellers to turn off their device's
    connectivity or do so themselves to avoid accessing that data."

    "However, agents can search people's email, text and WhatsApp
    messages, and any other content that's accessible on a device."

    "Travellers are "obligated" to present their electronic devices
    and the information stored on it "in a condition that allows
    for the examination of the device and its contents," the CBP
    says, including providing necessary passwords."

    Wrt to Telegram, Session, et al.. I suppose the user could
    uninstall the apps prior to inpection of a device, and then
    reinstall them after clearance from border security.


    https://globalnews.ca/news/11344109/us-border-phone-searches-
    data/amp/
    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From Rob Mccart@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Sun Aug 24 09:11:05 2025
    Interesting.. "The guidance says border agents cannot use the
    >device to access information stored remotely, such as on "the
    >cloud," and will ask travellers to turn off their device's
    >connectivity or do so themselves to avoid accessing that data."

    "However, agents can search people's email, text and WhatsApp
    >messages, and any other content that's accessible on a device."

    I wonder if that may be because messages and such are considered
    somewhat Public where a Cloud Storage site can be totally private?

    "Travellers are "obligated" to present their electronic devices
    >and the information stored on it "in a condition that allows
    >for the examination of the device and its contents," the CBP
    >says, including providing necessary passwords."

    I can add this to all the reasons why I don't travel outside
    Canada anymore, although I only went to the USA quite often
    in earlier years and never made it to any other countries.
    I can't think of many I'd like to visit, although that may be
    more due to having to cope with the crowds of people you fight
    getting there than not wanting to visit another country..

    Wrt to Telegram, Session, et al.. I suppose the user could
    >uninstall the apps prior to inspection of a device, and then
    >reinstall them after clearance from border security.

    From their Cloud account.. B)

    ---
    * SLMR Rob * Honk if you love peace and quiet
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Sun Aug 24 10:11:44 2025
    "Travellers are "obligated" to present their electronic devices
    >and the information stored on it "in a condition that allows
    >for the examination of the device and its contents," the CBP
    >says, including providing necessary passwords."

    That has made me not want to travel into Canada during "current times,"
    even though I am sure it was our government that started that mess. ;( I could get a burner phone (since my carrier isn't guaranteed to work in Canada that'd make sense anyway), but I also usually carry a laptop with me so I
    can offload any digital photos I take. I take a lot and the parts of
    Canada I have been in are beautiful so I guess I would need lots of extra
    cards to feed into the cameras.

    Unfortunately, one of them takes a card type that is now obsolete! :O

    Mike

    * SLMR 2.1a * "!Beavis! ?Donde esta su hall pass?"
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    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Mike Powell on Sun Aug 24 13:53:00 2025
    Hello Mike!

    ** On Sunday 24.08.25 - 10:11, you wrote to me:

    That has made me not want to travel into Canada during
    "current times," even though I am sure it was our
    government that started that mess. ;( I could get a
    burner phone (since my carrier isn't guaranteed to work in
    Canada that'd make sense anyway), but I also usually carry
    a laptop with me so I can offload any digital photos I
    take. I take a lot and the parts of Canada I have been in
    are beautiful so I guess I would need lots of extra cards
    to feed into the cameras.

    Yes.. apparently anyone returning to the States [even a US
    citizen] is subject to CBP inspections.

    Offloading phone images to the laptop won't help - your CBP
    would be inspecting laptops too.

    You could enter Canada without issue, but coming back you would
    need to offload your images to the cloud or something [like,
    mail them back to yourself?] ... unless, standalone SD/media
    cards are exempt from searches at your boarder? / which I
    doubt.


    Unfortunately, one of them takes a card type that is now obsolete! :O

    I suppose if your pics are innoccuous things, then you have
    nothing to be concerned about. However, the searches through
    media devices does seem like overreach.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From August Abolins@1:153/757.21 to Rob Mccart on Sun Aug 24 15:15:00 2025
    Hello Rob!

    ** On Sunday 24.08.25 - 09:11, you wrote to me:

    Interesting.. "The guidance says border agents cannot use the
    device to access information stored remotely, such as on "the
    cloud," ...

    "However, agents can search people's email, text and WhatsApp
    messages, and any other content that's accessible on a device."

    I wonder if that may be because messages and such are considered
    somewhat Public where a Cloud Storage site can be totally private?

    Seems to me it should/could be the other way around. Perhaps
    they consider it's overreach to insist they have the user's
    phone sucking data if you don't want it to? However, I suppose
    searching the phone's own local contents is akin to searching a
    bag of luggage that is *with* the person.

    I think asking to access the Cloud Storage would be akin to
    asking to access another device, but in this case it's a
    virtual one and not one in the control of the user, and
    therefore exempt?

    But what is interesting though.. would be if you claim to
    forget the password, what's the worst that can happen? Some
    apps offer "Forgot password?" options.. but that requires a
    connection to the web which their rules say they cannot force
    you to do.


    "Travellers are "obligated" to present their electronic devices
    ...including providing necessary passwords."

    I can add this to all the reasons why I don't travel outside
    Canada anymore, although I only went to the USA quite often
    in earlier years and never made it to any other countries.
    I can't think of many I'd like to visit, although that may be
    more due to having to cope with the crowds of people you fight
    getting there than not wanting to visit another country..

    Me too. Not interested to travel to the USA anymore. I've
    been to Florida a few times as part of my pastlife work, and
    once to Pennsylvania, and once to Boston.

    Wouldn't mind travelling to my parent's home country in Europe,
    but I'm not interested to go through the hassle of getting a
    passport.

    We have quite a vast country to explore. No passport required.


    Wrt to Telegram, Session, et al.. I suppose the user could
    uninstall the apps prior to inspection of a device, and then
    reinstall them after clearance from border security.

    From their Cloud account.. B)

    Yes.. Tg and Session resync from the cloud when reinstalled and
    verified on a device, so.. their evironments can be
    reconstituted when you are nolonger at the border.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.64
    * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Mon Aug 25 10:10:50 2025
    That has made me not want to travel into Canada during
    "current times," even though I am sure it was our
    government that started that mess. ;( I could get a
    burner phone (since my carrier isn't guaranteed to work in
    Canada that'd make sense anyway), but I also usually carry
    a laptop with me so I can offload any digital photos I
    take. I take a lot and the parts of Canada I have been in
    are beautiful so I guess I would need lots of extra cards
    to feed into the cameras.

    Yes.. apparently anyone returning to the States [even a US
    citizen] is subject to CBP inspections.

    So it is returning to the US from Canada, but not entering Canada, that
    could trigger these searches? I knew about crossing into the USA being an issue but I may have misread your post and thought that Canadian
    authorities were also now doing similar searches of incoming tourists.

    Offloading phone images to the laptop won't help - your CBP
    would be inspecting laptops too.

    That wasn't why I'd be offloading them. I would be offloading them to free
    up camera space for the next day of shooting. ;) Inspections would make
    me less likely to carry any extra equipment (like a laptop) for this
    purpose.

    Unfortunately, one of them takes a card type that is now obsolete! :O

    I suppose if your pics are innoccuous things, then you have
    nothing to be concerned about. However, the searches through
    media devices does seem like overreach.

    For me, they are usually going to be lighthouses, museums (esp. trains),
    and waterfalls. It does seem like overreach. If what we are hearing is
    true, they are looking for unflattering memes of Trump and Vance. ;)

    Mike


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