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Ari Cohn

@aricohn.com

48K followers 790 following 8.6K posts

First Amendment & defamation lawyer. Now: Lead Counsel for Tech Policy at @thefireorg.bsky.social Former: Free Speech Counsel at @TechFreedom.org Illini/music junkie/oofnik. “A snarky gay lawyer Jessica Fletcher.” https://linktr.ee/aricohn

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 13h

It's, uh, actually not that hard to not act like a fucking weirdo

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

I believe to do it you either press the side button 5 times quickly, or press and hold side+either volume button.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

(almost enough to make me forgive them for eliminating the microSD slot...almost)

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

Samsung's Lockdown Mode (accessible from the menu when you hold the power button) does this too. Super useful.

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

The problem is, cops have a knack for taking innocent things and framing them in a way that makes them look criminal. Does everyone need to do this? Probably not. But sticking it to CBP is an added benefit if you need something to put you over the edge ;)

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

I've seen him getting that criticism, but let's be honest: this has been going on for DECADES. Pretty much everyone who has voted for a president since like 1950 has technically "voted for this"

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

Also this. You can generally be forced to put your finger on the screen. Making you divulge the password brings in constitutional issues.

bsky.app/profile/bird...

birdsong4j @birdsong4j.bsky.social · 15h

Definitely also stop using biometrics for your devices. CBP aside, courts are divided on whether or not 5A applies, even if you're stopped by a regular cop (such as at a protest, etc.).

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

Yes, passwords only when you are at risk

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 15h

(if you need a *high* level of plausible deniability, PLEASE make sure to thoroughly and carefully read all of the documentation from VeraCrypt on this so you don't make any mistakes)

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 16h

For your laptop, you can use VeraCrypt to encrypt your hard drive and create a decoy operating system which you can boot into based only on which password you use, so CBP won't even be able to tell there's anything else on the computer.

veracrypt.io/en/Hidden%20...

VeraCrypt - Free Open source disk encryption with strong security for the Paranoid

VeraCrypt is free open-source disk encryption software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. In case an attacker forces you to reveal the password, VeraCrypt provides plausible deniability. In contrast to ...

veracrypt.io

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 16h

Reminder: Never travel out of the country with your main cell phone (or without backing it up and then doing a factory reset) or laptop.

CBP agents are effectively Redcoats and they WILL delight in reminding you that they owe you no rights.

Eric Brakey
@Eric8rekey
I was detained by Border Patrol and Customs for 90 minutes coming
back from a @RoyalCa ribbean cruise today in Florida.
After they rifled through all my belongings, read my personal joumal, and
confiscated rny phone and computer, I had to explain to them that the
aFreeStateNH is a non-violent, peaceful libertarian movernent that
builds community, culture and political change.
We were invited to New Hampshire in the early 2000s bythe Govemor
of the state. We reject violence as a path to creating change.
In detail, I had to explain the nature of the Defend the Guard rnovernent
and assure them that I was not part of a violent extremist group seeking
to raise a militia for insurrection against the government.
At one point during my detention, I asked for clarification on what rights I
had here as a US. citizen and was told that they did not næd a warrant
for anything in my possession, including all my elæ•tronic devices.
They eventually let me gu
Truth be told, I am shaken up and in shock right now.
Rate "oposed CMnmu nity
11:59 AM 5,
Views

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 3d

That's not a challenge coin, that's a challenge brooch.

How delightfully nonbinary of they/them.

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 3d

This story about the FBI director handing out challenge coins that celebrate vigilante violence came out the same week that he fired an agent for having a small rainbow flag on his desk.

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 4d

I have to say, other than the fact that he controls DOD, watching Pete Hegseth not so slowly go legitimately crackers is kind of satisfying. Dude is like three news cycles away from complete dissociation.

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 4d

Sure does

Reposted by Ari Cohn

TechFreedom @techfreedom.org · 7d

1/ The FCC has no authority to police content for bias or balance.

We—and more than seventy other organizations and scholars—warned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.

techfreedom.org/wp-content/u...

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 7d

It's not heresy to admit that Bob Dylan fucking sucks as a singer

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 7d

That's some seriously aged beef

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 7d

Hometown (literally) buffet

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 7d

Are all of these customers named Hannibal Lecter?

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 8d

Incidentally, one of my most classically unorthodox takes is that Dave Matthews' live rendition of All Along the Watchtower (particularly from Folsom Field) is good, actually.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 8d

This is a great way to describe it.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 8d

Bob Dylan should have solely written songs for other people and never tried to perform them himself, and this is an opinion that is also objectively correct but also gets me a lot of hate lol.

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 8d

I respect the opinion, I really truly do. Seger, like I said, is an absolute GOAT.

Hetfield's version gives me goosebumps, though.

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 8d

A million times yes

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 8d

On the subject of objectively correct music takes: Bob Seger is a legend, but Metallica's cover of Turn the Page has a million times more emotive impact and is the superior performance.

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