Over the years the courts have decided that LEOs can’t force you to give your pin/password. The issue that wasn’t really addressed is why US citizens lack certain rights in the grey zone between US and international territory.
Some guy is currently facing federal charges for exactly that:
Samuel Tunick is facing a federal felony after data on his Google Pixel was erased while Customs and Border Protection officers were trying to search the device at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. His attorneys are challenging the legality of the search, putting the government’s border search powers at the center of the criminal case.
The encounter occurred on January 24, 2025, after Tunick returned to the United States from the Dominican Republic and was sent to secondary inspection. Federal officers sought access to his phone, and court records state that Tunick eventually provided a passcode. When an officer entered it, the screen went blank, flashed several times and appeared to restart. Prosecutors allege the phone’s contents had been deleted.
A federal grand jury indicted Tunick in November 2025 under 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a). The law makes it a crime to knowingly destroy, damage or take other action against property for the purpose of preventing or interfering with the government’s lawful authority to take it into custody. A conviction can carry up to five years in prison.
A federal grand jury indicted Tunick in November 2025 under 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a). The law makes it a crime to knowingly destroy, damage or take other action against property for the purpose of preventing or interfering with the government’s lawful authority to take it into custody. A conviction can carry up to five years in prison.
This just smells like a techbro version of “arrested for resisting arrest”.
I think the govt is just pissy that they couldn’t plant any evidence.
I’m all about owning my own devices, and have rooted every single Android device I’ve had over the years, but all of this is really making me want to go full Graphene. Locked bootloader and everything. Hell, even my wife installed Graphene on her Pixel after researching security options for it. I use Syncthing to back up everything I deem important to my NAS, so outside of a couple apps, I could confidently wipe my phone right now and have mostly everything restored within the hour…
I installed Graphene last spring and went FOSS for all of my apps and don’t use Google Services. Syncthing is amazing for backing up my phone data. I hardly have to think about it, other than to actually back it up from time to time to an unsynced drive so that I don’t oopsie lose something. It’s remarkable how much bullshit I avoid now.
https://grapheneos.org/ is waiting for its time to shine
You get arrested for wiping your phone at the border as we learned last month.
For now people that need to cross the border should probably carry a travel phone and mail their real one.
What’s your pin?
I don’t recall at the moment.
What’s your pin?
I don’t recall at the moment.
What’s your pin?
I wonder if I’d get arrested if they run out of tries then it wipes itself, as opposed to providing a duress pin.
I don’t know…
Over the years the courts have decided that LEOs can’t force you to give your pin/password. The issue that wasn’t really addressed is why US citizens lack certain rights in the grey zone between US and international territory.
This all seems illegal but I’m not a laywer
Some guy is currently facing federal charges for exactly that:
https://www.lawcommentary.com/articles/samuel-tunick-faces-federal-felony-after-phone-was-wiped-during-atlanta-airport-search
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71998357/united-states-v-tunick/
This just smells like a techbro version of “arrested for resisting arrest”.
How does a duress pin prevent them from taking the device into custody?
And if you forgot you had a duress pin, hence weren’t “knowingly” damaging anything, would that be a useful defense?
I think the govt is just pissy that they couldn’t plant any evidence.
I’m all about owning my own devices, and have rooted every single Android device I’ve had over the years, but all of this is really making me want to go full Graphene. Locked bootloader and everything. Hell, even my wife installed Graphene on her Pixel after researching security options for it. I use Syncthing to back up everything I deem important to my NAS, so outside of a couple apps, I could confidently wipe my phone right now and have mostly everything restored within the hour…
Fuck. I think I know what I’m doing this weekend.
I installed Graphene last spring and went FOSS for all of my apps and don’t use Google Services. Syncthing is amazing for backing up my phone data. I hardly have to think about it, other than to actually back it up from time to time to an unsynced drive so that I don’t oopsie lose something. It’s remarkable how much bullshit I avoid now.
He’s a hero for testing it.
For those not in the know, this can be risky too.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/07/american-being-prosecuted-for-wiping-his-phone-before-handing-it-over-to-border-officials.html
It would be so awesome, if more devices were supported.