The foundation behind the ultra-secure Android-based OS is speaking out after an activist was indicted for using a 'duress password' to prevent federal agents from searching his phone.

This is what happens when you try to maintain your rights in a fascist country: you risk five years in the slammer.

I wonder why GrapheneOS makes a big flashy rebooty show when using the duress password instead of quietly unlocking to an empty phone though...

So puzzled why it even needs defending in a country that is constantly screaming about free speech and rights, it is your data and no one has the right to it but you

The US thinks it's a lot of things it isn't, and really has never been. A democracy for example.

Those fascist fucks didn't have a right to confiscate his phone, nor any probable cause.

He was well within his rights to do with his property as he saw fit.

Yes unfortunately with each passing year another piece of the facade that holds this noodle house together falls and reveals it's wobbly spineless innards

Not sure there's a realistic way they don't notice. It takes time to wipe things and then the phone is empty. I feel like they'll figure it out.

Less than a second to make a new partition, unmount the old one, and have a background process start wiping

Hmm fair I didn't think of that option.

Android supports multiple user profiles. They could have a duress code login to a more sanitary profile while data get wiped in the background. This has been discussed on the forums I believe.

All societies are flimsy

Held up one generation at a time by the educational and cultural matrix in which the new generation form their reality

Gotcha yeah sounds like it could be improved then.

Mmm I was just talking about this, when people are so wrapped up in their own lives and don't care about each other or look out for each other, what's the point any more, society is gone. It's like people don't see it? I know it's not that bad all over but it's not a good trend and it doesn't seem to be fading

It probably wipes the encryption key and reboots to clear anything lingering in memory.

This is a very common complaint, and the main reason is that it's way more complicated than it sounds. The duress feature is designed to immediately erase any chance to recover the unencrypted data from the phone by destroying part of the data used to derive the decryption keys (the other part being your pin/password, which can't be destroyed for obvious reasons). Any attempt to boot into a fake OS would be obvious to anyone familiar with the OS, thus making it effectively security theater. Not to mention the waste of space maintaining a fake OS, which would require fully featured apps and settings, all of which would have to be designed to pass verified boot, which means you can't actually destroy the original OS the way they do.

There's currently no known way to extract data from a locked GrapheneOS device, especially once it's in BFU, unless you've heavily reduced the default security measures, so the duress pin/password is likely unnecessary unless the danger of someone accessing the data is greater than the punishment for destruction of the data.

Also, the "big flashy rebooty show" is less of a feature and more of an unintended happenstance caused by the device immediately losing critical data and being forced to restart. The articles make it sound flashier than it is. It looks more like the device is powering on but the screen keeps disconnecting for a second, before going black.

The wiping in the background is very fast, and would in turn take out the profile. The only thing a decoy profile would achieve in that case would be a slight splash of color before the phone shuts down.

i mean they should it's a good feature and the person accused of using it didn't do a single thing wrong.

You do realize that as recently as the 1800's the average household had at least one member infected with tapeworm at any given time?

Science and technology have brought such riches

Fuck MAGA, religion, and Trump-Orban

Its spelled 'freeze peach' and its delicious. Common misconception.

Building it on lies does not make it sturdier.

3ish generations at a time, but ok

We can have advanced medicine without all this bullshit surveillance machinery technology, it is possible, people just have to set aside their greed but they are not willing to

I have no idea how my lament of the lack of socialism inspired your technology rant

If the phone is encrypted already you really just need to destroy the key. Of course then it needs to be reimaged to be used again which isn't very user friendly.

The whole thing is just for show, I don't believe they expect to win this, it's a message to anyone who wants to try on the future "we will try to destroy your life if you resist even slightly"

They are claiming he destroyed evidence.

Evidence of what? What crime did he commit that you are searching the phone for evidence? If you don't believe a crime occurred, not only do you not have a reason to search the phone, but it doesn't matter if he took out a hammer and smashed it to little bits, it's his own property and he's free to do with it what he likes. He wanted to wipe it, and he got it wiped. What you wanted in that moment didn't matter in the slightest since you have no probable cause to search, no crime committed, no reason to baselessly charge someone for destroying something that doesn't exist.

