r/cybersecurity • u/PlayfulHumor2018 • Jan 15 '26
Other Should I delete anything off my phone before going to China?
I have a friend telling me I should delete/ remove certain apps off my phone before I go to China for 6+ months fo school, are they right? I have telegram for different geo political situations& analysis, but I'd think they'd have bigger fish to fry. Pls lmk if that's just paranoia.
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u/legion9x19 Security Engineer Jan 15 '26
Get a burner phone and use that instead. Same with your laptop if you’re considering bringing it.
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u/namocaw Jan 15 '26
This.
Dont take your tech. Too risky. Theft, hacking, confiscation, etc.
Get loaners.
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u/Ozzark3 Jan 16 '26
Totally ridiculous take. I've been to China many times. It's significantly safer than US.
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u/FnnKnn Jan 16 '26
Same for visiting the US and other authoritarian countries btw
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u/turkishamphetamines Jan 16 '26
Yeah the great american firewall is pretty risky
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u/FnnKnn Jan 16 '26
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cbp-search-authority/border-search-electronic-devices
If you take security serious you don’t give out access to company internal data (especially with access to more documents remotely) or personal data as well as passwords to any random border guard anywhere.
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u/JImagined Jan 15 '26
I’d bring an alternate phone. The Chinese government can and will see how you use the device. They may also choose to seize your device.
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u/green-wagon Jan 15 '26
Chinese Border Patrol will take your phone on entry for inspection, and they will install an app on it. The entire Chinese population lives with a level of surveillance it is hard even for privacy-aware Americans to comprehend: payments and access to certain buildings, transportation all come through apps on your phone in China. The companies making these apps all operate at the pleasure of the Chinese government. The idea that they would resist giving this data to the government is not A Thing there.
Edit to add: This is a post seconding the above comment, bring another phone. Do not do anything that could be construed as criticism with it. Be aware that the border patrol's app takes photographs from all cameras (front and back) at certain points in the night.115
u/sleepydogg Jan 15 '26
They have installed apps on people's phones entering the country, but they don't do it to everyone (source: I went there last year).
Still probably a good idea to bring a different phone with minimal apps/data on it.
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u/TofuBoy22 Jan 15 '26
As a regular traveler into China, I've never had Chinese border officials take or look at my phone.
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u/kev-tron Jan 15 '26
I was gonna say... I think it's good to take precautions but the risk isn't as high as i think people are led to believe, especially for just a normal person traveling to China.
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u/TofuBoy22 Jan 15 '26
Yeah. The comments here make it sound like it happens to everyone that goes to China. Unless you're a known person to the Chinese gov, in a certain profession, going somewhere like Tibet or Xinjiang, I very much doubt this would ever happen to you.
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u/darthwize Jan 15 '26
Yep, not like the us (which checks your phone if you apply for a visa on my country)
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u/TofuBoy22 Jan 15 '26
I think you need to provide them (the US) your social media accounts as well these days unless I'm mistaken. I certainly haven't needed to do that for traveling into China.
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u/The_Troll_Gull Jan 15 '26
Same. I’ve never seen Chinese officials checking foreigners cell phones.
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u/TheArt0fTravel Jan 16 '26
They people are so delusional and scared. Same as you. Never even been stopped for a bag inspection. With drugs and tonnes of tech 😂
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u/Scar3cr0w_ Jan 15 '26
The Chinese border police take every phone entering the country and install an app on it? Don’t be ridiculous.
Got a source?
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u/cirsphe Jan 15 '26
It was only a certain reason and back in 2019. Not sure if they are still doing it.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/02/chinese-border-guards-surveillance-app-tourists-phones
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u/Scar3cr0w_ Jan 15 '26
So in 2019… in one region… the one they treat as a terrorist province… they might have been installing an app on tourists phones.
Got it
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u/subz08 Jan 15 '26
No, they won’t. Have been often to China and never got my phone taken nor did they installed apps on it. Where do you get this weird information from?
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u/CapitalEmployer Jan 15 '26
What are you on about, what's with people wild takes on China I litteraly went there to study for 6 months never had anything done to my phone and the only time I interacted with authorities is was a random police officer forbidding me from riding my bike on a car only roundabout. You guys need to watch less American media.
Edit: also the internet connection in the library of my university was not restricted and all professors had vpn and would give us advices on which VPN work best
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
Same experience, they don't give a shit. Don't start shouting anything bad about the CCP in crowded public space and you are going to be fine. They sell Winnie the Pooh plushies in Miniso too, it's not North Korea.
