When I travel to Asia this summer I plan to leave my iPhone at home. Instead, I will pack a different phone that does not have my basic applications, such as Instagram, Slack and Signal. It won’t even sign in to my labor email.
No, I’m not planning a digital detox. I choose to travel with what is known as a burner phone because my personal device contains sensitive data that I do not want others, especially US border protection officers, for search.
For over a decade, the federal government had the power to conduct border searches for travelers’ personal electronics, including phones, laptops and tablets. In recent years, such inspections have increased steadily, although they only occur in a small part of people entering the United States.
Last year, the US Customs and Border Protection Service said it had carried out about 43,000 electronics searches of about 38,000 in 2023.
To be clear, I can be particularly paranoid as a journalist who is constantly working to protect confidential sources from overcoming, so a burner phone is an extreme measure that most people will not find practical or even necessary.
But in recent incidents, travelers have been deprived of entry into the United States in part due to telephone data, such as photos of weapons and social media positions on protests.
“The biggest concern is that the government can distinguish people he wants to look for,” said Esha Bhandari, a lawyer for the US Union of Civil Freedoms. “We have seen jokes about more aggressive border searches, including lawyers who have a lawyer-client and people who are regarded as dissidents.”
In other words, while rules have not changed when they are going to enter the United States, a shift can be made how often policies can be imposed. Holidaymakers and professional travelers should be reasonable for the data they carry on their devices.
There is no solution of a size and the approach that works best for you depends on your lifestyle and profession. Here’s what to do.
Evaluate your risk
First think who you are, what you do for work and what is on your phone, your laptop or tablet, said Jeremiah Grossman, a cyberspace expert.
If, for example, you are a retired American citizen who carries some holiday photos and text conversations with friends from your book Club on your device, you probably don’t have to worry. But if you are a visa student involved in government protests, there may be media on your phone that could cause problems.
“If the law enforcement had everything on your phone and access to everything, would it be bad for you?” Mr. Grossman said.
From there, evaluate if your risk is high or low and choose an approach.
Low risk: Use a password and delete certain applications
If you are only concerned about searching for your data, start by turning off biometrics, such as fingerprints and face recognition sensors. Instead, you only rely on a password to unlock your device.
To turn off the face ID on an iPhone, open the settings, press Face ID and passwordEnter your password and turn on the switch for Unlock iPhone.
For Android phones, the steps depend on the model, but generally in the settings application you can type a search for the Unlocking face and fingerprints menu and turn off the settings there.
Using only one password can be an effective measure for US citizens, because it is legally more difficult for the government to force you to share a password than an officer is to pick up your phone and keep it on your face to unlock it, Ms. Bhandari said.
But while citizens can be reduced to provide a code code, visa holders and tourists visiting the United States are at risk of refusing entry if they refuse to comply, Ms Bhandari added. Therefore, it is best to take the extra step to delete any applications that contain information that could be problematic, such as Instagram, Signal or X.
Medium Risk: Creating backups and cleaning your data
If you think there is a moderate chance that the government could look for your phone, consider a backup of all your data and cleaning your device before returning to the United States, Mr Grossman said.
To do this simplest process, you can back up your data on an online server, such as Apple’s iCloud for iPhones or Google One for Android devices. This way, you can later restore your data online by entering your account credentials.
To back up your data on an iPhone on iCloud, open it arrangements Apply, press your namePress Russian and choose backup. Turn on Back up this iPhone and press Backups now. Then to clean your iPhone data, in the app settings go to General menu, press Transfer or reset the iPhonePress Delete all content and settings And follow the steps.
To back up your data on an Android device on Google One, open it arrangements Apply, press GoogleThen press Backup. To clean Android data, steps depend on your phone model, but you can generally make a search for the Factory reset Menu in the Settings application.
After crossing the border with the rubbish device, you will see a option to restore the device from a backup when you go to set it, where you can enter your account credentials to reset your data. (Just make sure you have written your password somewhere.)
High Risk: Transfer a Burner Phone
If you think it is very likely that US border employees will want to see your phone, the strongest solution is to leave your personal devices at home and carry a burner phone used exclusively for travel.
See how I plan to do it.
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I will transfer a cheap Android phone with only the software necessary for my trip, including Ride-Hailing and Maps applications.
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I will log in to an e -mail account I created exclusively for travel to recover itineraries and other trips related to the trip.
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When I land, I will connect to a temporary cellular design to a foreign network using an esim, a digitized version of a SIM card, which can be activated through an application such as Nomad, Airalo or Gigsky. (I wrote a guide to the use of ESIM technology in a previous column.)
Then, when I get home, I will copy all my holiday photos from my iPhone holiday phone and put the burner on a drawer until my next trip.
