France’s research minister said a French scientist was denied entry to the US this month after immigration officers at an airport searched his phone and found messages in which he had expressed criticism of the Trump administration.
Fucking hell. Freedom of speech isn’t a thing anymore and all those shitheads who were crying about simply being called out for saying things are fine with the government punishing people for saying things.
Hasn’t been in a long time.
I seriously doubt the intelligence of anyone still traveling to the USA. I hope whatever project he is working on is not critical.
these travels are scheduled months even years in advance depending on the field of study, nobody could have predicted how much worse second Trumps term would be. also other than travelling to somewhere where its bad much more reliable indicator of low intelligence are very confident statements outside of one’s own depth.
Honestly, dude probably dodged a bullet. Stay away from our shit hole country
All countries should advise their citizens against traveling to the USA.
It should be common sense.
I wonder how they search it. I doubt they manually read every fucking text message in all apps, so I guess they search for keywords or something.
So, let’s say someone wanted to get someone in trouble, they could write them an email with some “incriminating” white text on white background and have them stopped by the thought police at the border.
It would be funny if they stopped some Canadian Mexican returning from Cancun and found shittalk about Trump on his phone.
Btw. Does anyone have Ted Cruz’s email address?
I have no proof, this is anecdotal, but I suspect they used a forensic analysis tool like Cellebrite, GreyKey, or Magnet Axiom to extract all the device data and search it, which makes it a cakewalk to filter for keywords, images, files, and the like. cops use this shit all the time, as do their terrorist friends all around the world.
Would be helpful if we could see those messages so we can form an opinion.
Is there any message that actually should keep a person out? Like who gives a fuck if they say Trump should be hung because he’s a traitor and Russian asset?
They should be able to say something like that or like I hope Vance is getting raped by his orange daddy and still be welcome in our country. This is America damnit.
I told my wife before I could never go to the US because of the stuff I write online, now I’m sure of it
You’re not missing a fucking thing, buddy.
But think of the endless suburban car parks and Walmarts. Such culture.
Personally I’d like to visit the US for their national parks, or whatever is left after this administration policies.
Eh, I think I might be turned off visiting ever again.
Paving all of them over would be a huge endeavor. I hope Putins orange labrador doesn’t take is as a challenge.
I have to admit that ironically “Days Gone” made me fall in love with your nature.
These guys are handing their phones over to show work itinerary in their emails amd the immigration officers are then going through all their other emails and messages.
Never, never, never, hand your unlocked phone over to an immigration officer. Print everything you need out before hand.
Yeah but he can just say “hand over your unlocked phone or I will reject your entry” and then it’s the same thing
Go to the US with a dedicated phone, just like to China.
Except nobody molested your phone.
If you use fingerprint or face scan to unlock your phone, they can compel you to unlock your phone.
If you use a PIN, they cannot.
Restart your android before going through customs
Travel advise: prepare for a trip to the US like you’d prepare for a trip to Russia or China. (Note: being an anarchist who thinks Putin, Xi and Trump don’t deserve a separate rope for each, I wouldn’t consider a visit.)
Don’t bring your real computing device. Bring an empty device from which you can VPN to a system that actually has your data.
If you need to bring an encrypted device, consider the possibility that authorities will attempt to coerce you into unlocking it (and will cause you great disruption and indignity if you won’t). You might be safer bringing a concealed + encrypted microSD card and a device loaded with an OS intended to be searched. If the data matters, make sure you cannot unlock your device under coercion.
(Trivial method: send your friend in the US a snailmail letter. Ask them to keep the letter until your arrival. Into the letter, steganographically embed the OTP key material to obtain the passphrase to decrypt your device. Now to decrypt the device, three things will be needed: your cooperation and knowledge, the device, and the letter. And you can deny that the letter contains anything.)
Edit: upgraded advise - mail your local contact an encrypted MicroSD card. Cross the border with a Raspberry Pi in factory packaging, or buy it locally (they’re still permitted, despite their widespread use by anarchists).
That’s not only US either, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, China - all can coerce you into unlocking your devices and detain you if you refuse which is fucking crazy.
Never ever give them this right even if you trust the government as they’ll make a redundant copy and government data security is such a joke you’ll be 100% pwnd.
