That is true, in some countries they can demand that you use your biometrics to unlock your phone. In other words, if you can unlock your phone by simply looking at it or using your thumbprint, they can demand that you unlock your phone using that. From what I understand the United States now does this. They can’t demand to give up your pin number because they can’t require you to give up something that’s inside your head. But biometrics are not what is inside your head that is publicly available data. So they can use that to require you to unlock your phone. Personally, I think it’s a bullshit concept that they can require you to do that.
Is it true that airport customs can legally demand access to your unlocked phone?
Submitted 3 weeks ago by Hirohito@fedinsfw.app to [deleted]
Comments
andrewta@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
9point6@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Everyone should know most phones have a lockdown mode that makes it require a pin to unlock the next time
andrewta@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yep, that is so true
ITGuyLevi@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Also, some phones have a duress PIN that wipes them.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
On an iPhone, press the side button five times. Then cancel. You’ll need the pin.
billbasher@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Also hold Vol Up + Power (shutdown) but then cancel will do the same
BrickEater@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Tbh I never understood bio locks, like why tf would I give that data willingly to apple/google
Tanoh@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Convenience mostly, like a lot of aspects of security there is no one correct answer. And it is never an option between total security and none at all. It all depends on your risk vs convenience level, and it is usually a sliding scale between those two (some times other factors as well)
You can enter lockdown mode before going through customs, or disable biometrics
dogdeanafternoon@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Apple does not get your biometric data. Not sure about google, but I’m assuming they do it in a similar fashion.
socsa@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Putting in a PIN 50 times per day carries its own risks in terms of it being captured by cameras or seen by a roommate/SO
foodandart@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
That only works as long as you use those login options. If you stick to a PIN code only… well… whoop!
There it is. Too bad, so sad…
andrewta@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Exactly. That’s why I don’t use biometrics to unlock my phone.
BenLeMan@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Only in shithole countries.
adespoton@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Depends on the country you’re in and your country of origin.
Also, in many countries the authorities are allowed to demand you do anything not illegal; it doesn’t mean you’re always required to comply.
Bgugi@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
And in the US they can just demand you do anything.
Semester3383@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
In the US, it’s a bit worse than that. They can demand you unlock your phone, and, if you won’t, they can confiscate it to mirror it. Also, it’s–very broadly speaking–within 100 miles of any international border, and an international airport counts as an international border.
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
and of course at least a third of the US population is within 100 miles of the physical border, most of the big cities are literally on the coastline
Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
In the US, yes.
DarkFuture@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
🎵 Land of the freeeeeeeeeeee 🎵
trackball_fetish@lemmy.wtf 3 weeks ago
In amerikkka the law does whatever they want, legal or not
foodandart@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Yup. So when you travel, get a budget flip phone that you can load up with minutes and take a proper digital camera.
Last trip I took out west, I took an old laptop and threw a small SSD in it and added a fresh OS install, so the computer had NOTHING but pictures from my camera on it and a hundred+ albums from my music collection.
No logins on ANY sites at all.
(I only have a handful of social media sites I go to and have the logins committed to memory, but when travelling, I don’t need to actually login, since I’m out and about actually visiting and doing shit and not sitting at the computer banging away on it…)
It’s the only way to handle travel safely, so you run no chance of your privacy actually being exposed.
When I got home I swapped the main drive back in and transferred the photos to it.
Happy, happy, joy, joy.
DarkFuture@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
So much inconvenience to circumvent fascism.
Alas, that is where we are.
It’s almost like they were onto something when they mercilessly crushed it almost a century ago.
slickgoat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Depends upon the country. I believe that the US can, but not positive.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 3 weeks ago
Most countries can, especially if you aren’t a citizen of that country.
Technoworcester@feddit.uk 3 weeks ago
Tell us what country your in and you might get an accurate answer.
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
Legal questions cannot be answered without information which jurisdiction you want to know this about.