This is the best summary I could come up with:
A U.S. security researcher is warning of a chilling effect after he was detained on arrival at a U.S. airport, his phone was searched and he was ordered to testify to a grand jury, only to have prosecutors reverse course and drop the investigation later.
On Wednesday, Sam Curry, a security engineer at blockchain technology company Yuga Labs, said in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, that he was taken into secondary inspection by U.S. federal agents on September 15 after returning from a trip to Japan.
In a post, Curry said that in December 2022 he discovered that scammers had inadvertently exposed their Ethereum private key in the source code of a phishing website that had stolen millions of dollars’ worth of crypto.
It was widely shared that the private key was leaked and my background as a security researcher wasn’t enough to dissuade using immigrations and a grand jury to intimidate me,” Curry said in his post.
Curry was flying into Washington, DC to attend an election security research forum set up by U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA to audit U.S. voting machines.
It’s not unheard of for U.S. authorities to target security researchers or journalists with threats of prosecution or other kinds of legal process to compel testimony, like grand juries, which convene in secret to determine if formal criminal charges should be brought against a person.
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The concerning part of this is that he unlocked his phone. The Feds were certainly within their authority to stop someone they felt was involved in a crime, but I don’t believe you are obligated to unlock your phone for authorities unless they have a warrant. Kind of like when a cop pulls you over for speeding then asks to search your car, you don’t have to say yes, but a lot of people think it’s some sort of order, not a request. I’m no expert though.
Come to Australia if you want some dystopian surveillance state bullshit. The border force in the country have the legal right to force you to unlock your devices, or throw you in prison until you do. We have no rights in this country when it comes to privacy (just look into the recent legislation that was pushed through parliament during COVID - they can edit, delete, etc. any data on your device. It’s absolutely fucked, and Australians being the apathetic bunch of cunts they are just couldn’t give a shit.)
This country is just becoming more and more authoritarian, and I’m not sure how many Americans know just how many protections they have and take for granted. Australia is fucking suffocating to live in today if you value privacy and autonomy. There are almost no barriers at all between the individual and the government, and it’s only getting worse. I wish I had moved stateside when I was young enough for it to be a possibility. I’m stuck here now.
Man that sounds horrendous. I’d heard it had gotten pretty bad there but hearing it first hand from someone who lives there makes me think how I would feel living there. Does the same apply to laptops? And is it just when entering the country?
Australia is sprinting towards authoritarianism, it’s such a sad state of affairs. We already had some of the strictest rules and regulations in the developed world before this, and it’s only gotten worse. It even trickles down to our ‘softened’ Nerf gun springs. Nanny state capital of the world, this country is.
The new laws include ALL digital devices, and 99% of the time only apply when entering the country, however, these same laws also allow warrantless searches as long as the Federal Police have enough suspicion, which could easily just be fabricated in order to force an arrest or device seizure (think political dissenters, protest movement organizers, protest attendees, etc.) Never forget that the Aussie journalist, Friendlyjordies, had the anti-terror force sent to his producer’s house for making a fucking joke about a politician.
This country has gone to the fucking dogs, and I’m finding it more and more difficult to remain optimistic. I feel watched everywhere I go (we have cameras everywhere along major highways, as well as facial/license plate recognition being trialed in Western Australia), and there’s a pervasive feeling that you’re unable to do anything without some form of government approval (even on private property.)
If you know an easy way to move to the states, I’m all ears, because this country is trying too hard to emulate China. If I were more conspiratorially-minded, I’d say that we’re almost a covert social experiment for the CCP, given our proximity - and reliance on trade - with China. There are a shiiiiitload of Chinese vehicles on our roads… and a few parliamentary scandals in years gone past with political links to the CCP.
As an Australian I always take a burner phone when I travel and just reformat it after getting home.
Yeah same. A cheap little thing from Woolies does the trick. I just find it fucking disgusting that we have to go to such lengths to begin with.
You’re not obligated to unlock your phone, they’re not obligated to let you cross the border. So you have a choice, turn around or unlock your phone.
If he was a US citizen he can’t be turned away at the border. Also still pretty sure a citizen has the right to refuse a search without a warrant.
I have a friend who refused to answer any questions at the border. They took him in for 6 hours of additional questioning, which he refused to answer. And they let him through. So they have no legal right to require you to answer any questions, but they have procedural authority to make your life difficult.
Right good point I didn’t consider it might be someone from their own country
I think it is self incriminating giving them your pin but they can force you to use biometrics.
I heard that one time so don’t quote me on that.
Correct. You can also “forget” a pin or pattern but not your fingerprint or face. I usually delete everything that I don’t want them to see and then turn it off. So you don’t even have to disable it. After a restart a pattern/pin is always required.
This is exactly what I’ve always been advised before attending a demonstration or protest
The most secure thing to do is not travel with personal data.
Or factory rest your phone, restore from backup when you reach your destination
Just out of curiosity: what info don’t you want the authority to see? If I think about myself, there is none.
I don’t want anyone to see anything. Not because there is anything to hide, but there is no reason to show.
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Damn, are you serious? What country are you talking about?
finally learning how the world works eh? Sooner or later you will experience it for yourself.
Well, your country (which one is it) isn’t “the world”.
Sooner or later you will experience it for yourself.
Well, I hope I won’t!
Family photos, payslips, medical records, browser history…
I’m planning on bringing a spare phone only on my trips to the US.
Many countries can and do image phones at the border. Better to bring a spare phone whenever you go through any customs.
Yeah plug my phone in and see what happens… There is totally no virus on it…
Etherkiller feature on phone poet when
I want my phone to behave like a bomb when plugged into a unauthorized device :)
