I’m traveling to the US mainland for the first time in my life in a few weeks.
I am not overly stressed about privacy, but I have read that US immigration can really overstep their boundaries. Are there any simple specific steps to take on my devices to protect my privace when going through US border control?
Remove my main accounts from my phone/tablet and use dummy accounts? Or just removing my biometrics?
(I don’t know your sex, so if this doesn’t apply, disregard it.)
Depending on what state you’re going to, make sure you’re not using any ovulation tracking apps. If you are or might be pregnant, it’s dangerous to go to red states right now, especially if the authorities know about it.
Only if you are looking for an abortion. However, from a privacy perspective it is best to keep all that data private for obvious reasons.
If there’s an emergency, and you need an abortion to save your life, they’ll let you die.
Okay, yes, but what does this have to do with my period tracking apps?
If they find out you’re pregnant, some states will arrest you for trying to leave the state to seek an abortion. Basically, they’ll make sure you die before you can get an abortion.
dangerous?
I’m not from the us
The US Federal government no longer protects reproductive freedoms like they did a few years ago, so some states have been cracking down on procedures like abortion and using data from places like Facebook to gather evidence. Depending on the state, having this data might lead to legal headache, but I’m not sure how likely that is.