tech
US Accuses American of Allegedly Wiping His Phone Using a 'Duress' Password During Border Search
A U.S. citizen has asked a court to throw out the government's claim that he gave over a passcode to border authorities that wiped his phone's data, opening up fresh questions about a person's constitutional rights at the U.S. border.
TL;DR
- Samuel Tunick is the first American charged for allegedly using a 'duress' passcode that wiped his phone's data for U.S. border authorities.
- The case involves a feature in GrapheneOS, a custom Android operating system, that deletes device contents when a specific passcode is entered.
- Tunick's attorneys claim the detention, seizure, and charges are unlawful, arguing he was denied legal rights and the search was pretextual.
- The defense is attempting to suppress evidence, asserting that border searches without warrants are unconstitutional once inside U.S. soil.
- The indictment accuses Tunick of destroying data to prevent seizure under a federal statute, to which he has pleaded not guilty.