Border agents at JFK can now search your phone without a warrant or suspicion, following a 2026 Second Circuit ruling that affects all travelers.
  • amgine@lemmy.worldEnglish
    351·
    9 days ago

    As a us citiczen I’m more and more looking at my phone as a hostile device. I have Graphene on one phone and an iPhone, but with how things are going these days who knows how secure these devices really are. Apple iOS is a black box. Android is not much better, and they’re now faster than laptops and most desktops. They can be running and recording and reporting anything and still sip battery life. I’ve since deleted social media apps outside of lemmy and HN. I use my little e-reader more than my phone. All my personal stuff is in encrypted cloud that is not iCloud, I don’t use biometrics to unlock it. But I still don’t trust it. I’m beginning to think carrying it in a foil bag until I need it is a good idea.

    • njordomir@lemmy.worldEnglish
      161·
      9 days ago

      I agree, it’s not a tool, it’s a compromised and dangerous device and I have to carry it with me carefully. I have always turned off my location from time to time and carefully managed permissions, but nowadays here’s what I do:

      • Graphene
      • no biometric login
      • no stale data on the device. If I won’t need it while I am mobile, does it need to be on my phone?
      • location off, BT off, and airplane mode when going into grocery stores or any surveillance a happy retailer.
      • factory wipe or alternate phone before traveling internationally, especially to countries with questionable rule of law, including my own
      • minimal non-FOSS apps (getting less every time I redo the phone)
      • any app that has a usable web portal or can be accessed on desktop only (Facebook, reddit) does not get installed.
      • no pairing with cars or other BT devices that are known to be sketchy.

      If I controlled the software on a deeper level, I would set it up to have a toggle where it will only connect to the cell network every 30-60 minutes. There is little in my life that is more important than a half hour response time, so why am I continuously broadcasting my triangulated location? I would have that toggle turned on 90% of the time.