UK is crazy for this. Border police can detain anyone they like for literally no reason and if they do you have no right to lawyer or no right to silence. Your devices can also be taken and you must hand over any passwords.

I know the UK is an authoritarian state and not really comparable to the US, but as a Brit it's kinda weird hearing Americans complain about flock cameras and arbitrary border searches – these are common place things in the UK and no one cares (well, apart from me and maybe one or two others).

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seanhunter 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

That is not true. The specific powers of arrest and detention by UK border force were set out in this freedom of information response here https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/uk_border_force_power...

Summary is they can’t detain people for no reason, they can detain people for specific offences relating to immigration and citizenship, customs and excise and also the normal stuff any regular police officer can arrest people for.

I’m no apologist for how much state authority they have, but it’s not as bad as you’re making out.

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2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

[deleted]

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rdm_blackhole 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It is true.

The UK border agents (technically counter-terrorism) can stop you at the border, force you into a room, ask for your passwords to all your devices and you don't have the right to refuse.

You also don't have the right to a lawyer to be in a room with you and you are compelled to answer all their questions and they do not need to tell you why they stopped you.

Then, if you are lucky they return your devices 7 days later after they have been through everything.

This guy went through it last year and talks about what happens when they stop you: https://youtu.be/991kRp8KUmo?si=-5S1uLE7K9KG_gNj

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suslik an hour ago | parent [-]

> you don't have the right to refuse

What happens if I still do? Or pretend that I forgot my pin and accidentally lock my phone down?

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iamnothere 42 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

They serve you a RIPA notice and you either provide the password or they prosecute you. Penalties are 2-5 years in jail depending on the nature of the investigation.

I avoid flying anywhere near the UK or its territories.

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rdm_blackhole an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

The guy in the video explains exactly that.

If you are a UK citizen, they will charge you under the terrorism act if you refuse to answer their questions or if you try to conceal anything or if you refuse to provide all the passwords to all your devices.

As for what happens when you can genuinely not remember your passwords, I honestly don't know. The guy in the video just gave them access to everything because he travels a lot and did not want to have to explain why he has a terrorism charge to his name every-time he has to apply for a new visa.

Maybe you can refuse and stay silent and fight the charge later in court with a good lawyer but who knows. IANAL so do your own research before doing anything.

As for what happens if you are a foreigner and refuse to unlock your devices/ answer their questions, they can deport you and potentially ban you from entering the country for a certain amount of time or indefinitely.

	▲	godwinson__4-8 2 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		> Maybe you can refuse and stay silent and fight the charge later in court with a good lawyer but who knows. IANAL... You ask who knows. Then you say IANAL. I'm excited for you. You're so close to identifying who might know! Keep doing your own research, you got this.

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rurban an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Welcome to the "democratic" regimes of US, UK, Russia and Turkey. Arbitrary border searches, interrogations and imprisonment, if you are on the wrong end of the political spectrum.

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mvc 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

All the shady stuff the UK does, it does at the behest of the US.

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someonebaggy 2 hours ago | parent [-]

I don't think so. I think the British public genuinely want to live in an authoritarian surveillance state.

Once they do, they might stop wanting to live in one. But for now they want it.

	▲	Ylpertnodi 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		They don't. But cameras - like where I am now - came in gradually, and the public only get to see motorway crashes and the stuff the .gov want you to see. If the aussies have facial recognition, so do the brits. One eye. That will rule them all.