The Duress PIN On Trial: How a Silent Kill Switch Became a Federal Destruction of Evidence Charge
Published by Yahoo News
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Claims made
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Tunick ran into trouble after providing a US Customs and Border Protection officer with a "duress password," one of GrapheneOS' options for strengthening a user's right to privacy. Once used to forcibly unlock a phone, the duress password/PIN wipes all data on the device, including eSIM content. The process happens instantly, can't be stopped, and it's irreversible.
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The phone's data was completely erased, including every file, contact, and eSIM.
The phone's data was gone — every file, every contact, every eSIM.
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Prosecutors charged Samuel Tunick under 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a).
Prosecutors charged him under 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a) — a statute designed for physical evidence destruction, like torching a warehouse before a raid
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Samuel Tunick has pleaded not guilty.
He has pleaded not guilty
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The case remains ongoing as of July 2026.
the case remains ongoing as of July 2026
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Authorities claimed they were searching for child exploitation material.
Authorities claimed they were searching for child exploitation material, according to some reports — though that claim remains unverified.
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"Absent [the DOJ] being able to show… the phone contained information that showed a crime was committed… they're not going to be able to convict him of this crime," according to a legal commentator cited in reporting on the case.
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No U.S. court has ruled on whether triggering a duress password during a lawful search constitutes unlawful destruction of evidence.
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That ruling is still coming.
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The duress PIN feature hasn't changed.
The feature hasn't changed.
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At Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport in January 2025, a Customs and Border Protection agent entered a passcode into Samuel Tunick's Google Pixel.
The screen went blank, flashed, and restarted.
The phone's data was gone — every file, every contact, every eSIM.
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GrapheneOS's duress password is designed to look like a normal unlock until it isn't.
GrapheneOS's duress password is designed to look like a normal unlock — until it isn't.
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