Make sure your laptop is encrypted and disable face unlock on your phone. They can detain you for 24h in most places (6h in US) and will tell you to buy a return ticket. Do not take the risk even if you have nothing to hide.
As a security expert - these laws are 100% authoritarian abuse. As if terrorists can’t host their encrypted terrorist files offsite and pull them from public wifi when they enter the country. It’s an absolutely joke.
My entry to China was really easy. I’m very concerned about my return trip to the US. I have to come back at my home and family are there… doors anyone know if I’m denied entity if I can just book and flight and leave? Why do I need to have the government deport off in rolling to go on my own?
because they need the deportation numbers to outdo biden. plus prison contracts. plus it’s just fun I guess. it’s a whole thing.
Well if you don’t see a message from me after Saturday, you can assume the worst.
I’d say good luck, but if you’re coming here that ship’s already sailed.
The cruelty is the point, so I imagine you would be detained and forcibly removed. They would make it as miserable for you as possible.
I’m not quite sure I’d call that trivial, haha.
There’s also the option of making a hidden partition or otherwise doing stenography within the device. I’m guessing for most travelers just pretty surface level hiding of things will be enough, though. TSA agents are not cybersecurity experts.
Freedom of speech, eh? Guess I’m banned if they find out about this account or my Bluesky account.
Fuck this shitty ass country.
Amazing to think that they criticised “freedom of speech” in Europe
Freedom for me but not for thee
The US has turned in Russia for real. Russians were checking phones at the border when the war started.
Wow, ok. You, guys (Americans), are royally fucked over there. Yet another reason not to visit the US ever.
usa was always “Russia”. The difference is usa have a massive propaganda apparatus to make us think you are the goodies and who are the baddies
Well it was limited to " the browns" before.
I am going to die in a concentration camp before 2028
if we are poop buddies i will share my sardines with you
I have a burner but it seems like you need to create social media accounts filled with non political content and keep them updated so they don’t look fake. Anyone know how to automate this?
don’t do this. it’s a waste of your time. if you’re actually scared of the us government, the answer is to stop using social media
The answer is to stop visiting the US.
I mean, there could be situations where one doesn’t have a choice. Definitely try and avoid it, though, and don’t go for fun.
Elbows up buddy! 🍁
Not just the US government.
The issue is border control won’t believe you don’t have any social media accounts and might refuse entry.
What if all my accounts are old and haven’t been updated in a decade? That’s kind of outrageous.
The Nazis literally did this with a law. They made it illegal to be critical of the party. Fuck the alarm, we’ve already been had.
Please don’t say “Nazis”. Like, which Nazis, the 1940s German ones or 2025 American ones? It’s confusing. Please be clear next time you talk about them.
Nazis are Nazis, the rest is semantics.
Yeah, but when you say “The Nazis literally did this with a law” it’s not entirely clear if you mean the German Nazis from the 1940s or the American Nazis from the 2020s
Why does that matter? They’re both Nazis.
It’s important to distinguish the two. One was 85 years ago, the other is today… there might be other differences but can’t think of any right now.
Nazis are Nazis. Ask the people in that El Salvadoran prison if the boots forcing their necks down look like 40s or 2020s Nazis. Their agony is your answer.
The Magas
Yup. “But we’re not there yet”, so they say. “Too soon to act rashly”.
'First they started mass deportations, but it wasn’t a corrupt system yet, so we did not act.
Then they started refusing people who were critical of them, but it wasn’t a corrupt system yet, so we did not act.
Then they started blatantly taking money from the poor and give it to the rich, but it wasn’t a corrupt system yet, so we did not act.
Finally they fully took over the nation, but by then all the people who would have acted were already gone and dealt with.’
Not all, but the gist of it. Thankfully some bubbles of resistance are starting to form in the US, but the main people who were elected to uphold the law and fight this democraticly are already bribed or blackmailed, so it’s in great part up to the people, and whatever stance the army ends up taking when they are forced to choose between loyalty to the constitution, or an individual.
the scientists were smart enough to flee Germany or places that nazis occupied. i see this going to happen with USa if not already, US already has a problem with shortages in some areas of stem. its a complex set of problems all around, this latest fiasco just adds into it.
Might as well start wearing red triangles now🔻
