EU gives staff 'burner phones, laptops' for US visits The European Commission is giving staffers visiting the US on official business burner laptops and phones to avoid espionage attempts, according to the Financial Times. The use of clean and locked-down hardware is common practice for anyone visiting China, Russia, and other states where aggressive electronic surveillance is …
A few years ago, the US introduced a law that could require visitors to provide access to their social media accounts upon entry. Ever since it has been unadvisable to carry your normal phone with you upon entry. This isn't Trump-specific: America, a country of immigrants, has long been suspicious of immigrants going back at least to WWI.
England, Spain, France, and Germany are not as anti-immigrant at the USA, old chap.
Admittedly, England is pretty bad, but the politicians aren't as fascist as the American ones.
Your whataboutism failed, and shows your insecurity. "America can do no wrong.. wah wah etc."
1) I'm not English
2) Those that did it 300 years ago are dead now, and despite what Trump says, aren't receiving benefits.
3) An American making a comment about religion in Europe?!
4) *You're
5) Vietnam.
6) Afghanistan
7) Why do you go cap in hand to Europe each time you want to start a dodgy war?
Are you really this stupid, or are you just a pathetic troll?
So Tell us what the "Great Britain" accomplished in Africa and the Middle East.
How many people did you kill there before leaving with your assess in your hand.
And, let's not forget China and all the dope imported to them from you to cover your trade imbalance at the time.
Good Point:
I happen to be 87.5% native. My family is what's referred to as "Non-treaty Native" because we didn't sign off on any government lies on paper.
12K acres of Non-treaty independent nation land that no government agency has a right to trespass upon.
We just killed all the white faces until they stopped coming. Even the Russian mercenaries that England hired.
87.5% native? Such an American thing to give percentages like that.
Don't tell me, 5% Irish, 6% French, the rest unknown, making you basically the authoritative source on all things Irish and French?
Anyway, why would a native be sticking up for the very people that almost destroyed his people?
Either you are lying, or you're so far removed from your heritage, you could well be a confederationist.
How's DEI working out for you? I guess you feel pretty insulated in your folks basement there.
"So the Pilgrim Fathers received an invitation ..."
Actually, they did. It's a long story, But basically a member of the abenaki tribe named Samoset who had been to England wandered into the Pilgrim settlement one late March day and asked if he could have a beer (No, I'm not making this up).. Samoset had been to England, and apparently spoke some English. He explained the political situation with the local tribes, left and came back with some furs and brought along a member of the Wamponoag tribe named Tisquantum (Squanto) who had been to England and Spain and apparently spoke English pretty well. A treaty was negotiated and Tisquantum ended up settling in with the Pilgrims as a translator and advisor. For more details see the Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto.
Not that this has anything to do with America's far right's weird obsession with immigration and their bizarre determination to evict the people who are doing the jobs Americans down't want to do like picking strawberries all day in the hot sun,
I'd suggest you go research what Obama and Billy Clinton said about illegal immigration. Obama was known as the 'deporter in chief' for a good reason.
This has only recently become a leftist thing in the last maybe 10 years as the political left has become so extreme and reactionary. Their only policy is oppose what the others do. We are not far off Trump saying 'I like breathing air' and all the far left blue haired SSRI addicts holding their breath in opposition.
"So the Pilgrim Fathers received an invitation ... basically a member of the abenaki tribe named Samoset ..."
This is the ago old story of "we found someone who said it was OK". And if somebody gave you a finger, it's obviously OK to take the hand, and then drive him and his family off the lands and into some far-away reservation. We saw the same game unfold when the Trump and Vance families tried to play with Greenland, but somehow nobody wanted to wear the Maga hat with Mr. and Mrs. Vance.
Actually more than 90% of the people shipped to El Salvador were not El Salvadorean. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was, but he was also in the US legally, protected by an order that forbade him being deported to El Salvador due to the risk of harm. The most likely reason Trump and Bukele are refusing to return him is because he has already been murdered.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vedkm7w2do
Is this like the guy who can't be deported from the UK as his son only likes British nuggies?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/albania-deportation-chcken-nuggets-home-office-b2695233.html
"90% of the people shipped to El Salvador were not El Salvadorean"
No, they were Venezuelan but they are not welcome at home for some reason.
He never claimed they were Americans – American citizens enjoy additional protection under the constitution – but that they were legal immigrants. And just claiming that someone is in the country illegally isn't sufficient to instantly revoke their right to stay. There is always the possibility to declare someone persona non grata and ask them to leave the country. This is usually reserved for diplomats and is, again, not the same as deporting someone immeditately without legal redress.
