The US is charging an American citizen for wiping his phone at the border

<figure> <img alt="A photo of an iPhone on its passcode screen with a lock attached to the display." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cathryn Hutton / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/STK478_breaking_into_phone_B.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The government is prosecuting US citizen Sam Tunick for allegedly providing authorities with a "<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/us-accuses-american-of-allegedly-wiping-his-phone-using-a-duress-password-during-border-search/">duress password</a>" that wiped his phone when they tried to seize it at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport on January 24th, 2025. Federal agents detained Tunick at the airport, allegedly questioning him about child exploitation images. However, a motion filed by Tunick's lawyers argues this was simply "a pretext for a fishing expedition into Mr Tunick's connections" to the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/890278/proton-mail-stop-cop-city-fbi">Stop Cop City</a> movement in Atlanta.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The government is turning to a little-known and rarely-used statute that makes it illegal to destroy or damage property to stop authorities fr …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/971097/us-charging-american-citizen-wiping-phone-duress-password">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>