The Italians do the same thing. If your name matches some name or you’ve travelled to some naughty place, you’ll get picked for this sort of thing.
That said, the last time I went to Italy the customs guy looked annoyed at being awake. He asked my son’s age (he is huge but too young to use the electronic gate), then shrugged and stamped my passport with all of his strength.
Don't spread misinformation. The difference is that in Italy it is not against the law to not hand out the password to your phone -- or anything else for that matter.
In the United States, you have a fundamental right to not testify against yourself, including providing a password. You can be compelled to provide a biometric. The UK has taken a different approach and my understanding is that you can be jailed for refusing to provide a password.
Most countries recognize very different limits at a customs boundary. Is this appropriate in an age where a tiny device gives you access to all of your "papers" in many cases? I don't think so, but international law doesn't recognize our concerns with respect to that.
> Most countries recognize very different limits at a customs boundary.
In the US I've heard that boundary (the "border") encompasses ~75% of everyone living inside. It's like "within X miles of a border" and includes rivers and airports as well as the entire coastline.
I'm not up to date on these rules and who's been caught out by them, but I have repeatedly heard the claim above.
That is also true in the US. Of course they can use it as a reason to deny you access to the country if you’re a noncitizen, but you don’t have to hand it over.
That said, the last time I went to Italy the customs guy looked annoyed at being awake. He asked my son’s age (he is huge but too young to use the electronic gate), then shrugged and stamped my passport with all of his strength.