It sounds exactly as ridiculous as someone being charge only with resisting arrest. If the person had provably done a crime worth arresting, that charge would be there as well.

From the gOS website description of the feature, thats exactly what happens. It also says that reimaging isnt needed, only the initial setup

Came here to say this. It's like taking a note out of your own pocket and ripping it up. What's actually the criminal offence?

The police just want to go on a fishing expedition on your data. Just try kicking in the doors of their house to do the same thing.

I fail to see how wiping data prevents the government from seizing property. They got the property. Just not the data, which isn't property? It's data. Seems like an easy win and just a scare tactic by the land of the free...

It's definitely an unlawful search though right? I mean what crime are they looking for they can't just say they have some suspicion in order to dig through someone's personal life, that's unacceptable

Data surely fits under the definition of property.

More accurate yes

Also we are about 3 generations from the folks who made the moon landing happen

Im not puzzled, theyre hypocrites. They want for themselves but not for others. Its the entire core of their beliefs.

I just realized there are ways you could do plausible deniability.

What if we keep a decoy partition ready to go? Pre-populate it with some AI-generated slop Facebook account, photos, etc. Keep A small random sample of music files. etc. Something that looks as plausible and bland as possible.

This is a feature that could get better & better over time. Don't just wipe my old data; make my adversary unaware that there was anything worth wiping.

Unfortunately in the US, it is legal for border searches.

Thank our corrupt supreme Court

What a shame those bastards got to play dirty and get those seats and start all this garbage and they just let it happen, Citizen's United totally steamrolls all of representational democracy

Hello people, you realize THAT this is the best free advertising that our dear graphene organization can get.

yup, already tried to find phones with GrapheneOS installed.

• I don't want a from Google, so no pixel
• Motorola made plans
• only a compatibility list :(

Why is the phone owner being accused? It was the border guard that put in the code and wiped the device. He should be the one prosecuted, if anyone.

Well, yeah, but they shouldn't have to.

Guess if you go to Iran, China, Russia or the USA it would come in handy though.

😁

Not according to Google Books and the AI Tech Bros.

That's happening.

Why do you have to defend against what is advertized as a feature and is working as advertized? The fascists can stuff it right up their arse.

If you reject the only supported hardware platform your priorities clearly lie elsewhere.

• I want to avoid Google!
• Graphene: here you go
• Nice, now what phone?
• Obviously a Google phone!

Come on, there gotta be many people who want to avoid buying a fucking pixel, even if second hand.

You do realize that as recently as the 1800’s the average household had at least one member infected with tapeworm at any given time?

Yeah, the good ol' days. Now we have to simulate having a tapeworm with Ozempic.

Afaik Pixels come with the least bloat to work around amd also have some security features the GOS people like.
Buying used or refurbished Pixel is currently the best you can do, so Google doesn't get any more money.

Because if using the feature as designed will land you in jail, it might not be a very useful feature.

Because there is a specific exemption for border officials in the 4th Amendment. Until he was allowed to proceed and enter the county, CBP had the full legal authority to search everything on his person and in his possession.

Edit: y'all some have to like it for it to be true.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-4/border-searches

It's a well-known exemption.

https://www.brownulr.org/blogposts/the-border-search-exception-to-the-fourth-amendment

Well-studied

https://yalelawjournal.org/essay/customs-immigration-and-rights

Legal arguments against the exemption including phone data are tenuous at best.

https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-132/the-border-search-muddle/

Y'all her your heads outta your collective butts and let's change the shit law.

And if you don't know why Pixel is the only phone supported that is on you. They are the only phone that allows you to relock the boot loader with a custom ROM. And since grapheme OS is all about security why would you want to run a phone with a unlocked boot loader. That is a point of weakness.

Nothing to do with bloat as pixels have ton of bloat but has to do with security. You can relock boot loaders.

Because it was an active search and he destroyed the "evidence". Well be interesting how this plays out I can see both sides.

No crossing at a boarder you have no rights. And if you're a non citizen you have even less rights.