Getting Detained by Counter Terrorism
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters cite it as a firsthand illustration of how far UK border counter-terrorism powers go (no lawyer, compelled passwords, devices held for days), often to counter the idea that device searches at the border are a US-only issue.
Recommended by 2 people across 3 different months, 2025 to 2026.
What it is
A first-person account by a British citizen of being stopped at the UK border and held under counter-terrorism powers. He describes the questioning, the demand for device passwords, and the seizure of his devices. The video is a short, wry personal narrative.
What people said
Recommends gambiting · 2025-03 · Hacker News · on “Apple takes UK to court over 'backdoor' order”
If you are stopped at the border then you don't have such a right. British border force can just demand you give them keys to all your devices and hold them for 7 days, no court order needed. Watch this if you're curious how that looks like: [this video]
Recommends rdm_blackhole · 2026-09 · Hacker News · on “Two-tier encryption in the UK”
The UK border agents (technically counter terrorism) can also 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 bout what happens when they stop you: [this video]
Recommends rdm_blackhole · 2026-10 · Hacker News · on “Returning from vacation? The government can search your phone without a warrant”
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: [this video]
Recommends rdm_blackhole · 2026-10 · Hacker News · on “Returning from vacation? The government can search your phone without a warrant”
I responded to comments on this thread or on other threads but just in case you think this is a US thing only, it is not. 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 have a lawyer be in a room with you and you are compelled to answer all their questions and finally 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 or they can keep them forever if they find something suspicious. This guy (who is a British citizen) went
Cites gambiting · 2025-03 · Hacker News · on “French researcher denied entry for a personal opinion on Trump administration”
Just a reminder that UK Border Force can confiscate all of your electronic devices for 7 days and you have to give them all your passwords to these devices and associated accounts - refusing to do so is punishable by up to 2 years in prison. And no, they don't need any warrant, just a probable cause. If you want to see more how that looks like this is a video by a guy who experienced it first hand: [this video]
Cites kypro · 2026-08 · Hacker News · on “Ask HN: Why does the US government search through people's phones at the border?”
Genuinely asking – is it just because I live in the UK and am used just used to having a tyrannical government, or are people in the US overreacting a bit about this? In the UK our terror legislation give our border police the power to question and search you without any reason or suspicion (regardless of nationality). Furthermore, you have no right to silence during this questioning and must answer their questions truthfully. You also must give them access to your devices, and if you don't you will face criminal charges. You also are not allowed a lawyer during questioning. I disagree with this (obviously), but I genuinely thought this was fairly standard among Western countries? It's inter
Cites rdm_blackhole · 2026-09 · Hacker News · on “Border agents can search cellphones without a warrant or reasonable suspicion”
It's the same in other countries like the UK for example. You can get stopped at the border, forced to talk to the border agents, you do not have the right to have a lawyer in the room during the interrogation (although you can have one phone call before your interrogation starts), you do not have the right to refuse to answer questions and they will seize your phone and computers and send them back to you later. Also you will have to provide your passwords and pin-codes for your devices. This guy went through it last year: [this video]