Removing the right to legal redress is the first step to a dictatorship and those who wish for it should realise that the same things they call for could also apply to them.
"in the country illegally isn't sufficient to instantly revoke their right to stay"
In that situation they have ZERO legal right to stay unless they apply for asylum, which most illegals do not do.
There are situations where being a member of a certain group will get you into trouble with the law.
Err, it might help if you tried reading whole sentences, and especially the few words before the ones you selectively quoted to come up with a blatantly false statement : just claiming that someone is in the country illegally That's not saying they are there illegally (which is what you are assuming), it's saying that the authorities have merely claimed that they are and used that as an excuse to ship them out without due legal process.
That can effectively be done to anyone - even your own citizens. For a good example, look up Windrush in the UK which speaking as someone who lives here is a thoroughly embarrassing thing to be associated with. For the TL;DR version, many people (at our invitation as we needed more workers) came here from the West Indies and were known as the Windrush generation after the name of one of the first ships to bring them here, they were never told to apply for any paperwork (it wasn't needed back then), our own government "lost" the lists fo people who came, and then decided that anyone who couldn't prove they were here illegally was an illegal immigrant and should be deported. For good measure, that even applied to people who were born here, but again were never told (or their parent never applied for) any paperwork - so people who were born here, and had never lived in any other country were facing deportation.
American citizens enjoy additional protection under the constitution
Apparently not under the "Aliens Enemies Act" from 1798 Trump is using. That's only been used three times in US history, the last was the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WW II. The majority of those imprisoned were US citizens, and courts upheld that as legal at the time. They received no due process, the court proceedings were about whether the use of that law was legal, not about whether it was justified in the case of individual citizens.
Trump even said out loud not once but several times yesterday that they're looking into the legality of removing (it isn't deporting since there is no process followed) US citizens to the El Salvadorean gulag. Probably by "looking into it" he means looking for someone who is widely regarded as bad by such an overwhelming majority of people that there will be few voices willing to speak up, and they'll be derided as supporting terrorism or pedophilia or whatever crime their chosen victim has committed. If they did that, and were able to make it stick in their compliant Supreme Court, once the precedent was set there would nothing stopping Trump from sending anyone he wanted to a third world gulag with no hearing or way of undoing it.
People on the right have already floated sending people who set fire to Teslas to El Salvador. Seems pretty on brand for the worst of the MAGA deplorables - pardon people who attack cops in an effort to overturn an election, but give someone who committed a crime against property that injured no one a life (and likely death) sentence in another country.
Yes, I know about the internment of Americans in both world wars – something that wasn't limited to the US. But I was referring specifically to deportation – calling it "removal" won't help legally – and the broader point that US law does reserve special treatment for US citizens, hence the interest in attempts to revoke citizenship. The idea of deporting criminals to El Salvador is merely one for the press to froth over: America already has places like Guantamo, to which it could send federal prisoners, should it so choose. But it also knows that prisons are very expensive and little or no deterrent.
> Yawn, give up with the tired old claptrap.
>
> The people shipped back to El Salvador were El Salvadorians, NOT Americans. If you are in the US on a temporary visa (green card, student) or quasi-legal status then you are not an American.
So, you call it claptrap, and then basically agree with him, that they are sending back non-white immigrants.
Oh by the way, the vast majority are from Venezuela not El Salvador.
Not very bright, are you?
"Washington is not Beijing or Moscow," no they are worse, they are supposed to be friends and allies. Trump and his band of goons have destroyed decades of co-operation and trust, that will take many years once he is a shameful footnote in American history to repair, if at all. Many see his fascism as the wakeup call Europe needed to finally stand on it's own without the Bullly Boy USA pulling strings for it's own benefit.
Given that the Orange utan has been bragging about committing just that crime, I have no problem believing the jury.
It is also quite common that the accused claim innocence, even after the conviction. And that also holds for the followers of cult leaders who have been convicted for crimes.
Just search for cult leader convicted.
Apparrently New York had a weirdly narrow definition of rape, limiting it penile penetration of the vagina. As a result of the case was broadened to include nonconsensusal oral, anal, and gential contact which is consistant with how it's defined federally and in other states.
