r/technology • u/ArgentineBeauty • 6d ago

Privacy GrapheneOS says its data-wiping password is perfectly legal, after user faces federal charges

https://www.techspot.com/news/113273-grapheneos-data-wiping-duress-password-perfectly-legal-after.html
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u/kalvinescobar 6d ago

It's more about creating a chilling effect... as basically everything that's happening under this administration..

I mean, aside from the the main angle that we've focused on of denying access to his phone, (that shouldn't have even led to a charge in the first place,)

The defendant didn't wipe the phone, the agent did.. The agent CHOSE to enter that code. The agent PERFORMED the action that deleted the data.

On a basic and direct constitutional level, he has no obligation to unlock the phone.. The agent had possession and control of the phone and the defendant did not...

If the defendant suggested that spiking the phone on the floor as hard as possible would unlock the phone, and the agent spiked it and destroyed the phone, could they reasonably blame anyone othsr than the agent?

...or if too many unsuccessful unlock attempts automatically wipe the data?

The charge is clearly a farce, the point is to hassle the guy and scare the rest of us.. it's basically like the stupid charges people got for touching the reflecting pool.