<
https://www.techspot.com/news/110560-man-arrested-allegedly-wiping-google-pixel-before-cbp.html>
“In brief: A man has been charged with destruction of evidence after allegedly
erasing the contents of his phone before a Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
agent could search it. It's unclear why CBP wanted to search Atlanta-based
activist Samuel Tunick's Google Pixel.
Tunick was indicted by a grand jury on November 13, and an arrest warrant was
issued the same day. It says that on January 24, he knowingly destroyed the
contents of the Pixel phone for the purpose of preventing or impairing
government authorities from taking the property into their custody.
Tunick was arrested earlier this month during a traffic stop in Atlanta.
According to a statement issued by his supporters, the musician was asked to
step out of the car to observe an issue with the tail light. He was handcuffed
by the officer and surrounded by the FBI and DHS.
According to the indictment, the phone was supposed to be searched by a
supervisory officer from a CBP Tactical Terrorism Response Team.
The prosecution did not seek pretrial detention, and Tunick was released soon
after his hearing. He is restricted from leaving Northern Georgia as the case
continues.
"The arrest is totally baseless," Kamau Franklin, executive director of
Community Movement Builders, said in a press release. "The Trump administration
is using political prosecution to distract from growing unpopularity in the
polls, defections within the GOP, and a persistent high cost of living."
Many Americans assume that if they wipe a phone or lock it with strong
encryption, they're simply exercising their privacy rights. But the moment an
electronic device becomes the target of a lawful federal search or seizure,
erasing it can itself constitute a crime – even if agents haven't yet obtained
physical possession of it.”
Via Violet Blue’s
Threat Model - Cybersecurity: December 16, 2025
https://www.patreon.com/posts/cybersecurity-16-145963544
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