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-rape-law-governor-hochul-50e5f9d35b1a7e26881db616a787b45a
You don't have to have committed any criminal acts, just having some tattoos that resemble those of Venezuelan gang members can get you renditioned to an El Salvador maximum security prison with no due process. And even if they make a mistake and realise they souldn't have sent you there neither Trump or Bukele are willing to back down and return them to the US https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vedkm7w2do
And Trump has even said if he can get around the law then he is willing to send American citizens to the El Salvador jail. So while the Orangutan is in charge I wouldn't be visiting the US if I was gifted an all expenses paid trip and if I was an American Id be looking to move to Canada for the next 4 years.
It doesn't help that the US Department of Homeland Security basically just made up the tattoo stuff.
One of the examples they have on their web site, on Detecting and Identifying gang members, is a 10 year old Instagram post from a guy in Nottingham, UK, who had a clock tattooed on his arm (date and time of his daughter's birth).
BBC News - British man's tattoo wrongly linked to Venezuelan gang in US government document
You'd have thought if tattoos were a reliable way of identifying gang members, there would be enough real examples available, without Homeland Security needing to browse Instagram for random completely unrelated ones!
Checking the link, I believe that the footballer Raheem Sterling has a tattoo of a rifle on his right leg similar (but not identical) to the second one shown on your link.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44285455
Now I am fairly certain that Mr Sterling has nothing to do with any organised criminal gangs, but he is, well, black, and has a tattoo...
"The orange one's latest idea is to deport citizens who have committed certain criminal acts. "
Correction: The Orange Fuckwit's idea is to deport people who he claims have committed criminal acts. Awkward details like due process or constitutional rights aren't allowed to get in the way.
"Correction: The Orange Fuckwit's idea is to deport people who he claims have committed criminal acts. Awkward details like due process or constitutional rights aren't allowed to get in the way."
Correction correction: "... idea is to deport people he doesn't like on the basis of any excuse to link them in any way whatsoever with people who might have committed criminal acts. ..."
FTFY
I can only assume that the next step will be to examine people who have had tattoos removed, and 'deduce' from any residual scar tissue that the original tattoo was 'on the list' and deport them anyway:
"I think that scar is from the removal of a tattoo showing allegiance to a criminal gang, which you had removed in order to avoid being recognised as such and therefore you will be sent to El Salvador and imprisoned there."
It's a shame that a country once seen as an ally, has descended to this level of distrust between it and it's allies and in the reverse, its allies no longer have trust in them.
Many moons ago, when young and able bodied, I travelled to all sorts of places to consult, you always knew you were liable to tapping and intercept in certain countries, it just became part of the SOPs to limit confidential conversations, topics and data to your home base.
If you're on the move and mobile, expect your cellular and internet traffic to be monitored and recorded by someone.
Expect no privacy and you'll not be disappointed!
When a country once an ally descends to these levels of distrust it makes it very difficult for those former allies to criticise their actions as they are no longer allies. Let's say Trump does something truly appalling they can then dismiss the former allies concerns to their own people. They are not our friends. Why should you listen to them?
I honestly hope that not the tactic in play here because the outcome only ends one way.
If America wants to be isolationist, let them be isolated. They don't want us, we don't want them.
That includes IMF meetings or any other conferences. Let American delegates sit alone in otherwise empty conference halls. That will give them plenty of opportunity to discuss how badly they fucked up.
At this point, they are no better than the Norks. In fact they're worse, in terms of the threat level.
I beg to differ - we're much worse. The Norks went from a credible regional power to a hermit kingdom due to factors outside of their control with their patron states.
We've decided to use our GLOBAL HEGEMONY and independence to collectively jump off a roof because it angers well-meaning but short-sighted people domestically... and are now insisting that shitting our pants on purpose further indicates how respected we are.
We (the Rest Of The World) cannot just ignore the USA, they are too powerful, both economically and militarily. If Ukraine stops getting US weapons and intelligence their fight against Putin's invasion will be much more difficult. Their continued support for Netanyahu's attacks on Gaza and the West Bank (whether you approve or not, see letter from some British Jews*) affects what the ROTW can do. Threats, whether genuine or not to annex Greenland, the Panama Canal or even Canada have an effect on international trade and politics.
Besides, to ignore the current American regime would be to abandon those friendly Americans who are not entirely happy with Trump.