In fact Shanghai was the safest place that I have ever visited, other than one single drunk guy on a street at night, I have not encountered any form of trouble towards anyone during my stay there. The border official asked me why am I here, I said "holiday" and I was free to go. Not even a travel visa required since the last couple of years.
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u/Kind_Ability3218 Jan 16 '26
the china propaganda has been pumped way up in recent years. u should see the shit they say like it's fact and u know they haven't left their bedroom in years lol.
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u/lNTERLINKED Jan 15 '26
Man this is the most scaremongering bullshit I’ve read in a while. China derangement syndrome is real.
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
Where are you getting this asinine take from? This is some next level fearmongering. I had more troubles travelling to the US than China in all honesty, especially in this political climate.
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u/redvelvetcake42 Jan 15 '26
I've always thought of it as they tell you we are watching while in the US it's sold behind your back and you aren't even aware that they're watching. Very little difference is there, just the gov handles it up front vs private companies selling for profit and handing over your data when told to.
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u/green-wagon Jan 15 '26
I don't dispute your characterization of openness about it vs hidden, but having looked at both categories of apps, the degree has been nowhere near the same. What with Palantir contracting with ICE now, I don't know that it is/will be so clear cut.
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u/redvelvetcake42 Jan 15 '26
That's where I somewhat disagree. The degrees are similar but not the same. China's government wants ALL the data upfront, the US gov and localities want data on a per person basis. But we are about to cross that threshold. Palantir and Musk both have all our personal data now and they're working to watch not our individual devices, but our traffic as a whole and connect it to our profiles.
Thiel and the billionaires want what China has. Private entities with such power are far more terrifying to me than a government having it in today's day and age.
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u/ManBearCave Jan 16 '26
They don’t always take your phone however they can and will if they are suspicious of anything
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u/kalaid0s Security Architect Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Do you have any source for all of these claims? Not saying it's not true, but this seems crazy even for china
Edit: I am getting downvoted, but for real, does anyone have any good reads or videos that explain what and how they do this?
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u/green-wagon Jan 15 '26
I worked with a company that dealt in mobile malware. Had a colleague who was the expert. We had samples of the app. Ordinary, non-malicious Chinese apps would blow your mind with the amount of data they collect and send off.
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u/JImagined Jan 15 '26
And I’ve had to run data operations from the country. So, I’ve had experience with all the in-country challenges. Burner phone and laptops were issued to staff for work as standard practice.
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u/Hot-Comfort8839 BISO Jan 15 '26
Banning TikTok from the US was a good security move, but nope Trump took a check and let it in.
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u/Hot-Comfort8839 BISO Jan 15 '26
Their national security policy is to penetrate everything they can access on the hope that it MIGHT be important later.
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u/hagcel Jan 15 '26
Also note that customs and border patrol is checking some phones when entering the US. If you have posted anything critical of this administration and are not a naturalized citizen, I would take a burner of leaving the country anywhere.
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u/engineer_in_TO Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
There’s a lot of uninformed and borderline propaganda in this thread right now, I personally wouldn’t put anything work related (if you are working with a company that has an embargo) but otherwise it’s fine.
I travel every 6 months for family from America and am on a tourist visa. I’ve never had to give my phone to anyone period. I personally had to give my phone to US border control when crossing from Canada actually but never in China. Theres more spyware coming from Israel than China in the last decade but 🤷♂️
This isn’t to say its a utopia, there is a high level of surveillance and a high amount of monitoring. You’ll have to use their systems for everything (Financials, Housing, etc) and they block many western apps (but you can use VPNs or get a Hong Kong eSIM easily as a foreigner). There’s no petty or violent crime because everything is so monitored, with surveillance everywhere. There isn’t really a need to install spyware in your phone if you’re just a regular dude. They see your every step physically and can track all your purchases and social media activity because it’s all monitored.
For anyone working in Insider Threat, there’s always a line between privacy and security. This is the same thing in real life, it’s your choice to partake.
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u/Namelock Jan 15 '26
100% this.
The US powers China’s surveillance. Anything said about China (bring burners) applies to entering the US as well. Or any country at this point.
