Returning to the US? WaPo instructions on Locking down your phone

Seems one needs a subscription to read article

Try this (used gift article)
https://wapo.st/4hMOQtq

Thank you ualagirl. I forget to check

Another article on the topic

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/26/phone-search-privacy-us-border-immigration?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Know before you go

I won’t be going.

I'm sorry. I am confused. The purpose of this?

I'm sorry. I am confused. The purpose of this?

There have been reports of people being denied entry to the US because they have posted disparaging remarks about him and allegedly that's a terrorism risk! If border officials can't access your phone they won't have evidence of what you've written in your possession.

I'm sorry. I am confused. The purpose of this?

I understand, from reading numerous comments you’ve made, that you live outside of the U.S. Maybe you’re not aware of what is in fact happening in this country?

In the Guardian article there is mention of a French Scientist who was denied entry into the US because he had something negative about Donald Trump. At least that's according to the French government.

The US government says he had classified scientific information he wasn't supposed to have and they wanted to prevent him from getting more.

Most people here believe what the French government said.

But should you?

In the 1990's and beyond the French government did what it could to help French companies including corporate espionage.

https://www.newsweek.com/parlez-vous-espionage-203426

or

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/14/IHT-air-france-denies-spying-on-travelers.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Why would you think they would stop?

I remember seeing corporate security warnings at the time about not flying Air France for this reason.

Are people aware that you phone and all electronics you carry across the border could have been checked for years. No just under Trump.

And, believe it or not, other countries do this as well.

It seems like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario. Being militant about access to your phone at the border isn't going to go well, common sense tells me, even for US citizens. You're probably looking at a few hours in a windowless room and having to wave bye bye to your iPhone in a best case scenario. Keeping fingers crossed you don't get a tug seems the best bet to me.

Nothing has changed. Travel is not impacted. Prices have not changed. There are not fewer travelers. There have been no policy changes. There have not been policing changes. A few random incidents. Noise. Pay no attention. Whatever the new admin says, don’t take it seriously. Don’t take anything his folks say seriously either. And if someone seems odd, remember odd stuff happened before and accept all the explanations of the odd stuff. Why would they lie? That’s not their style. It’s all a negotiating tactic. Finally the courts will sort it out.

I kind of remember Kevin Bacon giving a speech like that late in the movie Animal House. “Remain calm! All is well!”Funny movie, Animal House. And despite sharing the word “Animal” in the title, totally unrelated to George Orwell’s Animal Farm which by the way was not about farm husbandry.

... and do the people writing these click bait articles not think that it is more likely to raise suspicions if you have a totally wiped device.

Border Force and any country in the world have other intelligence sources about you anyway- countries share intelligence.

Best to have a non-wiped phone I suppose. Too suspicious. John Le Carre surely has some wisdom on this in one of his novels like Smiley's People. Great writer! The Russia House! Loved that one too

I understand, from reading numerous comments you’ve made, that you
live outside of the U.S. Maybe you’re not aware of what is in fact
happening in this country?

redheadlibrarian,

The only thing I have read is that some French guy got caught with confidential information smuggled out of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. That would be the one that provides scientific and engineering support to national security programs.

But then "outside of the U.S." as you aluded to, the news media isn't as good. So I suppose I missed something.

Still, the last time I was at Los Alamos was 1984 and I dont think I owned a cell phone then. So I suspect I am okay to come and go across the border. But, hey, if seeing my phone is helpful .... they can have at it. I am not a criminal, nothing to worry about.

@Mr E, you forgot about the Brown university professor who had Hezbollah related photos on her phone.

I think it's too much work to go thru all these proposed steps and I'm tired when I arrive and not in the mood to be confrontational with border control. Personally, I think it would be just easier not to hang out with members of a terrorist organization and not have NDA and/or protected information on my phone. Hey, if border control wants to look at my less than stellar photos from my vacation or my boring text messages to my family, I can't say I care. Sorry, I have a hard time believing that Trump is going to spend the money on increasing border control to go thru phones to find anything related to someone not liking him. That would be a major increase in budget and massive hiring needed. And think of all that increase in paperwork. Every president has individuals who are less than happy with them at some point. To go after every person who in any way says something negative would most likely involve the entire population. I'm sure even Trump supporters are not happy with everything he does and probably have a text or two about it.