Sidd Bikkannavar is a natural - stand US citizen who works at NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Lab . He ’s also a fertile traveler who plant himself reentering the United States right as thecontroversial in-migration bantook effect . For unexplained reasons , he was delay and border agents demanded access to his NASA - issued earpiece which could check highly sensible information .
https://gizmodo.com/dear-us-visitors-homeland-security-would-like-your-pas-1792126017
After he was released , Bikkannavar shut down his Facebook until certificate issue could be worked out . When he was certain it was secure , he postedthis explanationof the events that led to his social media amnesia :
Sorry for the absence seizure . On my elbow room home to the US last weekend , I was confine by Homeland Security and have got with others who were strand under the Moslem forbidding . CBP officers seized my phone and would n’t release me until I give my access PIN for them to copy the data . I ab initio refused , since it ’s a JPL - supply phone ( Jet Propulsion Lab place ) and I must protect entree . Just to be clear – I ’m a US - deliver citizen and NASA technologist , traveling with a valid US pass . Once they took both my phone and the admittance PIN , they returned me to the holding area with the cots and other sleeping detainees until they finished copying my data .
I ’m back place , and JPL has been running forensics on the telephone to fix what CBP / Homeland Security might have taken , or whether they install anything on the machine . I ’ve also been solve with JPL legal counselor . I remove my Facebook page until I was sure this score was n’t also compromised by the intrusion into my phone and attached apps . I desire no one was apprehensive . JPL issued me a new phone and fresh phone turn , which I ’ll give out soon .
The Vergespoke with Bikkannavar and he explained that he was just returning to the U.S. after spending week in Patagonia racing solar - power cars . It ’s a hobby that bring him on a Chilean racing team .
He landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston , Texas on Monday , January 30th . After his passport was rake he was taken to a back room and detained . Bikkannavar says that no one would explain why he had been singled out but an agentive role asked him interrogation about his locomotion and his personal life . Then he was handed a document titled , “ Inspection of Electronic Devices ” and separate that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol was legally allowed to seek his phone .
Bikkannavar insisted that he was n’t allowed to do that because the phone belong to NASA ’s JPL and he ’s required to protect access . agentive role insist and he finally relented . He still does not make love why they contain him or what they did with his data .
Hassan Shibly , chief executive director of CAIR Florida , tells The Verge that most mass who are show up the form give CBP authority to search their gadget believe that they have an debt instrument to avail the agents . “ They ’re not obligated to unlock the phone , ” she tell .
Considering the fact that tighter travel limitation are intended to make the U.S. safer , it seems odd to allow molding agents to pressure a politics employee to reveal secure information . It would seem that Bikkannavar ’s case had nothing to do with Trump ’s Muslim ban since he was n’t traveling from one of the qualified countries . Is this just an mean day in the life of airport protection ? CBP is n’t say . We ’ve get hold of out for remark and will update this post when we have more data .
[ The Verge ]
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