US border searches

US Border Searches and Protesting in the Surveillance Age

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Planning to travel to the United States? This episode covers recent travel advisories regarding US border agents searching electronic devices, regardless of your citizenship status. Learn essential tips on smartphone security and how to protect your personal information, especially when attending protests. Scott Wright joins the discussion to provide valuable insights on safeguarding your data. Also covered are newer communication technologies like Meshtastic and advice on physical security measures to consider.

** Links mentioned on the show **

So you want to go to the USA? Are you sure? Here’s how to prepare your machines for Trumpistan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/apr/07/so-you-want-to-go-to-the-usa-are-you-sure-heres-how-to-prepare-your-machines-for-trumpistan

Canada warns travelers of US border agents’ authority to search electronic devices
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/05/world/canada-travel-advisory-us-electronic-devices-intl-latam/index.html

The Protesters’ Guide to Smartphone Security
https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/01/23/activists-guide-securing-your-smartphone/

EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense – Attending a Protest
https://ssd.eff.org/module/attending-protest

Meshtastic – An open source, off-grid, decentralized, mesh network built to run on affordable, low-power devices
https://meshtastic.org/docs/introduction/

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