U.S. Prosecutes American for Allegedly Wiping Phone Using 'Duress' Password at Border
The U.S. Justice Department has indicted Samuel Tunick, an Atlanta resident, on charges of allegedly providing a passcode to border agents that wiped the contents of his phone using a built-in feature called a “duress” password in GrapheneOS, a custom Android operating system. This is reportedly the first case where federal prosecutors have charged someone for destroying data via such a method during a customs search. Tunick’s legal team argues that U.S. Customs and Border Protection unlawfully seized his phone upon reentry to the United States last year and claims any evidence, including the alleged wiping of data, should be excluded from court proceedings. They also allege Tunick was denied access to an attorney during a secondary inspection at Atlanta's airport. The case raises broader constitutional questions about privacy rights at U.S. borders and highlights ongoing tensions between law enforcement’s authority to search electronic devices without warrants and individuals’ digital security measures.
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Topics: Border Security Constitutional Rights Digital Privacy GrapheneOS U.S. Justice Department