【Mission XXX Impossible】

Customs agents at United States airports often ask travelers from outside the country to hand over their phone. Agents can Mission XXX Impossibleask for the password, and, from there, snoop through whatever they want.

There were reports of agents confiscating international travelers' phones after President Donald Trump's executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries caused chaos last weekend, leaving many wondering about their rights.

Travelers can refuse to hand over their phones, but immigration lawyers say that's not going to help them get into the country.

Some will argue that if a traveler has nothing to hide, then handing over a phone shouldn't be a problem. But this is demonstrably false. Plus, the issue shines yet another spotlight on the privacy vs. safety debate.

Border agents can misinterpret a text, email or tweet on the fly and deny someone entry based on ill-drawn conclusions, lawyers said. Law enforcement officials have also abused their access to data before. Court documents revealed in 2014 detailed how a California police officer took the phone of a woman suspected of driving under the influence, and sent a photo of her in a bikini to his colleague, who complained the woman wasn't naked.

SEE ALSO: Trump’s political appointees will vet EPA’s scientific work before release

Protecting data at the border is a frustrating process, but lawyers with expertise in social media and immigration said travelers have several options if they'd rather not risk a border agent digging through emails, photos, tweets and more.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Traveling without

Travelers check their flight information in Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP/REX/Shutterstock

The most obvious way to avoid having data examined is to not bring the devices that provide access to that data.

For most people, this is not an option. But if possible, it's the most sure-fire way to avoid having data complicate any travel plans, according to Licelle Cobrador, an immigration lawyer in New York City.

A phone for travel

Another option, according to Cobrador and Bradley Shear, a lawyer with a focus on social media law, is to buy a separate phone for travel. With a separate phone, travelers can keep their available data to a minimum. They might have phone contacts, but there wouldn't be as much of a reason to have a few dozen apps that an agent might look through.

Of course, the costs of a second phone are likely to prevent a lot of folks from considering this.

Wiping your phone

A customer sets up his new jet black iPhone 7. Credit: Kiichiro Sato/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Before handing over a phone, Shear and Cobrador said travelers might consider scrubbing its data.

First, make sure to back it up on the cloud or a portable drive. Then, on an iPhone, go to settings > general > erase all content and settings. On an Android, go to settings > back-up and reset > factory data reset, though be aware that this doesn't eliminate SMS messaging data.

A different digital self

Some agents may be suspicious of a scrubbed phone, and Shear encourages building duplicate social media accounts. Setting up a fake email and fake social media would take work, but Shear believes the payoff for protecting privacy can be worth the risk of having an agent pick through whatever information is available.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Donald Trump's inauguration address included a Bane quote

---

Topics Social Media

• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Science
• Tech
• Life
• Social Good

• 'Thunderbolts*' mid
• Best LG TV Deal: Save $250 on LG UT70 4K
• NYT Connections hints and answers for March 7: Tips to solve 'Connections' #635.
• Best earbuds deal: Save $80 on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
• 44 GPU Fortnite Benchmark: The Best Graphics Cards for Playing Battle Royale
• Why are there no iPhones in 'Severance'?
• Stuff Your Kindle Day: How to get free indie sci
• Best charger deal: Get the Anker Prime Charging Station for 31% off at Amazon
• The strangeness of Japan's decision to start openly hunting whales
• Score the new iPads at a discount when you preorder at Walmart

• The 16 best tweets of the week, including stimmies, the plums meme, and illegal seafood
• 'Avatar' passes 'Avengers: Endgame' for box office record
• No, it's not OK to shame people who gained weight during the pandemic
• Teen behind the Bitcoin/Twitter hack sentenced to 3 years in prison
• New Zealand's new prime minister has a Twitter account for its cat
• Twitter gives the Australian marriage equality campaign its own emoji
• 5 chore apps that might get your kids to clean their room already
• Cool mom Kris Jenner just became a meme thanks to bad daughter Kim Kardashian
• Uber does U
• What Comcast's low

• Virtual Reality: The True Cost of Admission (and Why It Doesn't Matter)
• An AI program helps the formerly incarcerated turn to a life of code
• Best iPad deal: Get the 10th
• A U.S. spacecraft landed on the moon. You can watch the amazing footage.
• 10 Tech Predictions for 2017
• Best Max deals and bundles: Best streaming deals in March 2025
• I compared Sesame to ChatGPT voice mode and I'm unnerved
• Stuff Your Kindle Day: How to get free indie sci
• The State of 5G: When It's Coming, How Fast It Will Be & The Sci
• Feyenoord vs. Inter Milan 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free

• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 26: Tips to solve Connections #215
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for March 6: Tips to solve Connections #164
• Best REI deal: Spend $100 or more on Sunday, March 9 and get a free Yeti Yonder water bottle
• Best LG TV deal: Save $200 on the 55
• 13 Good Games You Can Play on Laptops and Budget PCs
• Baked by Melissa free cupcakes: How to get free cupcakes on March 7
• New scam involves fake BianLian ransomware notes
• Best streaming deal: Disney+ and Hulu for $2.99/month
• Ryzen 5 1600X vs. 1600: Which should you buy?
• Best iPad deal: Save $100 on Apple iPad mini