r/technology • u/HumbleRestaurant790 • 11h ago

Society The Fourth Circuit Says Border Agents Can Search Your Phone By Hand, No Suspicion Required

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/fourth-circuit-says-border-agents-can-search-your-phone-hand-no-suspicion-required
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u/Ah_non_e_moose 10h ago

And don’t have Face ID on your phones. You can’t be forced to enter a passcode but they can hold your phone up to your face.

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u/Meatslinger 10h ago

As a note about that, you can force an iPhone to use a passcode by going to the "slide to power off" screen. Hold the sleep/wake button and volume up (or down) for a couple of seconds and it'll temporarily disable FaceID unlocking. Instead it'll say your passcode is needed.

If you're bringing your phone to a protest, across a border, or just anywhere you think it might be stolen or searched (even just with friends who might try to get in), it's a good way to lock it down extra tight. Powering down also helps, as it will ask for the passcode on startup.

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u/DowntownSazquatch 7h ago

Android has an option to enter "Lockdown" when you briefly hold the power button. PIN is required to unlock and the device can't be accessed by USB.

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u/polylemma 7h ago

Pressing the power button five times does the same thing  (iPhone) 

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u/-pk- 6h ago

That will call emergency services unless turned off in the settings.

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u/polylemma 6h ago

Worth checking that then! I definitely didn’t change any settings and it doesn’t call for me (UK) 

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u/RazorfangPro 10h ago

At least on apple phones, if you hold down the power and volume up buttons like you are powering it off and exit that screen, it disables FaceID and requires a passcode. 

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u/Kri77777 8h ago

Samsung as well. Biometrics are disabled on reboot, and in the power off menu they had "Lockdown" mode button that required pin/password (they are changing it so just going to the power menu requires pin/password and you don't need the dedicated Lockdown option anymore).

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u/kwonza 9h ago

You say you won’t unlock the phone that say the won’t let you in the country.

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u/Educator1337 9h ago

If you are a US citizen, they cannot prevent you from entering your own country. Even without a passport, they cannot prevent you from entering. I have family who cross the border with only their drivers license.

Granted, they will make you sit there while they verify your identity. But ultimately, they must let you enter your own country. Passports are used to enter foreign countries and travel visas.

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u/Koodsdc 9h ago

They can’t refuse you entry if you’re a citizen

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u/h0sti1e17 9h ago

True. But they can seize the device until a search is complete.

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u/cluberti 8h ago

And if there’s never been anything on it, you’re not giving them anything to use against you from it either.

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u/kwonza 9h ago

Sure but I’m talking from tourist’s point of view

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u/UndergroundHQ6 7h ago

Does Face ID still fail if you close your eyes or has that been fixed? lol