Should You Wipe Your Phone Before Entering The US?

Norwegian tourist, Mads Mikkelsen, says he was detained by US immigration officials (CBP) at Newark airport, held for five hours, and later deported for apparently having a meme saved on his phone showing US Vice President JD Vance as a bald baby. The agent is said to have described the image saved in Mr Mikkelsen’s phone as dangerous extremist propaganda. So, following that line of thinking, this makes most of us dangerous extremists. I mean, who hasn’t got a meme of a well-known person on their phone?

You might like to check because if you open an image sent to your phone, it’s usually automatically saved to the device. Anyway, back to Mr Mikkelsen, who was apparently deported for admitting to previously smoking a joint some years ago in places where it was legal to do so. I’m not sure why he admitted to such minor drug use, but perhaps he thought it best to be completely open? On the other hand, he could have just said that he didn’t inhale. Clearly, border officials aren’t going to openly admit to deporting a tourist for a harmless meme, are they? In fact, they denied the meme angle as being ‘completely false’.

I’ve only travelled twice to the US, and that was in the early 90s when my brother lived in Tampa, Florida, long before mobile phones and viral memes. At the time, my suitcase was crammed with English tea bags and Worcestershire Sauce, and I remember being welcomed warmly at Orlando airport with, “Enjoy your stay and have a nice day, sir” or words to that effect. Now I’m not so sure because stories like this abound.

For those traveling with a visa or from a visa-waiver country, refusing to unlock your device may result in denial of entry.

Even being critical about the current US administration can be a reason for being turned away, as was the case with a French scientist sent home from Texas back in March, with his comments being described as terrorism. CBP officers later said that claims that such decisions are politically motivated are completely unfounded. Yeah, pull the other one.

When travelling to the US, this matter could be described as a no-win dilemma. If you give consent to your phone being searched, the contents may be copied. If you don’t consent, you may be seen as suspicious, your device retained with all the delays that would entail. Equally, if you wipe your phone, that too may be seen as suspicious by the thought police.

The general consensus appears to be – delete content that may be deemed as a security threat by those who lack a sense of irony or humour, but do not reset or wipe your phone.

Frankly, it seems extraordinary that this discussion even exists, but:

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has had the authority to search electronic devices at the border for a long time, with some sources indicating it dates back over 30 years.

That puts much into perspective, but we have to remember that each US administration holds the reins in very different ways, with the current one being seen as much more authoritarian than most people could ever have imagined. You think your precious phone is private? Wrong!

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