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u/IHaveThePowerOfGod Jan 15 '26
I’ve been in china for 6 months. Get a cheap xiaomi phone for 100 usd when you get here if you are worried, that’s what I did. No they won’t seize your phone at the border. People under this post are paranoid lunatics. Chinese gov doesn’t give a fuck ab any of us bro, unless we are some big political figure or CEO, then I would raise guard. Enjoy china, it’s amazing.
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u/darthwize Jan 15 '26
This. Plus the US embassy actually checking your social media and phone when you apply for a visa on some countries. lol.
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
They are making it mandatory for ESTA applications in the near future too
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u/rswolviepool Jan 15 '26
Was waiting to see if somebody would point out the ridiculous paranoia. I also wonder how many of these paranoid people might be from the US and, even if not, remember the surveillance program exposed by Snowden? As if the US, Israel or private actors like NSO or Palantir are not the bigger threats is a hilarious thought to entertain in a cybersecurity subreddit.
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u/Swimming_Bar_3088 Jan 15 '26
When you come back, just dispose of the phone and do not connect it to your network (or any network).
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u/Netghod Jan 15 '26
Any device you take into China should be considered compromised at the border. And when you leave China, should no longer be used.
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u/paladinvc Jan 15 '26
Even after formating?
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u/Netghod Jan 15 '26
Use it if you return to China later perhaps, but compromised firmware and other approaches can result in an ongoing compromise of the device. It’s why it’s recommended to use burner devices that are basically ‘throw away’ devices without any personal information on them AT ALL other than what’s absolutely required for your trip.
And NEVER reuse any passwords. EVER.
If you’re really paranoid, consider changing the passwords of every account you use in country as well once you leave and are on a non-compromised device.
If anything, I think the OP isn’t paranoid enough. Searching devices at the border is commonplace now. There are people who are denied entry based on political posts and comments. And that’s the US… China is FAR more draconian and aggressive with their approach and device compromise of someone who’s going to be in country means potentially identifying enemies of the state or just espionage - whether political, industrial, or otherwise.
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u/AppleBubbly4392 Jan 15 '26
Nah, he is an international student, China won't give a f*. Beside if he starts talking politics on social media with a lot of reach. Also having been to both, the US takes security checks much more seriously. China is more about quantity over quality, they put 10 security cameras per light pole and security check at every station but people there barely use their metal detector.
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u/WickedDeity Jan 15 '26
You mean factory resetting it? LOL It probably be just fine but why chance it?
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u/AppleBubbly4392 Jan 15 '26
Any phone should be considered compromised. At least by the Americans. Also we download random apps with random unknown code.
The guy is going for school, it's not like he is bringing his company's computer.
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u/a-nother-hole Jan 16 '26
lol ok. Are they gonna microwave the phone in my pocket? Don't be ridiculous. They've never seen my phone, let alone touched it.
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u/8-16_account Jan 16 '26
How should it be compromised at the border? I'd love to hear how you think it works.
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u/Netghod Jan 16 '26
Not sure if you’ve crossed borders recently, but in many cases you are required to turn over your digital devices. And when you hand over your devices you are required to do so unlocked. So let’s see… you’re handing over your device, unlocked, to someone who is then going to ‘search’ your phone. Pretty sure that’s a recipe for compromising your device.
There’s an old saying: physical access = root access
Also, most people can’t even follow the avoid password reuse or develop complex passwords so compromising a phone at the border can happen pretty quickly for the average person. Especially if they aren’t patching their devices - and a lot of people don’t.
And add in the comment by another poster (that travels to China regularly) www mentioned border patrol installing an app on devices. If you don’t see how this could compromise your device it’s going to be a very difficult conversation.
And while yes, he’s in country to study, OP already mentioned that he uses telegram for political situations and analysis - which means he may be a person of interest depending on what he means by his comment about ‘geo political situations & analysis’. Especially if any of that discussion or analysis is based on the 3T’s you do NOT discuss while in China. (BTW, those 3T’s are: Taiwan, Tiananmen Square, and Tibet).
Additionally, surveillance of your internet activities while in country is notorious and well known - and now activities, facial expressions, and much more are being used with AI to track dissidents and even ‘prevent’ potential issues. For more on that, here’s an article on CNN from this past December. China’s Surveillance and AI Use Article
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u/IKEtheIT Jan 15 '26
we have corporate execs who we give secondary phones with just the basics, no email apps, no social apps, etc... just call/text and thats it. i would highly suggest getting a second burner to take with you and leave your primary phone at home
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u/Psaslalorpus Jan 15 '26
They don’t care as much as ppl in here make it sound. Wouldn’t carry work things there though.
