Visit our Popular Forums

hellosailor · 02-10-2018, 19:42

Paul-
I don't think removing the SIM card would matter. They can simply confiscate your card, put it back in, and power back up. But the SIM card isn't much. Hollywood tells everyone that everything is on the SIM card. The ones I've actually read just have your phone number, your carrier, and at best a dozen phone numbers IF you've stored them on the SIM card, and most phones don't by default. So the SIM card, won't matter.
If I take your phone and power it up, without a SIM card, the odds are I can still WiFi connect to all of your cloud accounts, your email, everything, as the apps which do that normally will work over Wifi without any concerns about the SIM card. That's just used to connect to your carrier.
I know, in theory SIM cards can do a lot more. The ones I've looked at? Nope. And they don't have enough memory to do much more either.

john61ct · 02-10-2018, 19:42

Once you give them your login / password, they can access it all from their own device.

But again, even without the online stuff, they have devices designed to quickly take a forensic image of everything on your devices, and can do whatever they like with it at their leisure.

LEO have been doing this for years, just used to require them actually having legal cause, rather than just routinely with anyone they like.

gaucho · 02-10-2018, 19:42

This happens in almost every first world country (you get searched, seized, all your data, etc). Just watch that horrible show (it's on Netflix) called Border Security: America's Front Line. There is one such show for Canada and another for Australia I have seen. There surely is one for many other countries. It's like Gestapo ******** hidden behind a "discovery channel" good guy packaging.

LoudMusic · 02-10-2018, 20:02

Don't store anything on your actual device. Store it on some "cloud based service" like dropbox. Delete the app before you hand over your devices and passwords. Install it again when they've given them back.

You could even go so far as to create a backup of your device and put the backup in the cloud. Apple devices do this automatically through iCloud. Factory reset the device and hand it to them. When they give it back do a restore from your online backup.

It's a ridiculous law so easily circumvented.

Paul L · 02-10-2018, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Paul-
I don't think removing the SIM card would matter. They can simply confiscate your card, put it back in, and power back up. But the SIM card isn't much. Hollywood tells everyone that everything is on the SIM card. The ones I've actually read just have your phone number, your carrier, and at best a dozen phone numbers IF you've stored them on the SIM card, and most phones don't by default. So the SIM card, won't matter.
If I take your phone and power it up, without a SIM card, the odds are I can still WiFi connect to all of your cloud accounts, your email, everything, as the apps which do that normally will work over Wifi without any concerns about the SIM card. That's just used to connect to your carrier.
I know, in theory SIM cards can do a lot more. The ones I've looked at? Nope. And they don't have enough memory to do much more either.

Logging onto or into my phone is not the same as logging into my email or Cloud account. Of course if they are determined enough it all can be broken, but as a 'routine' request for access on a less than high value cruiser entering their country I seriously doubt that the resources are available.

CarlF · 02-10-2018, 20:07

As others have said, when crossing the border there is no requirement for probable cause. At most the agent requires a "reasonable suspicion". The Supreme Court has upheld this many times.

The Coast Guard insists that they have this right even when someone is not crossing a border - even though they claim right by a pretty large stretch of their original charter to collect customs duties. Lifejackets had not been invented at the time.

And a side note, while inside the US the police can not force you to give up your password but they can require you to use your fingerprint to unlock your phone for them. If you are concerned about such things, in IOS hold down the power button and touch either volume button to disable TouchID and FaceID before handing over your locked phone to the police. Interesting that Apple thought of this....

dwedeking2 · 02-10-2018, 23:06

Probable cause is such a low hurdle that its not even a hurdle. You have no expectancy of privacy from the state. Make you life choices based on that.

gaucho · 03-10-2018, 04:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

Don't store anything on your actual device. Store it on some "cloud based service" like dropbox. Delete the app before you hand over your devices and passwords. Install it again when they've given them back.

It's a ridiculous law so easily circumvented.

I don't know how many times you travel to other countries ... doing this is just simply a nightmare. If every time I go through a countrie's border I have to do what you claim, I wouldn't have any time left in my life to ... live.

sailorboy1 · 03-10-2018, 05:01

I find that when entering a country it is best to not argue with the officials with the guns who have the ability to toss you into a cell.

LoudMusic · 03-10-2018, 06:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaucho

I don't know how many times you travel to other countries ... doing this is just simply a nightmare. If every time I go through a countrie's border I have to do what you claim, I wouldn't have any time left in my life to ... live.

It really doesn't take that long, in "cruisers time".

stubones99 · 08-10-2018, 08:05

Lots of countries will image your drives if you come into their country. I was in the middle east in 1997 and they insisted, so I said I'd be leaving on the next airplane, but I needed to let some guy know since he had been waiting about 6 months for me to work on his system. Some sheikh who happened to be the telecom minister in Saudi Arabia. I showed them the chicken scratch paper from him and they changed their policies.

Now, they don't need the computer. The NSA has the internet wired to the point where you should be able to restore your computer with a freedom of information request... Even Intel's processors have a sub processor that we don't know about that has access to the main processor, all storage and networking options. It can call home without approval. If you use a VPN, chances are, the NSA has a back door into it or is actually the sponsor... That's a cheap man in the middle attack where you can see in clear text anything anyone does while using the VPN... How do you think they offer the services so cheap?

Carl-T705 · 08-10-2018, 09:08

New Zealand, for such a beautiful place and a hearty wholesome population they sure have their problems. Hey! They are just trying to keep their country safe from outside forces much like Hitler's Germany and the USA since the Civil war/war between the States . From my research NZ couldn't care less if you go there or can't get rid of you fast enough if you do. Their population has always been great defenders of freedom for the rest of the world, but it seems to end inside their shoreline .

Paul L · 08-10-2018, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl-T705

New Zealand, for such a beautiful place and a hearty wholesome population they sure have their problems. Hey! They are just trying to keep their country safe from outside forces much like Hitler's Germany and the USA since the Civil war/war between the States . From my research NZ couldn't care less if you go there or can't get rid of you fast enough if you do. Their population has always been great defenders of freedom for the rest of the world, but it seems to end inside their shoreline .

Does your research include any experience? NZ is one of the friendliest countries toward tourists and cruisers. They clearly encourage cruisers to summer over during the SP cyclone season. Traveling the country is easy and cheap. The only place they show their true stripes is on the road.