GoKawiilCalvin Wankhede / Android Authority
TL;DR A US man is being prosecuted after allegedly offering a GrapheneOS duress PIN that wiped his Pixel phone.
The charge treats the alleged wipe as destruction of property intended to prevent a government seizure.
The incident happened during a border search at Atlanta airport after agents demanded access to his phone.
GrapheneOS offers one of the more drastic privacy tools available on an Android phone. Known as a duress PIN, the dummy PIN wipes the device instead of unlocking it, for use in situations when you may be forced to hand over access to your device against your will. We’ve previously seen the value in such a code, but we did wonder if using the feature around law enforcement could create a legal minefield. It appears that a US prosecution is in the process of giving us an answer.
What's your biggest smartphone security concern? 358 votes Losing my phone 44 % Malware or malicious apps 41 % Phishing links 11 % Other (tell me in the comments) 4 %
According to The Guardian, the US Department of Justice is prosecuting Atlanta resident Samuel Tunick after he allegedly gave a GrapheneOS duress PIN while border agents were trying to search his Google Pixel phone. Experts told the publication that they had not seen a similar case brought over the feature before.
GrapheneOS lets users configure a duress PIN or password that looks like a normal authentication code but triggers an irreversible wipe when entered. It is designed for situations where someone is being forced to unlock a device, and there is no confirmation prompt or other clue that would give away what the alternative code is doing.
The indictment alleges that Tunick knowingly deleted the phone’s digital contents to stop the government from taking control of the property. He has been charged under a federal law that covers the destruction of property to prevent its seizure, effectively placing the alleged use of the duress PIN at the heart of the case.
The incident took place at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport in January 2025, when Tunick was returning from the Dominican Republic. His attorneys say border agents repeatedly demanded access to his phone and told him they did not need a warrant. After a passcode was entered, the screen reportedly went blank, flashed several times, and appeared to restart.
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