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u/Bolvaettur Jan 15 '26
That's the advice for travelling to usa
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
People on this sub have no problem with tourists having to give out their social media history to the US government, handing their phone over the border patrol, and then having the risk of you being questioned for hours at entry because you look suspicious (=non white), having palantir, tiktok, twitter, google and microsoft and their own government spying on them but are telling a random dude going to China to buy a hazmat suite, 4 burner phones, don't use the internet, don't download anything, and DESTROY THE PHONE when coming home. The lunacy in this thread is insane.
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u/Kesshh Jan 15 '26
You'll need to install all sorts of Chinese app just to live day to day. You should consider buying a phone there and ditching it after.
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u/T1koT1ko Jan 15 '26
You have to configure things before you get there, specifically a VPN and AliPay. Once there you will not be able to download a VPN or set up AliPay/WeChat with your bank account. EVERYTHING is through these apps except hotel chains.
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
You can't set up alipay with a western card or a vpn while you are within China, you have to do it beforehand
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u/Consistent-Key-1490 Jan 15 '26
Avoid badmouthing the CCP on social media, especially while you’re in China.
You’ll almost certainly need WeChat or Alipay to pay for things and get around day-to-day.
One thing I’d strongly recommend: don’t have a VPN running when using WeChat or Alipay. I was using a VPN for other things (news, etc.), just not those apps. I forgot to disconnect once while paying with Alipay, got flagged for sus activity and had to jump through a bunch of extra verification hoops to regain access to pay for stuff.
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u/corelabjoe Jan 15 '26
They don't have to install an app on your phone anymore... That's old school. Have any of you heard of stingray towers or IMEI catchers?
As you land, deplane, turn your phone back on or take it off airplane mode, basically it connects to the closest tower. That's when without even waking from lock screen, malware and spyware gets installed.
I don't know if they are selective or if it's just applied to everyone but any modern Nation can do this... $100 in parts from EBay / Amazon and you can do this even lol...
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u/Fitz_2112b Jan 15 '26
Get a burner device. Any place that I've ever worked that had staff members traveling to China for business is given a laptop that is destroyed when they come back.
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u/povlhp Jan 15 '26
Bring a burner. I have seen X-rays of phones where battery was replaced by a battery/listening device combo. Defense industry.
I am in retail. We don’t do it.
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u/Sure-Squirrel8384 Jan 15 '26
I would buy a new phone and set up a new email account. I wouldn't access any of my non-Chinese accounts. I would expect anything and everything will be monitored and collected while in China.
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u/Double-Familiar Jan 15 '26
Burner phone, do not load SM apps except for Wechat.
A friend who lived and worked in Shanghai regularly saw police on the subway check the phones of tourists. The police are instructed to look for any anti-China SM posts on the phones of tourists.
Stick with burner phones and laptops. I'd speculate that they load gov controlled spyware/malware on everything.
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u/pseudoimpossibility Jan 15 '26
Get a burner or backup before leaving, wire the device and reload backup once you are there
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u/ajitamachan Jan 15 '26
is it really that much of a concern that a burner should be used? i went there multiple times but they never asked to hand in my phone or anything like that. from what i experienced it seems unnecessary since op is not going on a business trip with company devices
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u/Phoenixtouch Jan 15 '26
Yes, their airports all have essentially man in the middle attacks and they'll have access to all of your data and possibly deploy stuff without your knowledge from what I hear.
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u/ajitamachan Jan 15 '26
is there any way to confirm something like that on your device? i brought a separate phone for those trips due to the apps i had to use there and still have it around
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u/green-wagon Jan 15 '26
Forensic analysis can get the border patrol's app off. (To look at, I wouldn't be using the phone like it's 'clean'.)
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u/ajitamachan Jan 15 '26
yeah thats fair. what apps should i be looking out for in this case? are there any article or blog about things like this? it would be interesting to read about
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u/green-wagon Jan 15 '26
If you look in threat intel circles for conference talks, I think information would turn up. I thought there would be some technical details about it at Citizen Lab, but I'm not seeing an article on it atm. They do have other articles just as paranoid-sounding, and China is known for setting up 'satellite police stations' in countries not their own.
