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What If U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ask for Your Cellphone


straycat19

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A bill introduced in Congress Tuesday puts strict limitations on the right of U.S. border agents to search the electronic devices of American citizens when they cross the border or reenter the U.S at an airport. 

 

The "Protecting Data At the Border Act" would make it illegal for border officers to search or seize cellphones without probable cause. 

 

"Americans’ Constitutional rights shouldn’t disappear at the border," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D.-Oregon, who is cosponsoring the bill in the Senate with Sen. Rand Paul, R.-Kentucky. "By requiring a warrant to search Americans’ devices and prohibiting unreasonable delay, this bill makes sure that border agents are focused on criminals and terrorists instead of wasting their time thumbing through innocent Americans’ personal photos and other data." 

 

The proposed law comes after an exclusive NBC News report on 25 different Americans who say they were forced to give up and unlock their phones at airports and border crossings. 
 

For now, U.S. border agents have the right to ask for your phone at the border, and data provided by the DHS says the number of travelers who’ve been asked for their phones has risen sharply since 2015. 

 

But still, only a small percentage of travelers are asked for their smartphones.

 

What happens if you are one of those travelers? 
 

NOTE:  This article is very long and the rest of it answers questions on your rights and what you can do.  It is worth reading if you are traveling.

 

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Where is the problem? I write a image to a external SD card (which they never find) and wipe my phon ore put some unimportant data on it = happy looking

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11 hours ago, straycat19 said:

NOTE:  This article is very long and the rest of it answers questions on your rights and what you can do.  It is worth reading if you are traveling.

 

Thank you very much for posting this article.

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I have a password app installed on my phone that when you enter a password incorrectly 3 times on the phone it will take a picture of the person, email it to you and then factory reset the phone. So just give them 3 fake passwords and technically they will erase your phone data for you. :)

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I would just tell them that I do not own a cell phone. But they are welcome to look at my shoe phone if they please! :hehe: 

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