The US is charging an American citizen for wiping his phone at the border
US authorities are prosecuting a citizen for using a 'duress password' to wipe his phone during a border search. The defense argues the search was a pretext for targeting political activists, while the government claims border entry rules exempt them from standard warrant requirements.
Why it matters
This case highlights the ongoing legal tension between border security powers and the constitutional right to digital privacy for US citizens.
The government is prosecuting US citizen Sam Tunick for allegedly providing authorities with a “duress password” 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 Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta.
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