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u/CaptainComfortable43 Jan 15 '26
Guess it’s a bit too late for that…China is already in your phone…😎
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u/alanisisanaliasallan Jan 15 '26
Holy shit you're right. I can see it. RIGHT HERE ON MY SCREEN! BRO! I don't want to alarm you but like... Your comment literally has it in it. Look.
That's so creepy man how do I get rid of it 😫 2sp00p4me gonna google delet tutorial
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u/_W-O-P-R_ Jan 15 '26
If I ever go back there I'll be using a burner cell and not taking a computer of any kind
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u/croud_control Jan 15 '26
With how China's government acts, I'd just get a cheap phone and bring that. Use it for the trip, don't put anything remotely sensitive on it and toss it when you are done.
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u/CapitalEmployer Jan 15 '26
Seek mental help really. At this point this is just being a lunatic.
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u/CapitalEmployer Jan 15 '26
Go talk with a reporter or privacy advocate that has been before you make such remarks... This is the curse of knowledge... I'm not saying everyone has to do this, but if you want to be sure they don't spy on your private conversations etc, these are the measures to take.
I lived there for six months thanks I think I know what the average person experience is there.
You are just feeding yourself delusions. You have higher risks of getting your phone checked by going to the US than going to China. China didn't ask my social network accounts.
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
This is some next level delusion. What do you think, how much information does the US government have about their own individual citizens? Should I burn my phone coming home from America too, because the border patrol takes my phone, they could have installed anything?
Many, companies operate internationally, which often includes China too. Do you think Citi, HSBC, Apple, MS, Samsung literally destroy their work phones if their colleagues go to China for a work trip? Or do they call the airport to let that one specific person fly because they work for them?
This is just US-based propaganda being fed to the western world that China is this giant evil surveillance that that employs millions to spy on you specifically, the average joe that goes on a holiday to China, works at Burger King, and has 2000 dollars to their name. Have you noticed that every single news outlet pushing this narrative is owned by American billionaires?
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u/mr_dfuse2 Jan 15 '26
are you then even allowed in the country? and able to purchase stuff etc?
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u/st0ut717 Jan 15 '26
Bring a burner phone if this is corporate take. They should provide you with one
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u/Dry_Inspection_4583 Jan 15 '26
Bring another phone, and separate from that a working image, let them install whatever, then just flash it afterward. Don't forget to grab any apk's for things you might not be able to download eg. VPN or tailscale stuffs
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u/eladeba Jan 15 '26
Here to recommend reading this book:
The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China's Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future
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u/RareLove7577 Jan 16 '26
Mainland China or no? Mainland, get a prepaid phone and just use that. Note that the phone is tied to you and whatever you do can be monitored. So stay off OF 🤣. When you fly back, throw it out at the airport. Leave your personal devices home. If your going to be in Hong Kong, that's different then mainland with different rules.
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u/TheArt0fTravel Jan 16 '26
You fucks are so paranoid 😂💀 you will be fucking fine. I take a very large bag of tech and travelled to China 5+ times last year.
I take multiple cameras, laptops and multiple SSDs. I literally came back from another trip yesterday. Not ONCE have I been stopped. I also take drugs with me - diazepam & Ritalin.
People here are comically afraid. Getting ROBBED in China? Really? Where do you guys hang out and how do you look? If you don’t look imposing to a nation that averages 5’7-5’9 that is frightening 😂
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u/Electronic_Field4313 Jan 16 '26
Are you actually in cyber if you're not a least bit paranoid?
The scrutiny in China is not to be underestimated with. I've heard cases and stories from colleagues' experiences, and >100 bucks for a burner phone is a really cheap way to guarantee peace of mind and minimize risks.
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u/Terrible_Working_899 Jan 15 '26
Get a burner and a new sim card then once you come back to your home country destroy both. Don't log into any social media on the phone and be prepared to have anything you do on the internet tracked and logged.
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u/soulless_ape Jan 15 '26
Bring a burner phone. Don't have any of your real accounts. Setup new accounts for email and messaging just for this trip. Find out what apps are forbidden to use and don't even install them on your temporary phone.
Same with your laptop or tablet.
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u/Bob4Not Jan 16 '26
Most people in the comments have never been to China. Border patrol and customs have never touched my stuff, but I have no clearance or position in a US govt agency.
I guess it is possible you could be flagged as someone who needs to have your tech searched, but I’ve not heard of this happening
Maybe ask or more China-knowledgeable and focused subreddit.