* https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/16/members-of-leading-british-jewish-body-condemn-israels-latest-actions-in-gaza
Open letter in the FT: https://www.ft.com/content/6a506d98-40a0-48e7-8e98-2882beb30914?accessToken=zwAGMuXEajvgkc9qUG2YQKBI59OOmCiCvrMJFA.MEUCIAIGf0Yyz5j1OmpPzjYy1oJ6yMmulSXVVmsrVNBBszaxAiEAxnF3F2Vr2Bt5ZJP0bnmDSh2Ea3bY1YDjtn4YBh7DgYs&sharetype=gift&token=9bed91e5-c667-48f4-b741-5080138780ef
He's right. This is doing more to drive people to Linux than anything I can recall.
Various communities have popped up across the internet themed around boycotting the US and it's products and services (i.e. /r/boycottunitedstates, or /u/buyfromeu/uk/canada etc, to use Reddit examples). I watch a few of them, and they're full of people using Linux for the first time; posting screenshots, asking questions or helping others.
It's the first time I can recall seeing people discuss Linux outside of tech/gaming communities.
In the larger grand scheme of things, it's still only a trickle, but it's a start.
I'd load up the 4 laptops I have to carry and 5 phones with as much realistic looking "data" as possible and force them to confiscate them.
Let them knock themselves out drowning in 30 year exchanges about the menu in the canteen and supplier invoices. After all, they like data, don't they ? Be rude not to supply as much as we can.
Yup - I flag every time (have an Irish surname, not sure if I have a relative on a watch list..)
When I'm with my family, they're all fine - can check them in online and that's fine. I try and it errors and I have the extra security checks. Usually ballistics checks, finger wipe downs, several pat downs and have to switch on all electrical devices and show them working.
Get this over in the US too, with armed people - although the DHS are actually friendlier than the UK security staff. Again, checked for C4, ballistics etc. Practically stripped, although got used to it now and just comply.
You've an Irish surname?
Then they are probably trying to work out which one of the the 50% of the US population you're related to, the other 50% claim to be Scottish or Italian
Best put down I ever saw went along the lines of.
"I'm part Irish, part Scottish, part Italian and part viking*"
"Yeah, if I was from the USA, I'd be ashamed of calling myself American as well".
*Viking because they can't find the country of Scandinavia on a map.
I'm suprised this is only coming in now. This has been corporate policy in every firm I've worked in for at least 10 years (maybe 15).
Maybe EU officials felt they would be exempted from that bollocks law which states that Homeland Security can take and copy any phone or laptop that enters the USA, which has been in effect for I dont know how long, and maybe they are now thinking they wont be exempt any longer. But this should have been standard policy for a long time now...
100% agree and depending on the seniority additional conversations about being careful with personal devices, conversations relating to confidential matters etc. etc. The reality is if the US wants to access your orgs business information they can and you'll probably never even know. But lets not make it easy. And the same OpSec type approach also helps when laptops and phones get lost or are stolen so it's a pretty basic table stakes policy to adopt.
I suspect the tweaking of the EU recommendations is more for the publicity and optics or even just a general disapproving frown in the direction of the US than any real change in standard operating procedures, most government officials are briefed on appropriate precautions, whether they follow or not is debatable.
Good grief - the EU doesn't get it at all. What tech are they using - can't be Microsoft (US company), Google Play (US company) or Apple (US company).
Are they running their own locked down Linux and using TOR?
Giving staff Nokia old style non-touchscreen phones might work but then you just look like a drug dealer and get stopped anyway...
LAPTOP
=======
Copy useful files to a UK-based server (like burner contacts)
Delete everything from cloud-based email
Delete LinkedIn, Facebook, VPN accounts
DBAN
Clean install of Fedora41/XFCE
....good to go......
BURNER
=======
Delete all contacts (memory and SIM)
Delete all "apps"
Install NEW burner SIM
....good to go......
....of course, there may still some residual data for snoops to review.......but so little that they can get through everything in a few minutes...........
....and of course that IN ITSELF is grounds for suspicion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
....just don't take either a phone or a laptop with you..........
....head out to your NY store of choice (WalMart?) and buy new stuff inside the USA:
- a laptop
- a cell phone
- a T-Mobile SIM
.....a thousand dollars on expenses and a couple of hours aggravation doing a restore from your UK backup....and you are all set!!
You haven't got a phone on you? We don't believe you. Full body cavity search needed.
Nope, I'd rather carry a "plausible deniability" generic smartphone with nothing on it. Don't raise suspicion and they probably won't even look at you.
"- a laptop
- a cell phone"
Lets see how the tariff war pans out over the next few days/weeks/months before bandying around recommendations to buy tech in the USA, eh?
