this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2025
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150
Is it safe to travel with your phone right now? (www.theverge.com)
submitted 4 days ago by fossilesque@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 82 points 4 days ago (3 children)

If you're in the US and a citizen, you do not have to divulge your password to the authorities or even a judge, per the 5th Amendment. However, they can force you to use your fingerprint or FaceID to unlock your phone.

If you think there's a chance the police might want to search your phone, be sure that you have a difficult pin pattern or password to unlock your phone at a minimum. Consider if bringing your phone is necessary. If you're going to a protest, do not bring your primary phone. Get a cheap burner or go without.

If you're not a citizen, you need to think about leaving. Seek asylum anywhere but here. Vacation in Canada. The US is no longer safe for foreigners.

[–] beejjorgensen 30 points 4 days ago (4 children)

On Android, hold the power button until the menu shows up, them choose "lockdown". The next unlock will require a PIN.

[–] captainastronaut@seattlelunarsociety.org 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

On iOS, hold down power and volume up (like you’re going to power down or go into emergency mode) then cancel. Next unlock will require your PIN.

[–] Zectivi@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Another way on iOS is pressing the Power button 5 times. Same result, but I think it can be accomplished a little easier.

[–] MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 days ago

This can also call Emergency Services if you have it set up.

[–] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Fucking Gemini comes up for me now when I do that...

Edit: there's a system gesture setting to change it back. Search for power menu in settings.

[–] soulBit@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 days ago

Appreciate you!

[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

Or restart. When you first boot your device the drive is encrypted until you enter your code or password.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works -3 points 4 days ago (3 children)

"on Android" is a mostly useless statement. There are many flavours of it and they do not all behave the same. My phone does not have this.

[–] Lv_InSaNe_vL@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Your biometrics work the first time you log in after a restart? That seems insecure to me.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That's not what was suggested.

[–] Lv_InSaNe_vL@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Oh yeah my bad, I read "lockdown" and "shutdown" lol

[–] beejjorgensen 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I should have been more specific that this was a Pixel. Does your phone have a way to accomplish the same thing?

[–] Player2@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Restarting should also disable biometrics until you put a pin in once

[–] Bazoogle@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I have a motorola running LineageOS and it's available on mine. Seems like a relatively standard option, though it may need to be enabled under Settings -> System -> Buttons (or whatever it looks like on your flavor of android).

[–] bubblewrap@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Just a note - most LineageOS installs aren't secure unless you re-lock the bootloader, as data can be extracted with some fairly standard mobile phone forensics kits. Unfortunately, not many devices support bootloader re-lock. The Google Pixel series is a notable exception.

Ideally, you would want a security hardened Android OS like GrapheneOS. Graphene only runs on Pixels as the development team specifically disallows it running on hardware with an unlocked bootloader for security reasons.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

IIRC, you have to enable it on some versions of Android. I don't see the option to disable it on my Android 15 phone but I do recall having to enable it before on older versions. A quick Google search for your version should help.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Negative, it is not available on my OS.

Lmao who downvoted me cause my phone OS doesn't have a feature? Wild.

[–] brandon@lemmy.ml 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If you’re in the US and a citizen, you do not have to divulge your password to the authorities or even a judge, per the 5th Amendment. However, they can force you to use your fingerprint or FaceID to unlock your phone.

They can, however, probably seize your phone, and refuse to return it to you. Something to keep in mind when deciding to take your primary device, or a burner.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 7 points 4 days ago

Yep. They absolutely can do this with "reasonable suspicion" as legally valid justification.

[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've set my phone so it will erase if someone enters the PIN backwards (GrapheneOS duress code). It would be fun to watch the authorities wipe the phone.

I'd probably get deported over it, but whatever.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 1 points 3 days ago

No guarantees you wouldn't get deported anyway, citizen or not. But always good to have a backup plan!

[–] db2@lemmy.world 48 points 4 days ago

Is it safe to travel ~~with your phone~~ right now?

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 34 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It hasn't been safe to travel with a phone or laptop since at least the post 9/11 changes to travel rules, at least not into or out of the US and other oppressive regimes that spy on your phone on the border.

[–] r00ty@kbin.life 20 points 4 days ago

I've been to the US twice since 9/11 and neither time was I asked for my phone. Not to say it didn't happen before now. It happens in many countries if they decide they have even a tiny bit of suspicion.

But, frankly right now I would not travel to the USA for any reason.

[–] letsgo@lemm.ee 16 points 4 days ago

Depends where you're going. Anywhere first world with a robust democracy that invites opposition and criticism will be safe. Heck in the UK we've even got people who openly hate our way of life and want to destroy it.

But if you're going to one of the less tolerant places where opposing the incumbent can get you in serious trouble, like Russia, North Korea, Iran, or the USA, probably best take a burner phone with some basic stuff on it that can't possibly be interpreted as any kind of negativity towards the delicate leader and leave your main one switched off somewhere safe at home. In fact unless you enjoy risk it's probably best to avoid places like that until they get some proper freedoms in place.

[–] sloppychops@lemmy.ca 23 points 4 days ago

No.

[–] entwine413@lemm.ee 16 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Any headline that's a question can be answered with No

[–] char_stats@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago

Unless it's a WH- question.