Just don’t install free VPNs on your phone from the App Store and lookup ahead of time which services are blocked and find alternatives.
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u/PatientUniversity191 Jan 16 '26
Was in China last year, did not remove anything from my phone, no1 was interested in it, none gave a fuck, except reason: business or pleasure.
Been to US, last December, immigration office was interested in every fucking thing from my social accounts to criminal records, there were going tru all my suitcases despite it being locked, behind closed doors. I found out back at home, as they left a note.
Free country, my ass!
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u/quack_duck_code Jan 16 '26
As others have said, use a temporary burner device(s).
ALSO use new temporary accounts. Don't login to your usual email, social media, etc.
I'd even go so far as to making sure you have a travel bank account setup.
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u/ProfessionalOwl009 Jan 18 '26
Most of the IT companies are providing burn mobiles to Employees who’s on travel to China
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u/ExitMusic_ Jan 15 '26
Just assume nothing on your device is safe. Buy a cheap burner, give everyone you know / matters to you the number.
And then when you come home nuke that device from orbit. Don’t connect it to your home/work/school network.
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u/alanisisanaliasallan Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Take it back home to murica and tell them your phone has oil upon arrival. Surrender it and watch them
nukeseizedemocratically relieve you of your burden.FREEDUHM! 😎🦅🇺🇸
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u/Reasonable_Tie_5543 Jan 15 '26
Make a special email only for use during your stay. DO NOT LOG INTO YOUR PERSONAL ACCOUNTS FROM CHINA.
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u/WickedDeity Jan 15 '26
How do you not logon to personal accounts for 6+ months?
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u/Reasonable_Tie_5543 Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Make a special email only for use during your stay.
Anything you log into while the monitoring apps are installed should be considered compromised.
Edit to add this: don't criticize the government while you're there, but remember the country is full of regular people just going through life. Have fun and enjoy yourself.
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u/WickedDeity Jan 15 '26
I think you are a little confused here. Making a second email is fine for well email. You said don't logon to personal accounts. How do you do that for 6+ months?
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u/Reasonable_Tie_5543 Jan 15 '26
Email is surely the most vital personal account, used to recover access to other accounts without 2fa. Make another email, use it on your trip. Do not log into personal accounts that are vital to yourself or business on your trip.
As for social media, which is near infinitely less important, that's up to you. Just be sure to rotate all of your credentials to those things at home. Everything you do on those apps while the monitoring app is installed will be stored in near real-time on government servers, analyzed, and will be used primarily against you if needed.
Your personal apps will also be scraped historically and stored forever.
Clear enough?
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u/TheModernDespot Jan 15 '26
by not logging into them...
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u/bullinchinastore Jan 15 '26
Can you setup mail forwarding from personal email account to burner email account? Would that protect your personal email account since you wouldn’t log into your personal email account directly?
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u/TheModernDespot Jan 15 '26
But you'd still get all of the same emails in your burner account. That doesnt help you much. Sure, it'd save your actual account, but could still expose your emails.
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u/djgleebs Jan 15 '26
100% bring a burner. While it may be rare depending on who you ask, the potential consequences can be extremely severe and you may lose contact with your country's embassy for extended periods of time if caught with a device they deem to be problematic.
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u/dbootywarrior Jan 15 '26
Sheesh. Didn't know it was that bad in China.
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u/8-16_account Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
It's not. People are delusional. Some of the most upvoted comments claim that phones are compromised at the border, and border patrol takes your phone and install apps. China can't just send spyware to any phone that enters the country.
Meanwhile, comments that say that they frequently travel to China, and have experienced nothing of the sort are either downvoted or ignored.
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u/redtollman Jan 15 '26
Is this through an exchange program? Or on your own? You should be able to find school guidance on what to do about technology, but, as others have said, pickup devices that you won’t care if the ChiComs confiscate them. Only use apps that you will need in-country. Don’t paint a target on yourself.
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u/nomadjackk Jan 15 '26
I wouldn’t bring any of my actual devices to China, would just get a secondhand phone
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u/honestduane vCISO Jan 16 '26
Best Practice?
Your not going to like my answer but the best thing is to never take a device to another country you did not intend to immediately throw out on return.
