Really, for non-Americans the best advice is just don't go in the first place. Second best advice is just comply with border security personnel.
Any tricks like leaving the battery empty, bringing a burner, not bringing a laptop and getting a loaner when you get there etc, they do nothing but raise suspicions.
as i said on another comment, even not having social media is suspicious. which is insane, because it means you cannot have privacy if you want to go to another country.
i know at least another 5 people that are not going to the us because of that.
> Good luck getting a visa next time if you've ever been
> "denied entry".
Oh god, no. Technical measures - of course - do work. So does erasing data from phones, laptops, hard drives, etc.
Do not let the security theater scare you into obedience.
If you're not a citizen? You can be denied for literally anything the agent feels like. They feel you're suspicious because you claim (falsely or not) you don't have a facebook account? You're not coming in. Visa denied.
> Visa denied.
you know what's shitty? i have a b1/b2 visa. cost me 100 usd and two working days. i also visited the us ~6 times, never overstayed by an hour. but even then, i'm suspicious because i'm brazilian (that's a theory, of course. i have no proof other than brazilian friends also having problems with cbp).
Not appearing suspicious is an important part of protecting your privacy. While it's true that acting stupid or careless can bring you in trouble this is not sufficient to deny the utility of privacy enhancing behavior.