When I travel to Asia this summer, I intend to leave my iPhone at home. Instead, I will put a different phone without my basic apps, such as Instagram, Slack and Signal. Access to my and -workmail will not be carried out.
No, I'm not planning digital detoxification. I am choosing to travel with what is known as a burner phone because my personal device contains sensitive data that I do not want others, in particular the protection of the protection of US borders.
For over a decade, the Federal Government has had the authority to conduct the border research of the personal electronics of travelers, including phones, laptops and tablets. In recent years, these inspections have constantly increased, although they only occur to a small part of the people who enter the United States.
Last year, the US agency for the protection of customs and borders reported that it had conducted around 43,000 electronic research, compared to about 38,000 in 2023.
To be clear, I could be particularly paranoid as a journalist who works constantly to protect the sources reserved from being outside, so a burner phone is an extreme measure that most people will not find practice or even necessary.
But in recent accidents, travelers have been denied entry to the United States in part due to telephone data, such as photos of pistols and social media posts on protests.
“The greatest concern is that the government can identify the people she wants to look for,” said Esha Bhandari, a lawyer with the American Union of Civil Freedoms. “We have seen anecdotal tests of more aggressive research on the border, including lawyers who have lawyer-client privileges and people seen as dissidents.”
In other words, although no rule has changed when it comes to entering the United States, a change can be underway in the frequency of policies. Vacationers and business travelers should be judicious on the data they carry on their devices.
There is no unique solution and the approach that works best for you depends on your lifestyle and your profession. Here's what to do.
Evaluate the risk
First consider who you are, what do you do for work and what's on your phone, laptop or tablet, said Jeremiah Grossman, a computer security expert.
For example, if you are a retired American citizen who transports some photos of holidays and text conversations with the friends of your book club on your device, you probably don't have to worry. But if you are a student on a visa that has been involved in government protests, there may be medium on your phone that could create problems.
“If the police had everything on the phone and access to everything, would it be bad for you?” Mr. Grossman said.
From there, evaluate if the risk is high or low and choose an approach.
Low risk: use a passcode and delete some apps
If you are only slightly worried about the search for your data, start deactivating biometry as fingerprints and face recognition sensors. Instead, rely only on a passcode to unlock the device.
To deactivate the face ID on an iPhone, open the settings app, touch Face id and passcodeInsert the passcode and deactivate the switch for iPhone unlock.
For Android phones, the steps depend on the model, but generally in the settings app it is possible to type a search for the Face unlocking and fingerprints mention and disable the settings there.
The use of only a passcode can be an effective measure for US citizens because it is legally more difficult for the government to force you to share a passcode than for an officer to take the phone and keep it in the face to unlock it, said Mrs. Bhandari.
But while citizens can refuse to provide a pass for the pass, visa owners and tourists who visit the United States run the risk of being denied the entrance if they refuse to conform, added Mrs. Bhandari. So it is better to also do the extra move to delete any app containing information that could become problematic, such as Instagram, Signal or X.
Average risk: Backup and delete your data
If you think there is a modest possibility that the government can search your phone, take into consideration the backup of a copy of all your data and spreading the device before returning to the United States, said Grossman.
To make this process easier, you can back up your data to an online server, such as Apple iCloud for iPhone or Google One for Android devices. In this way, you can subsequently restore your data on the internet by entering the credentials of your account.
To back up the data on an iPhone on iCloud, open the settings App, touch yours namefaucet iCloud and select Icloud backup. Lighting Back up this iPhone and it's up Back up now. So, to delete the data of your iPhone, in the settings app go to General Menu, it's up to Transfer or restore the iPhonefaucet Delete all contents and settings And follow the steps.
To back up the data on an Android in Google, open the settings App, touches Googlethen it's up to Backup. To delete your Android data, the steps depend on the model of your phone, but you can generally search for the Factory restore Menu in the Settings app.
After crossing the edge with the SCAPED device, you will see an option to restore the device from a backup when you go to configure it, at that point you can insert the credentials of your account to recover the data. (Make sure you have your password written somewhere.)
High risk: transporting a burner phone
If you think it is very likely that the US border officials will want to look at your phone, the more robust solution is to leave your personal devices at home and transport a burner phone used exclusively for the trip.
Here's how I intend to do it.
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I will bring an economic Android phone with only the software necessary for my journey, including app to drive and maps.
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I will access an e-mail account that I have created exclusively to travel to recover itineraries and other travel information.
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When he landed, I will connect to a temporary cell plan on a foreign network using an Esim, a digitized version of a SIM card, which can be activated via an app like Nomad, Ailalo or Gigsky. (I wrote a guide to the use of Esim technology in a previous column.)
So when I go home, I will copy all my vacation photos from the holiday phone on my iPhone and put the burner in a drawer to my next trip.