Having said that, the rest of the world will suffer too thanks to all these companies being multi-nationals. Sony have just bumped up the price of a PS5, worldwide because of "challenging market conditions". Translated, that means they can't afford to alienate their US customers by adding on the full tariff cost so they'll increase the retail cost world wide so as to keep US sold PS5's at a more reasonable level. Expect to see more of this with other brands of phones, laptops, consoles etc. We will be subsidising their US losses and adding to Trumps tariff haul. Greedy bastards the lot of 'em!
Frequent travelers should have a separate cheap laptop to take along anyway. Even for other countries than USA, Russia, or China, because of the possibility of the laptop getting stolen. Copy only the needed documents to it before traveling, reformat and reinstall after the trip.
"He likes our king you know."
Our King just made a speech in Italy re. the liberation of Italy during WW2. He mentioned the large Canadian contingent who sacrificed many lives in that conflict and reminded the world he's still the King of Canada. Trump may have forgotten that minor detail, or never knew it, which is more likely. Canadian sovereignty for the win :-)
There were two citizens stopped and one was briefly detained driving back from Canada into Vermont recently and had his phone seized and searched. He and his wife had Muslim names (and appearance, I assume) but apparently (this is why the story made the news) he'd voted for Trump. Sorry not sorry, you got exactly what you voted for!
If the drooling idiots Trump has installed at the borders are doing that to citizens with the wrong name/appearance today, it won't be long before I end up on a list of undesirables for not supporting Dear Leader and get similar treatment.
At the rate the US is declining my next trip over the border might be my last, and I won't have to worry about what happens on the way back because I won't be back!
Given that your devices may become spyware-implanted at the border crossing, you should not bring your burner devices with you when you enter a country.
Buy them in-country if you're Joe Q. Sixpack; have them delivered to you in-country via diplomatic pouch if you're Ginny Government Worker.
A government issuing its employees burner devices to take with them to the U.S.A. is stupid.
1. If you're Joe Q. Sixpack, you probably won't be targeted by spy agencies, unless you're required to show ID to buy your device or SIM card. If you're not targetted, you should be as secure as you were in your home country running MS & Google SW. If you ARE required to show ID to buy your device or SIM card (use cash), you probably will be targetted, in which case, either make do without the device, or, use it knowing you're being monitored.
2. If you are Tess Technician or Sally Scientist, you're probably being targetted, so do without your devices, or buy them locally and know you're being monitored. (Running Linux, or whatever non-MS/non-Apple OS won't protect you from nation-level spies, as those spies know how to exploit hardware vulnerabilities.)
3. If you are Ginny Government Worker, your government can deliver secure devices to you via diplomatic pouch.
Anytime you are traveling internationally, it makes sense to not bring phones, tablets or laptops with all of your important documents and access keys on them. Theft is a big concern especially if you have a penchant for the latest iThing. There should be no need to access all of your bank, retirement and investment accounts from your devices. If you might need to do something like that, it should be hived off in an individually encrypted folder and not be a saved password in your web browser. Many countries have laws that require you to provide unlock codes/biometrics when asked by law enforcement/border agents.
While financial security is important, so is protecting yourself when it comes to statements you may have made. Leave that InstaPintaTwitFace account at home when you travel. Most countries prohibit visitors from engaging in political activities. In the US, the State department has a comprehensive reading list for travelers so they can familiarize themselves with the particular restrictions and requirements of the countries they intend to visit. If you are required to apply for a visa, you will be expressly agreeing to those restrictions by signing the documents. Never believe that just because something is legal where you come from that it's legal where you visit. Even if it is legal for a citizen, it can be a heavy fine or imprisonment for a visitor. I read a news story where a young couple was traveling to the US from the UK and posting on social media that they were going to "destroy Hollywood". Most would take that as intended, they planned to do a bunch of partying and clubbing. The border agents were spawned in the methane lakes of Titan and translated it another way. When they landed in NY, they spent hours talking with stone-faced government agents before being put on a return flight. Many countries are looking out for visitors that might be coming to work on a visitor visa. Is there anything in all of your saved texts/email that relates to work? Even an apprenticeship or vocational program can require a different sort of visa where an educational track at a trade show isn't a big deal.
A US citizen would do well to have burner devices for when they return to the US or get within 150 miles of an international border. They don't have to be disposed of, just stripped down to the most basic essentials, making sure what one considers an "essential" isn't going to cause problems.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
