A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone - Polidicks

[quote] Two weeks ago, Sidd Bikkannavar flew back into the United States after spending a few weeks abroad in South America. An employee of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Bikkannavar had been on a personal trip, pursuing his hobby of racing solar-powered cars. He had recently joined a Chilean team, and spent the last weeks of January at a race in Patagonia. Bikkannavar is a seasoned international traveller — but his return home to the US this time around was anything but routine. Bikkannavar left for South America on January 15th, under the Obama Administration. He flew back from Santiago, Chile to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas on Monday, January 30th, just over a week into the Trump Administration. Bikkannavar says he was detained by US Customs and Border Patrol and pressured to give the CBP agents his phone and access PIN. Since the phone was issued by NASA, it may have contained sensitive material that wasn’t supposed to be shared. Bikkannavar’s phone was returned to him after it was searched by CBP, but he doesn’t know exactly what information officials might have taken from the device. [/quote] [url]http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-bikkannavar-detained-cbp-phone-search-trump-travel-ban[/url]

What the hell is that even legal?

[QUOTE=InfectedPotato;51815418]What the hell is that even legal?[/QUOTE] It is according to alternative law.

[QUOTE=InfectedPotato;51815418]What the hell is that even legal?[/QUOTE] *Trump scribbling on paper* "It is now!"

[quote]US Customs and Border Patrol[/quote] [B]Protection[/B]* Dad was CBP, people can never get this shit right. They're not the Border Patrol. [editline]12th February 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=InfectedPotato;51815418]What the hell is that even legal?[/QUOTE] Depends on their reasons for detaining him. He's got Global Entry so he probably shouldn't have been detained in the first place, since he's already done background checks. But once you're detained, they can look through your phones.

Hope there was nothing sensitive on the phone which they could have copied or if they installed anything. That's pretty fucked up to hear and makes me even more worried to visit friends in the US.

[QUOTE=InfectedPotato;51815418]What the hell is that even legal?[/QUOTE] it's an exception to the fourth amendment's requirement of probable cause/warrant, and this is really more common than people think: [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception[/url] it's fucked up that there are exceptions to constitutional rights though

[QUOTE=nomad1;51815463]Hope there was nothing sensitive on the phone which they could have copied or if they installed anything. That's pretty fucked up to hear and makes me even more worried to visit friends in the US.[/QUOTE] It sounds like he protected himself in case they did something like that: [quote=Article]When it was returned he immediately turned it off because he knew he had to take it straight to the IT department at JPL...Bikkannavar can’t comment on what may or may not have been on the phone, but he says the cybersecurity team at JPL was not happy about the breach.[/quote]

[quote][...], but he doesn’t know exactly what information officials might have taken from the device.[/quote] Or done to it. This might sound a little paranoid, but NASA should probably issue a new one. That reminds me, someone I follow on Twitter posted about ways to put a lawyer on emergency-dial. It might be a good idea to do that at this point, if you expect to enter the US and have an unusual name. [editline]13th February 2017[/editline] I should read the article more thoroughly next time :v: [QUOTE=kariko;51815474]It sounds like he protected himself in case they did something like that: [quote][...] the cybersecurity team at JPL was not happy about the breach.[/quote][/QUOTE] I can imagine. They probably have to switch out a bunch of encryption keys and update everyone who uses them now.

[QUOTE=Tamschi;51815487]Or done to it. This might sound a little paranoid, but NASA should probably issue a new one. That reminds me, someone I follow on Twitter posted about ways to put a lawyer on emergency-dial. It might be a good idea to do that at this point, if you expect to enter the US and have an unusual name. [editline]13th February 2017[/editline] I should read the article more thoroughly next time :v: I can imagine. They probably have to switch out a bunch of encryption keys and update everyone who uses them now.[/QUOTE] They did issue a new one. [quote]He has since gotten a completely new device from work with a new phone number.[/quote]

USA went full retard

The agent was gone for thirty minutes with the phone, which means I can tell you exactly what they did with it. They cloned it. Now they have the clone copy and can actually spend time searching the phone. It also means a clone of that sensitive data is floating about. I'd have told them to fuck themselves. That phone contains sensitive data and under the 4th amendment, they have no right to search it.

The contents of that cellphone probably fall under ITAR, or basically any form of technology that shouldn't leave the country, be uploaded online anywhere, etc. unless it's heavily encrypted. If border patrol opened that and copied it on unsecured computers they could be breaching federal laws.

[QUOTE=The Rifleman;51815633]The contents of that cellphone probably fall under ITAR, or basically any form of technology that shouldn't leave the country, be uploaded online anywhere, etc. unless it's heavily encrypted. If border patrol opened that and copied it on unsecured computers they could be breaching federal laws.[/QUOTE] CBP enforces ITAR (as in, they're the ones making sure imports/exports are ITAR compliant). This case has nothing to do with the Border Patrol. [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Traffic_in_Arms_Regulations#Enforcement[/url] If he had a Global Entry card, then that means they knew who he was and wanted him for a reason. I don't know CBP's procedure for dealing with ITAR things, but if you're suspected of trafficking sensitive software they're going to be the ones to pull you aside. Either way, US CBP isn't interested in stealing NASA/JPL software. It's their job to make sure it isn't stolen. And CBP doesn't do preclearance in the United States, so if he left the country with the JPL phone they wouldn't have any interaction with him until he came back. aka, a phone with potentially ITAR sensitive material left the country and we have to make sure nothing was transferred or copied off it during that time away because that would be very illegal. Just a guess.