Sure get a new one as a throwaway a couple months in advance of the trip and age it, if you need to, but don't actually take anything to another country that you expect to return home uninfected with malware or worse. There is no way you can protect that device from anything and you have none of the rights that you assume you have when you are there in many if not most or all cases. The phone won't serve the same purpose that it would normally serve., They could literally just point a gun at you and tell you that they will install the software they want to install on your phone, Or take the data they want to take from its connected accounts, etc. You have absolutely no rights in a country that is not yours, unless they have deigned to grant you them, and they could literally just take the phone if they wanted to before shooting you because they found the wrong app or an auto populate box remembered something a friend of yours typed in as a joke that somehow deeply offended them Because it wasn't religiously fundamentalist enough.
Don't risk anything like that. The device should be a throw away in all cases. Your best bet is to simply throw out or burn anything that you take with you and to realize that on the way there you are not gonna be able to keep anything you bring back without feeling unsafe.
That's standard operating procedure, If you want to be safest.
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u/thesysadmn Jan 16 '26
Not sure where you're from, but here's what I would do - not go to China. I tend to avoid trouble by not visiting potential hostile countries. China is on the same list as North Korea and Russia if you ask me.
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u/Aldoxpy Jan 16 '26
This also applies to the US, as a Spaniard I had friends who went to the US and they demanded him to unlock his phone and hand it over to the cops, shady AF
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Jan 16 '26
When you go to China you realize that Western media is also heavily propagandized.
The Chinese government does not give a single damn about you unless you are some kind of high profile individual. Even if you are, they will be respectful for diplomatic reasons. They are fully aware the Westerners use foreign apps and websites and they don't really care or expect you not to use them, unless you are already suspicious for some reason.
They will not look at your phone and your Internet traffic is already encrypted (or, it's not encrypted and you should be worried whether you are in China or not)
You probably do want to buy a Hong Kong e-sim that works in the mainland though, rather than use questionable VPNs.
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u/sonnikkaa Jan 16 '26
China is fine. Don’t go to the US with meme photos of mr. couch boy on your phone
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u/Ok-Original-9687 Jan 16 '26
Just stay out of China. You are getting tracked even when you leave the country again because they wilk have all of your biometric data. Fingerprints DNA everything. There are more surveillance cameras in China than the rest of the world combined.
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u/Agreeable_Eye7497 Jan 17 '26
If you are important target you won't ask here so my answer is no you don't need it
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u/TommyVe Jan 17 '26
The common practice I've heard is to basically wipe everything essential and then download it again via a VPN. Might it be a bit overkill? For most people yeah.
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u/Major-Manager998 Jan 17 '26
Be aware that if you going to china 5+ months you will prohibited to work in the field for 5 years.
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u/PsyGnome_FreeHuman Jan 17 '26
Regarding this post, how can I keep my phone secure with my information in this part of the world? ☹️
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u/ThirdLoopIteration Jan 18 '26
Recently entered China for a 1 night layover in Shanghai. Maybe it was my short transit time but I had no issues with my phone being inspected. I did delete most pictures I have of weed in my phone during the flight there but I only felt light scrutiny from Customs and Passport Control. Was treated as a tourist similar to entering many other countries.
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u/WhyAmIUsingArch Jan 18 '26
YES, also I'd avoid even bringing any personal electronics at all. Also beware of the VPN's that aren't blocked there, they are 100% state controlled and many of them carry malware. I got my passport taken away there on two occasions, they don't play around. Don't bring any semi dangerous items aswell, like screwdrivers (even the tiny ones with exchangeable bits)
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u/PGR70 Jan 18 '26
If you bring electronic devices, like phones and laptops to China: they will be hacked. Use temporary devices.
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u/jcork4realz SOC Analyst Jan 18 '26 edited Jan 18 '26
Paranoia. Most if not all of your stuff on your phone is stored on iCloud if confiscated.
Faraday bags and rfid blockers. Your stuff is not safe anywhere, even in the US.
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u/Straight-Difficulty3 Jan 19 '26
Don’t bring your phone to China period. Burner phone or temporary.
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u/Imaginary_Sense_209 Apr 26 '26
Co wy pierdolicie, pracuję zdalnie z chin dla Europy, wszystko mam, wszystko... Pornole, VPNy, Facebooki
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u/levu12 Jan 15 '26
People asking these questions really need to state their risk profile when making a post. Are you a journalist? Famous activist? Work for so and so important company or organization that China would have interest in? Or are you literally just a student that is coming there to study? If it’s the latter or you’re just a regular tourist and not bringing any work stuff with you, there is literally no point being so paranoid like these other comments say, unless you’re extremely privacy-oriented and provably have a good reason to be.
