I'm a US scientist and the use of minimalist phone and a laptop is something I'm planning for all my travel.

This is for the simple reason that I have determined, based on a large body of cases that are accumulating at a disturbing rate, that the current US administration considers themselves "above the law". Furthermore, the administration has shown that they are eager to carry out actions that violate due process and freedom of speech against anyone they perceive as opposing their policies/views.

EDIT: I'm happy to document such cases for those who have not been paying attention, but I also encourage those who are doubtful to simply search the many examples that have been posted here on HN (unfortunately, many flagged in an attempt to suppress discussion).

It is probably better to start keeping public lists of surprising incidents, analogously to the way lawyers would summarize case precedent, but applied to the extralegal system. It can be difficult to find old news articles sometimes.

Do you not feel unsafe sharing this publicly?

That is not really relevant, because you sort of have to say what's true whatever happens to you, as required at the intersection of the duties of a scientist, of a citizen of a republic, and even on the basis of the basic tenants of the country's majority religion. In some sense to live a steady life you have to be resigned to potential misfortunes.

I hear Canadian's are a nice and respectful people. Though as many as can need to stay behind as true patriots who will __actively vote__ in the every election to try to restore freedom and democracy in America.

Canada has imported a lot of the same culture war BS as the US. If you're LGBTQ or support human rights Canada is not much better.

One of the important things to watch for is the linkup of the papers please people with the internet scanners. Right now they seem to be limited to seizing your personal effects, but that is a matter of coordination between departments of the government. If there are laws against it, they are adjacent to other laws which were ignored even in previous years. Once that occurs the use of professional use devices will not make the crossing safe.

The sad fact is that everyone needs a “burner” laptop and phone these days for travel. Not limited to the trump administration either.

America changed right after 2001. People have been asleep this entire time, presuming that their government would never target them, even though they've slowly been building a giant surveillance network that could only have this ultimate purpose.

Pretending this is "Trump's America" or "Obama's America" or "Bush's America" is ridiculous. They've all participated in building these walls around the country and our freedom.

The last five administrations have bombed the poorest country on the planet. Now people are being disappeared by police amidst public cheers. Even the mods on this website think the above headline is sensationalized, meanwhile a few months ago they hosted the AMA of an IDF soldier that probably helped murder children. Major parts of society are pacified and numb.

You must be Russian, there is no term "yellow journalism" in English really.

Thanks mod, of course there is no secret police being built for use on college campuses.

(https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-task-force-combat-ant...)

The people opposing these things do themselves a serious disservice by conflating someone who attended the funeral of the top guy of a designated terrorist group with the biologist moving biomaterial between research labs.

Now every time I hear one of these stories I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop and hear about how the frog biologist attended Prigozhin’s funeral (purely out of recognition for his work as a chef, of course)

There are in reality only two types of actions, those that are illegal, and those that you think you have every right to do.

And since torturing and detaining even US citizens at the border for no crime is legal, cbp will continue to exercise 'their rights' (I quote actual words of cbp officers that chained me after invoking the fifth amendment).

> who attended the funeral of the top guy of a designated terrorist group

Designated by whom? I personally have never once felt "terror" from the existence of Hamas nor do I feel confronted by those who would go to the funerals of it's leaders.

Right, because the entire US/Israeli/NATO apparatus isn't responsible for terrorizing and murdering tens of _thousands_ of children in Palestine. No, that is a just execution of children, surely, at least that's what a dutiful netizen believes.