Phone Seizure

NomadicHedgie

This American YouTuber said his phone is usually confiscated for 2 hours when he arrives at SVO airport.

I plan to use an Italian passport when entering Russia. Is there anything else I should do to avoid having my phone taken for 2 hours? Should I enter through Narva or buy a burner phone?

I don't mind them looking at my pictures or messages. But I don't want advanced malware installed.

antoniob

NomadicHedgie I plan to use an Italian passport when entering Russia. Is there anything else I should do to avoid having my phone taken for 2 hours

If someone had the phone seized for inspection it is because there were suspiscions about him.

Border agents don't care otherwise about people's phones. In october at border.by Pskov we had all passengers of the bus from Riga, to fill a form with among others IMEI of our phones. But this was not even checked. And that's all.

If you had travelled to Uzbekistan some years ago, specially arriving ftom Tajikistan, you had have all content of phone and laptop inspected, pictures checked, etc.

NorseVictory

No matter what country you visit - phone seizure is always a possibility. Having a "clean" burner phone - can raise suspicions. What purpose would they have to put malware on the phone of an "ordinary" person? Even if you were an elite businessman.. do you think that they have the resources to go copy the phone and analyze it for every single person who enters the country??

NomadicHedgie

I have visited over 30 countries and no government has ever seized my phone. The YouTuber above says his phone is seized whenever he lands at SVO. Thus the seizure risk is far higher in Russia.

As described here, malware can cause severe damage and the Russian government often works with hackers.

As described here, they would not need to copy my phone to install malware.

As described here, hackers use automated tools and don't need to analyze each phone manually.

NomadicHedgie

antoniob OK. Thanks. It could also be that phone seizures are more frequent at SVO than at Narva or Pskov.

KO______

He says every country he goes to they search his phone and laptop. Did you not see that? Only watched a few seconds of the video and I saw his presentation and behavior was odd.

NomadicHedgie

I agree it seemed unusual that the US CBP searched his laptop.