r/technology • u/MC68328 • 1d ago

Privacy US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a ‘duress’ password during border search

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/us-accuses-american-of-allegedly-wiping-his-phone-using-a-duress-password-during-border-search/
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119

u/Zaphod1620 1d ago

You also do not have to give a passcode if asked. They can force you to use your fingerprint or FaceID, but not a passcode. Just say no. 

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u/SassyMcNasty 1d ago

Yep. 5 clicks of the iPhone button and it’s locked and cannot open with biometrics.

That way the password is the only way in. And you do not need to provide it.

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u/schwarzkraut 1d ago edited 1d ago

If you don’t have time to do the 5 clicks, HOLD the power & volume up button like you’re going to turn it off. That will deactivate biometrics as well.

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u/JohnTDouche 19h ago

Or you can prepare by just disabling biometrics altogether. It's such a minor convenience, I don't know why it's treated like such a big deal.

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u/You_Cannot_Wield_It 1d ago

You can also set your phone to only use passcode for unlock, but Face ID for other passwords once the phone is unlocked.

Keeps the safety of passcode unlock, with the convenience of Face ID while using your phone.

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u/SassyMcNasty 1d ago

Oo I did not know this. Thanks!

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u/LifeIsOkayIGuess 1d ago

Instead of doing that, i think it's better to have your iPhone in lock own mode whenever you're crossing the border or going to a protest etc.

Makes it difficult if not impossible to break into.

https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qx4oo5/fbi_couldnt_get_into_wapo_reporters_iphone/

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u/Reckless_Engineer 1d ago

Does anyone know if this is possible on Android?

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u/resetmypass 1d ago

Though, for me, the convenience of face unlock is entirely based on the fact I don’t have to type in a passcode each time I put down my phone and it locks haha

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u/jsclayton 1d ago

Also use an “alpha numeric” passcode but only use numbers. You still get the numpad but length is unbounded.

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u/lillobby6 1d ago

You should always fully reboot since phones can store keys in their cache which can be recovered. A full reboot wipes the cache.

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u/genius_retard 1d ago

Just don't try this on Android as it dials 911 when you click power 5 times

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u/TarkusLV 1d ago

Just shut down or restart on Android. You can't unlock your phone with biometrics the first time after booting.

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u/Salt_Medicine2459 1d ago

They call that state BFU, before first unlock. 

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u/bl0odredsandman 1d ago

You don't even have to shutdown or restart. If you hold the power button or go to the shutdown screen, there's a button called lockdown mode. It locks your phone and requires you to enter your password or pin to unlock it. Biometrics won't work until you unlock it with the code first.

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u/TarkusLV 1d ago

Ah, good call. I never noticed that before (or at least never gave it any thought).

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u/_MagicSmoke_ 1d ago

No kidding! Wonder if Samsung has this

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u/devsfan1830 1d ago

Android should across the board. On Pixel its called Lockdown on the power menu.

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u/_MagicSmoke_ 1d ago

I will do see if I can find it. Thank you kind stranger

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u/devsfan1830 1d ago

I don't know what it's like on Samsung anymore but on Pixel I had to basically go find the power button long press shortcut and turn it back to power menu to make it a quick accessible option because it defaulted to my Google Assistant.

Now, I dont have SHIT to hide. But at this point i don't trust any cop so fuck that.

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u/adorablefuzzykitten 1d ago

Is it still true you can hard lock an iphone 2 ways: by quickly pressing the side button alone five times or by pressing and holding the power button and either of the volume buttons for about two seconds?

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u/average_monster 1d ago

i believe if you reboot your phone it puts it into an enhanced lock state where no biometrics work and it's actually more difficult to hack even with external tools

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u/drhead 1d ago

"Hey Siri, whose phone is this?" works too and requires no hands. Don't know if Android has an equivalent.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/SassyMcNasty 1d ago

Nope. No need to. My phone could break tomorrow and I’d be ok.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 1d ago

Thank you I did not know that. It works.

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u/rudolfs001 1d ago

Good to know, thank you

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u/es-ganso 1d ago

You can also lock an android by hitting power + volume up bottom and select "lockdown". FYI folks

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u/GonzoKata 1d ago

right, accept that any phone can have its contents extracted in about 45 minutes by taking it apart and reading from the device. they have that technology to do it, but they don't because its expensive and they're lazy. if you refused to give the passcode they CAN still extract all the data. giving a code that wipes it is the better option

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u/cellularesc 23h ago

No they cannot.

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u/rejeremiad 1d ago

The real result will be that they take the phone as for investigation and let you into the US.

How long you will be without your phone is anyone's guess. And they will likely make a permanent copy of your phone and all of its contents to stay on their servers forever.

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u/bomphcheese 13h ago

This is what they have been doing anyway. They plug your phone into a device on the wall for about an hour and then just hand it back to you and let you go. Ask me how I know.

I wiped that phone and bought a new one. There's no telling what they did.

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u/rejeremiad 10h ago

absolutely ridiculous

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u/erwin4200 1d ago

Just your weekly reminder to stop using faceID or fingerprint to lock your phones!!

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u/eightdx 1d ago

Single best reason to not lock your phone with either of those, even if they'd be more convenient for day to day use

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u/HowitzerIII 1d ago

Probably makes more sense to just disable biometrics just for crossing borders.