American Being Prosecuted for Wiping His Phone Before Handing It Over to Border Officials
A U.S. citizen is being prosecuted for using GrapheneOS's duress passcode to wipe his phone before border officials could search it.
Tunick entered a dedicated wipe passcode in GrapheneOS, a hardened Android alternative running on his Google Pixel, erasing the device's contents when demanded by border officials. His attorneys confirmed the software was in use, and the prosecution is proceeding even though he was not under arrest. The case raises unresolved constitutional questions about what rights apply at the U.S. border, which the government has long treated as outside U.S. soil until entry is authorized. GrapheneOS publicly asserted the feature is legal and that laws weakening its protections would be unconstitutional.
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