[QUOTE=OvB;51815657]CBP enforces ITAR (as in, they're the ones making sure imports/exports are ITAR compliant). This case has nothing to do with the Border Patrol. [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Traffic_in_Arms_Regulations#Enforcement[/url] If he had a Global Entry card, then that means they knew who he was and wanted him for a reason. I don't know CBP's procedure for dealing with ITAR things, but if you're suspected of trafficking sensitive software they're going to be the ones to pull you aside. Either way, US CBP isn't interested in stealing NASA/JPL software. It's their job to make sure it isn't stolen. And CBP doesn't do preclearance in the United States, so if he left the country with the JPL phone they wouldn't have any interaction with him until he came back. aka, a phone with potentially ITAR sensitive material left the country and we have to make sure nothing was transferred or copied off it during that time away because that would be very illegal. Just a guess.[/QUOTE] [quote]“He takes me into an interview room and sort of explains that I’m entering the country and they need to search my possessions to make sure I’m not bringing in anything dangerous,” he says. The CBP officer started asking questions about where Bikkannavar was coming from, where he lives, and his title at work. It’s all information the officer should have had since Bikkannavar is enrolled in Global Entry.[/quote] Lmao if you think this isn't because of how he looked/his name.

[QUOTE=Crimor;51815728]Lmao if you think this isn't because of how he looked/his name.[/QUOTE] That is their jobs to ask those questions. They ask everyone those questions. They will ask you those questions if you ever fly to the US. It's not like he's the only brown person with a global entry card, and global entry card users don't even meet face to face with a CBP agent. They use a separate, unmanned photo kiosk last I heard. They had to want him for a reason.

[QUOTE=InfectedPotato;51815418]What the hell is that even legal?[/QUOTE] They've just access to a phone containing state secrets and possibly downloaded those secrets. Treason? Would be what they've just committed.

Well that's pretty fucking shitty

If this isnt grounds for a lawsuit America is fucked.

It very well should be.

So if I get stopped at the border, what's keeping me from going "haha whoops I forgot it". I mean legally, not intimidation-wise.

[QUOTE=latin_geek;51816094]So if I get stopped at the border, what's keeping me from going "haha whoops I forgot it". I mean legally, not intimidation-wise.[/QUOTE] Real answer? Your name and skin colour.

-snip-

[quote=The Verge] An employee of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Bikkannavar had been on a personal trip, pursuing his hobby of racing solar-powered cars.[/quote] This is terrifying and all that, but can we just acknowledge how fucking cool this guy's life is? It's legit everything I dreamed of as a kid.

[QUOTE=Crimor;51815728]Lmao if you think this isn't because of how he looked/his name.[/QUOTE] No, they ask everyone those questions even when they know the answers already, I've had a guy looking at my passport ask me my name and date of birth, etc. and I'm white with an obviously British name. I guess it's to see if you can keep your story straight.

Will astronauts be detained at the border of space when flying back from the ISS?

[QUOTE=Nerts;51816247]No, they ask everyone those questions even when they know the answers already, I've had a guy looking at my passport ask me my name and date of birth, etc. and I'm white with an obviously British name. I guess it's to see if you can keep your story straight.[/QUOTE] Here is how I resist. I give a copy of my birth cert. Then social security card. Then a copy of my merchant mariner card. My veterans card. My drivers license. A copy of a state Id. My passport. My passport card. My street entertainer card. In short I give them my long and ever expanding list of documents to irritate them and waste their time.

[QUOTE=Guriosity;51816294]Here is how I resist. I give a copy of my birth cert. Then social security card. Then a copy of my merchant mariner card. My veterans card. My drivers license. A copy of a state Id. My passport. My passport card. My street entertainer card. In short I give them my long and ever expanding list of documents to irritate them and waste their time.[/QUOTE] good job? what kind of reaction do you expect?

So when I ever enter the US, I should backup my phone and laptop and other stuff onto an external server, wipe phone and laptop and get my contents from the server after passing all checks. Got it.

[QUOTE=Scarabix;51816257]Will astronauts be detained at the border of space when flying back from the ISS?[/QUOTE] ISS, ISIS, I dunno dude that's uncomfortably close [QUOTE=Guriosity;51816294]Here is how I resist. I give a copy of my birth cert. Then social security card. Then a copy of my merchant mariner card. My veterans card. My drivers license. A copy of a state Id. My passport. My passport card. My street entertainer card. In short I give them my long and ever expanding list of documents to irritate them and waste their time.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I'm not going out of my way to irritate someone who could detain me or turn me around and send me back.