With regard to that guy who gave his wipe password to the fuzz, and is now in legal trouble for doing it...
Source Reddit ExploitDev
Discussion
A legal case involving a traveler who allegedly used a 'duress password' on a GrapheneOS phone to wipe data during a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) search at a US airport. The incident raises complex legal questions about the use of duress passwords, warrantless device searches at ports of entry, and constitutional protections. The traveler was charged with a felony for wiping his phone, which CBP alleges destroyed evidence. The case highlights ongoing debates about privacy rights, government surveillance of activists, and the legality of device searches without warrants at US borders.
r/hacking (opens in a new tab)u/dumnezilla0 points0 comments
Seems to me that it would make much more sense for the "safe/wipe" password to bring up a fake homescreen, with apps and personal docs and all, while doing the wiping in the background.
Not sure if this is implemented anywhere, but it certainly isn't the standard on GrapheneOS.
I realize that there are technical limitations at play. The phone needs to restart for a proper factory reset, but, in lieu of that, the wipe pw could prompt the quiet burning of all personal files that aren't hardlinked to the OS itself. If you can get rid of everything personal, then there's no reason for a factory reset at all, no? So, even better, as it leaves the cops none the wiser.
Story here: https://www.theverge.com/report/972146/cbp-phone-search-airport-duress-password