I went on a trip to Detroit by car recently, and was detained at the border.
When I arrived, the guy at the booth flagged my car, and told me to pull over. I did so, and then a border agent YELLED at me to put my keys on the dash, and to leave my cell phone in the car. The way he yelled at me was as if I was a criminal. I mean, I was shocked. Keep in mind that I have no criminal record.
The guy inside was much nicer and asked me in a civil way some further questions, and I was free to go.
HOWEVER, the reason the first guy ordered me to leave my cell phone in the car was so that he could search it for any signs of wrongdoing. After doing some research, I found out that BORDER OFFICERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO GO THROUGH ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES EVEN IF THERE IS NO SUSPICION OF WRONGDOING. THEY CAN GO THROUGH YOUR EMAIL, MESSAGES, CALL HISTORY, AND WEBSITE HISTORY.
Luckily, I had a pass lock on it. Otherwise, I could be sitting in jail now. Besides visiting terb, and asking about prostitutes and services, they can see my entire history of posts, since I remained logged in.
Also, I did several searches on highly illegal activities. HOWEVER, this does not mean I ever committed or would ever commit any crimes related to those searches. It was mostly out of curiosity. However, if border patrol had seen those searches, all hell would have broken loose.
Don't EVER cross the border with any kind of information you don't want border officers to see on any electronic device (cell, tablet, laptop, camera). They have the right to search it, and even confiscate it!!
Also, always apply a pass lock on all devices.
I think it's completely wrong that I was treated like a criminal for simply crossing the border. The officers was a power tripping asshole. They have no right to go through my phone and see all my private information. How can this be legal??
https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices
When I arrived, the guy at the booth flagged my car, and told me to pull over. I did so, and then a border agent YELLED at me to put my keys on the dash, and to leave my cell phone in the car. The way he yelled at me was as if I was a criminal. I mean, I was shocked. Keep in mind that I have no criminal record.
The guy inside was much nicer and asked me in a civil way some further questions, and I was free to go.
HOWEVER, the reason the first guy ordered me to leave my cell phone in the car was so that he could search it for any signs of wrongdoing. After doing some research, I found out that BORDER OFFICERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO GO THROUGH ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES EVEN IF THERE IS NO SUSPICION OF WRONGDOING. THEY CAN GO THROUGH YOUR EMAIL, MESSAGES, CALL HISTORY, AND WEBSITE HISTORY.
Luckily, I had a pass lock on it. Otherwise, I could be sitting in jail now. Besides visiting terb, and asking about prostitutes and services, they can see my entire history of posts, since I remained logged in.
Also, I did several searches on highly illegal activities. HOWEVER, this does not mean I ever committed or would ever commit any crimes related to those searches. It was mostly out of curiosity. However, if border patrol had seen those searches, all hell would have broken loose.
Don't EVER cross the border with any kind of information you don't want border officers to see on any electronic device (cell, tablet, laptop, camera). They have the right to search it, and even confiscate it!!
Also, always apply a pass lock on all devices.
I think it's completely wrong that I was treated like a criminal for simply crossing the border. The officers was a power tripping asshole. They have no right to go through my phone and see all my private information. How can this be legal??
https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices