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Comment by devoply | Hacker News Reader

No phone. No password. No electronic device. No problem.

Suspicious foreigner. Back you go.

They usually have to construct a narrative of suspicion. I don't know how not having electronic devices or a phone is suspicious.

In the article, even a clean phone is suspicious.

"No phone? Are you hidding something?"

A cleaned out phone is suspicious. Are you hiding something? Nope I have nothing to hide, but I still don't have a phone on me sir. This guy in the ended up with a history. That's where his problems began, after that you are fucked no matter what you do unless you play it very very clean.

The border authority knows who you are (from your passport). They can use that information to check everything - phone records, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, your purchase history, your credit references, etc. They don't have to simply accept you don't have any devices - they already know what devices you have and what you use them for. The only thing they don't have is direct access to your actual data. That's why they want your password. If you claim not to have a phone with you they simply won't let you in because you're not being open enough.

This is the modern world we live in. Decades of pervasive privacy intrusion by governments illegally sucking up all the data of foreign and domestic citizens has done this. It's hard to see any way back.

It's not like CBP has access to the same tools NSA would use. If your profile isn't public and your name is common, they have no way to know it's really your profile. I'd expect my bank to not freely share my information with CBP (as should anyone whose bank isn't based in the US).

Of course the unsolvable issue is that the agent gets to decide whether you get in or not, instead of following some checklist. (Which means the agents' internal heuristics become the checklist.)

If your profile isn't public and your name is common, they have no way to know it's really your profile.

I know of at least one startup that's selling software to list who's browsing a website with links to their social media accounts in real time. The idea that the CBP can't work out exactly who you are on the internet from your passport seems highly improbable.

I guess normal people can't avoid that, true. But many people don't even have social networks except for maybe LinkedIn (especially outside the US).

But many people don't even have social networks except for maybe LinkedIn (especially outside the US).

I have no idea why you think that. Facebook has approximately 1.7 billion users - that's almost a quarter of everyone on Earth. Besides, I suspect that the people who don't have social media accounts are largely the same group of people who don't travel internationally. If you're wealthy enough to be travelling to the US the probability that you have at least one social media account is very high.

Can you name said startup?

It makes you look like you're hiding your digital profile. Which, to be fair, would be true.

My public digital profile is available on LinkedIn and various other sites for anyone to see. I have nothing to hide. I do have some private information that I would keep to my self, according to my constitutional rights.

This person is attempting to cross with no electronic device. Nearly 100% of first world citizens own a device. What is this person hiding? It must be bad. Denied.

I never said I did not own one, that would be lying and would be illegal, and I am a very law abiding citizen. I don't have it on me as I don't want it to be stolen or hacked or anything else nefarious. You know to keep everything kosher between myself and my employer and all the other parties that might send me private information. It's a mitzvah in this day in age.

"OK, here's a laptop with a Facebook login page, please enter your credentials"

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