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this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2025
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Can't this be avoided, at least on Android, by simply shutting down your phone? Thought I read somewhere that they lock down everything, even system processes, after turning on again until you unlock it again. Or are you also forced to type the password and let them in?
You have no rights and the 'government' in america has to follow/abide by no laws anymore. Whatever you think/know about the us is 100% irrelevant now. It's a lawless dictatorship
You avoid it by never going to america, or by leaving and never returning.
That's not true. Most laws just don't apply until you're on US soil, which has been defined as after the security checkpoint, unless you're already a US citizen (I think).
It's incredibly dumb, but what's illegal just after the security checkpoint is fair game just before it.
Ha, never thought about that
Is that really the case?
That would mean, they have some "international waters territory" right at every airport, that gets arrivals from other countries
That would be like...wtf?!
Yeah, that's pretty much how it works in every country. When you're in an airport, you're in legal limbo, where you're legally not in any country until you've passed through security after landing. That's why movie The Terminal exists (inspired by the story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who was stuck in the Paris airport in similar circumstances).
If you arrive in any country and fail to get in, you have to return where you came from or anywhere else that'll take you.
Border entry is different than self incrimination.
If you are charged with a crime you cannot be compelled to give a password as it resides in your head. However if you use finger prints or face recognition to unlock it you're SOL.
Best thing to do is get an android and setup a dummy account. use that account when you get off the plane so when you unlock it there is nothing to go through.
*border.
The android comment is because pin/gesture after restart.
Seeing a lot of responses that are wrong because they are talking about what police in the US can do. This article is about border crossing where border patrol can ask you to unlock the phone without any warrant/etc. If you refuse then you can be denied entry to the country (although I believe that is just non-citizens). Not sure if things can escalate from there.
Edit: which means if your phone was off, they'd just ask you to turn it on and unlock it.
https://xkcd.com/538/
This is the $5 wrench, right?
The law requires you to unlock it, but as far as I'm aware its legality has never faced a major challenge and there are some civil rights groups who are confident it won't survive one.
Truth be told though most phones don't have robust enough security to withstand even a short duration attack from the tools available to law enforcement.
They can force biometric unlocks. That cannot force you to give them your password.
That is in a criminal investigation. They can just deny you entry if you dont unlock.
You also don't have most constitutional protections until you're past the security checkpoint.
Depends where you are, some jurisdictions within the US will order you to produce a password in some circumstances and hold you in contempt until you do and that decision has been upheld by higher courts, notably the third circuit.
There are exceptions to most things, yes.
None of it is relevant at the border though, they dont have to do anything other than deny entry.
Except that you can't unlock an android phone with your fingerprint/face if you just turned it on. The first time you unlock it you have to use your pattern/pin.
Time to setup a guest account on the phone then
GrapheneOS with factory reset. Using boot verification.
You must unlock your phone for them
You may refuse, and they'll put you on the first flight back.
And your phone will likely be confiscated and you will be barred entry in the future - definitely worth considering before planning your actions.