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Deleting it after you book your ticket is too late now. It may be pointless to delete at all. The regime's been scanning social media for quite a while AND social media barons have all the knee to the regime so backdoor access may have been granted (including "private" & maybe even deleted posts).

Don't travel to that country, at all!

To add to this, even minutes after posting something is likely already too late to delete it. Work under the assumption that once you post something publicly, they already have it permanently and deleting the post or account does absolutely nothing.

My assumption.

I told them my situation. I did not identify myself, but they took one look at me, looked down, clicked a mouse, and they called me by my full name and told me I’d be getting home on time. As I walked away, I thought, wait. Fuuuuuck. Yeah, it’s already too late. 2/2

At this point, every person entering the US (citizens included), should be traveling with a cheap prepaid smartphone with nothing but your contacts and a GPS. Keep your real phone at home.

It so easy to tell someone what they should have done. Cognitive dissonance is real. Stop judging and just be supportive. He’s safe, that’s ALL that matters.

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That is - so far - reserved for non-white people.

Resist fully, there’s nothing to be gained by compliance from untrustworthy fascists.

Sounds like an awful experience. I wonder why they bother issuing visas for travel if they are going to take this approach at the border? Just for the cruelty?

Never let anyone into your phone for any reason ever. It's like talking to cops without your lawyer. Nothing good could ever come from it; nothing worse will happen to you because you refuse.

This reads like an article about a journalist in China ten years ago.

Your experience, and others, explain this in The Age. "A new survey released by the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney showed that 72 per cent of respondents said they didn’t trust Trump to act responsibly in global affairs, just edging out the 71 per cent who said they didn’t trust China’s Xi."

Free speech….? Not in America.

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I’m so sorry. I hope you come back someday when we’re not in this mess. Please keep writing about what’s happening here and about what happened to you. 💗

Fucking fascists. I hope you are doing well and are able to come back at some point.

You should probably look at replacing that phone. Wouldn't be surprised if they installed something on it so they can continue to monitor you.

obviously the least worrying part of this but just curious to know whether they also make you pay for the flight home?

I'm glad the US govt is keeping foreign agitators like you OUT

I'm sorry that the current administration of my country treated you so awful. 😢😭 Keep up the good work.

Thank you, everyone, for the support. You can now read my full account at The New Yorker. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Hi Alistair, what a harrowing experience. Is it your impression that the US is now analyzing passenger lists with tech like we see in the movies and _Person of Interest_, doing deep dives on every individual, including social media posts, employment, etc., even before they take a person's phone?

Thread Unroll @unroll.skywriter.blue‬

I was with you until substack. It’s a nazi platform. Giving money to substack helps nazis. I won’t do It.

Do you have an alternate for Substack? I want to support your work but I absolutely refuse to give that nazi-friendly company money

I was shocked to hear yesterday. Glad you're okay mate. Insane and awful.

Can't have freedom of thought in an authoritarian oligarchic regime #unite

Both our local and national journalism have been captured by billionaires, of course they are afraid of real journalists from other countries that they don't already own.

The thread as a shareable webpage: https://skywriter.blue/pages/did:plc:jmmjc6ln34je34zpt3gbw4n2/post/3lrjsdecc5c2x. Powered by @skywriter.blue

That’s horrifying and I’m so, so sorry. I’m ashamed of my country’s actions.

Good that you're out. It's like Gilead over there right now. Be glad that you're back in civil society now.

This is so embarrassing for those of us who have not lost our minds. I am sorry our country treated you this way. I pray this will end soon and we can work on earning back trust from our allies.

We're no longer the land of the free sadly and I'm so sorry that this is how our country violated you and other tourists based on if they support our president or not. This is as anti-American as it gets. None of this is normal and its very scary this is what our country is now.

Happens all the time though. In Russia, it could be even worse.

It's amazing how much this admin hates free speech.

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Sounds like 2 phones are now required. 1 with the contents needed to travel and the other for work. The one to do work sent separately via a shipping service to get picked up upon arrival. Another thought. When will someone load up malicious software on a phone intended for download to fight back

And plantir has been given a contract to do all the data mining for every person in the United States

Social media and the rest of the Internet don't live on your phone.

If you have posted it, it's too late. Remember Snowden? They save everything.

Yeah… I’d say probably need to do it before your flight takes off. I’m so sorry. It’s so embarrassing. I hope the rest of the world learns from our mistakes.

Why is that?

You're on bluesky, the delete button is cosmetic pleasantry; everything here is public forever no matter who you are