Post #4056583
2026-07-24 03:47 UTC
When I was in security engineering at Apple (2014-2018), the idea of a “wipe device” panic button or tripwire (there were lots of variations on the theme) came up from time to time.
Every time, we would soberly consider it and discuss it. Every time where we came down was: this is a good idea on paper, but having a “fuck the police” feature on your phone is an extremely white privileged concept. It is WAY WORSE for far more people than it is good for.
For a great many people, if they hand LE a wiped phone, their situation just got orders of magnitude more complicated. @corbet@social.kernel.org https://social.kernel.org/objects/4cdbec67-7b2c-46e9-95fc-ef455aa18f30
Replies (2)
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@bryan@dusty.ninja 2026-07-24 06:55
@zcutlip@hachyderm.io i think 10 failed pin attempts is good enough of an option to turn on.
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@darthnull@infosec.exchange 2026-07-24 11:58
@zcutlip@hachyderm.io @corbet@social.kernel.org Maybe write the duress code on a post-it labeled just “emergency” and hide it inside the phone case. Police seize the device, remove the case, see your “PIN,” say “aha!”, and hilarity ensues.