Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Technology

Is it illegal to trick the US government into wiping your phone during a questionably legal search?

A Georgia man was charged with a felony for allegedly wiping his phone while being questioned by Customs and Border Protection. Samuel Tunick had something in common with others who have had their devices searched at airports: He was an activist. Unlike others who have had their phones seized with n...

Is it illegal to trick the US government into wiping your phone during a questionably legal search?
Image: The Verge

A Georgia man was charged with a felony for allegedly wiping his phone while being questioned by Customs and Border Protection. Samuel Tunick had something in common with others who have had their devices searched at airports: He was an activist.

Unlike others who have had their phones seized with no explanation, Tunick was told that CBP needed to search his device to determine whether it contained child sexual abuse material, according to court filings. But Tunick's attorneys argue that the search "was a pretext for a fishing expedition" into his connections with the Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta, in which dozens of people were charged …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Originally published at The Verge

The Morning Briefing

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Be the first to receive the latest news, market analysis and updates — delivered straight to your inbox.