If those were cops, that search and seizure would be completely illegal and they would get laughed out of court. You can’t force someone to give you their password.
Now these were border people. That part of the american justice system seems already pretty lawless. Whether or not they are allowed to do what they did will be a central part of the case.
Also they pressured him to give them the code to unlock the phone and seemingly typed it in themselves. So maybe you can argue that it was their fault for not researching GrapheneOS and they destroyed the evidence.
This whole thing seems stupid and about some power tripping border-guards.
I doubt this is going to go to court. They wouldn’t want to risk setting a precedent with a small fry like him.
Edit: I take it back. Apparently he was charged late last year, and it’s hitting the news again because they just had the first hearing. Hopefully he gets acquitted.
As a guy who knows nothing about the laws here:
If those were cops, that search and seizure would be completely illegal and they would get laughed out of court. You can’t force someone to give you their password.
Now these were border people. That part of the american justice system seems already pretty lawless. Whether or not they are allowed to do what they did will be a central part of the case.
Also they pressured him to give them the code to unlock the phone and seemingly typed it in themselves. So maybe you can argue that it was their fault for not researching GrapheneOS and they destroyed the evidence.
This whole thing seems stupid and about some power tripping border-guards.
I doubt this is going to go to court. They wouldn’t want to risk setting a precedent with a small fry like him.
Edit: I take it back. Apparently he was charged late last year, and it’s hitting the news again because they just had the first hearing. Hopefully he gets acquitted.
Watch them drive it all the way up to the supreme court and suddenly encrypted drives are illegal for civilians or some dumb shit like that XD