Overview
- Federal prosecutors in Atlanta charged Tunick with violating a rarely used statute that forbids destroying or removing property to prevent seizure after agents say he gave a passcode that wiped his phone during a border inspection.
- Tunick was stopped at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and had his phone seized on January 24, 2025, and he has pleaded not guilty with no trial date set as pretrial motions remain pending.
- Defense lawyers argue agents denied Tunick access to counsel, used a pretext about child sexual abuse material, and targeted him because of his activism with Defend the Atlanta Forest, asking the court to suppress evidence as the product of unlawful questioning.
- The device reportedly ran GrapheneOS, which can include a preconfigured duress passcode that erases data, and prosecutors contend triggering that feature after agents seized the phone amounted to intentional obstruction.
- Coverage divides along civil‑liberties and legal‑risk lines, with some outlets warning the prosecution could chill use of self‑erase privacy tools and others stressing the legal exposure of travelers who trigger wipes during an active search.