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Comment by readthenotes1 | Hacker News Reader

No one in, or on the border of, the United States should use a biometric lock.

The police can apparently force you to unlock

E.g., https://proceedings.nyumootcourt.org/2023/11/press-to-unlock...

Even US citizens have basically no rights at a border. You can be subjected to any search without warrants. And this applies to within 100 miles of a coast or border, which is pretty much every major city.

The real way to minimize risk is to not carry any sensitive data, as in the first item on that pamphlet, and restore from a backup once you get past the screening. This is a little difficult with mobile phones, however.

> Even US citizens have basically no rights at a border.

They have at least one more right than foreigners. They have to let you in. Foreigners can get turned back for almost anything.

I've always felt pretty secure coming home for that basic reason (plus, it is where I am at least somewhat familiar with the legal system and could actually call a lawyer if I had to, my meds are all from local prescriptions etc etc).

But yeah, they can still search the hell out of you, delay you etc, just like anyone else.

> They have at least one more right than foreigners. They have to let you in.

I don't believe that's true, at least in practice.

It is true in practice. If you have a passport or any form of ID suggesting you are a citizen, they will not turn you away. Citizens have an absolute right to re-enter. You may not be able to bring everything with you and you may be delayed, but you will get back in.

Fun tip: If you have an iPhone, rapidly pressing the power button five times will force your phone to require a password before Face ID will work again. Turning your device off entirely will also necessitate password reentry.

Doesn't help if you're snagged and handcuffed before you can get to the power button!

Right, I'd recommend anyone worried about this to power off their laptop (assuming you've got full disk encryption turned on) and phone before going through security, customs, etc.

for older phone it was power+down a few seconds.

You can trigger an admin lock with one tap on Android using this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iglint.and...

Disabling biometrics the whole time you're in the US is a bit extreme unless you have a target on your back, but most phones have a way to quickly disable biometrics until you next unlock with your PIN. At least learn how to do that just in case the shit unexpectedly hits the fan, on iPhones you press the power button 5 times in a row.

>Disabling biometrics the whole time you're in the US is a bit extreme...

How on Earth, in any situation, for any reason, can inputting a PIN instead of using your fingerprint be considered... "extreme"?

I'd argue it's not extreme enough: Use an alphanumeric password or passphrase, as long as you can tolerate, instead of a PIN.

Disable it if you want, I'm just offering an alternative for people who wouldn't bother taking that precaution because it's inconvenient. You're not going to convince everyone to take the full measure, and a half measure is better than no measure.

My employer requires alphanumeric passcodes. So you can’t do it single handedly.

It’s also pretty moot in a customs environment. If you use your phone, chances are there’s a camera angle on your pin entry, and they have tools to crack numeric passcodes.

"unless you have a target on your back"

If you are in, or on the border of, the United States, it's reasonable to assume you have a target on your back.

Otherwise the courts would not have made such ridiculous rulings.

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