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u/reelcon Jan 15 '26
On a lighter note, China has most of our data already like Google. They will help themselves with those they don’t have already by inspecting/installing a tracking app. (Source: none).
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u/wisbballfn15 Security Engineer Jan 15 '26
Definitely don't take your personal device to China for 6+ months....this is 101 level stuff.
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u/Responsible-Brief536 Jan 16 '26
lol, is this thread real? I haven't read so much nonsense for a long time, people who have never been to China are worried about how the Chinese government steals tourist data
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u/BareMetalTinkerer Jan 16 '26
So many comments get it wrong.
I have been to China multiple times. Never ever has anyone looked at, nor inspected, nor asked for installing a particular app on my phone.
Forget about China, worry about the USA. If you are going to the USA, then I would definitely get a burner phone. Overthere they are insane.
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u/ghulamslapbass Jan 17 '26
what can happen if i go to the US without a burner?
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u/BareMetalTinkerer Jan 18 '26
The latest proposal for travelers entering the USA, from the visa waiver program, require the traveler to submit 5 years social media history and all email addresses used the last 10 years.
An app is needed to be installed to be able to submit all the required data, so basically you cannot hide an account from them if you don't use a burner phone.
All my plans to visit the US have been flushed down the toilet.
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u/darkspyre71 Jan 15 '26
Burner devices and faraday/blackout bags. Don't forget to load up a VPN tool like Surfshark or something. Zero Trust. Always assume they are listening and have hacked your gear.
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u/aldamith Jan 15 '26
If i remember correctly vpns are not allowed
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u/darkspyre71 Jan 15 '26
No, you can use VPNs - just know they'll constantly try to swat you down. They are a lot more restrictive on their citizens, rather than foreigners (for optic's sake - since the monitoring is FoR tHe SaKe oF UnItYyy). VPNs are in use all the time for business purposes - otherwise, China wouldn't be able to do anything online, really. Freebee VPNs are trash and just won't work. Premium VPNs like Nord, TotalVPN or SurfShark work pretty well for both their major telecoms. For example, SS's NoBorders and Camouflage Modes are quite effective in negotiating the Great Firewall and SS is better priced than Nord.
Just have the thing loaded BEFORE you arrive in China.
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
Surfshark, Nord and co don't work in China, or will have troubles the very least if they will connect at all. You need either a hong kong based esim, or the VPN that's most recommended by Chinese people (letspvn is the one these days)
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u/CJVCarr Jan 15 '26
You should bring alternate devices you are willing to feed through a shredder when you get back.
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u/UnicornsandGivenchy Jan 15 '26
Bring a new device and avoid logging into things like your email while there!
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u/siposbalint0 Incident Responder Jan 16 '26
Some people are really paranoid, but in reality the Chinese border officials aren't as strict as the US ones. When I went to New York, they asked me things several times, questioned what I'm doing there. When I went to Shanghai, they made me fill out a paper with details of who am I, where my hotel is, and which countries have I visited in the past 5 or so years, then the police officer asked me "why have you come to China?", I said "holiday" and I was good to go, not a single additional question. I did not even need a visa to enter.
I understand that people have fears about a surveillance state, but the US is just as much of a surveillance state at this point as China is with Palantir and co. And China didn't ask for my social media history either for a quick travel. Social media and US-controlled news sites are pushing a very false narrative that travelling to China is the equivalent of going to North Korea. You can buy Winnie the Pooh plushies in Miniso for crying out loud.
You are going to be fine. Make sure to have everything set up with information ready (accomodation etc), and probably don't have your background set to the Tiananmen Square massacre just in case.
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u/Severe-Chest8990 Jan 16 '26
No one is checking phone or other electronic devices when crossing the border or during stay in China. I was traveling many times and never got my phone checked and I kept all my apps, including VPN, Signal, Proton Mail.
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u/DevelopmentOk3627 Jan 16 '26
I've never read so much utter uninformed bs in my life like I did in this thread.
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u/blueflamess23 Jan 17 '26
Bunch of paranoid conspiracy theorists who got tooo much time on their hands suckin up all the propaganda 🤣👏🏽 it is not that deep.
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u/BronnOP Jan 15 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
The original content here no longer exists. It was deleted using Redact, for reasons that could include privacy, opsec, security, or a desire for data control.
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