Activist charged with felony after giving border agent "duress code" that wiped his phone

In early 2025, Atlanta resident Samuel Tunick was stopped by Customs and Border Protection after returning to the U.S.; when agents sought to search his Pixel phone (running the privacy-focused GrapheneOS), Tunick used the OS's wipe/duress feature to erase its contents and is now facing federal charges. The report describes claims that he was targeted due to activism against a local law-enforcement training facility, alleges denial of counsel during a secondary interrogation, and notes CBP's broad authority to search and seize electronic devices at the border as well as GrapheneOS features designed to protect user privacy.