The search warrant to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home shows how authorities can open your phone without your consent.

The recent federal raid on the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson isn’t merely an attack by the Trump administration on the free press. It’s also a warning to anyone with a smartphone.

Included in the search and seizure warrant for the raid on Natanson’s home is a section titled “Biometric Unlock,” which explicitly authorized law enforcement personnel to obtain Natanson’s phone and both hold the device in front of her face and to forcibly use her fingers to unlock it. In other words, a judge gave the FBI permission to attempt to bypass biometrics: the convenient shortcuts that let you unlock your phone by scanning your fingerprint or face.-

It is not clear if Natanson used biometric authentication on her devices, or if the law enforcement personnel attempted to use her face or fingers to unlock her devices. Natanson and the Washington Post did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The FBI declined to comment.

  • sudoer777@lemmy.mlEnglish
    12·
    12 hours ago

    Or better yet use GrapheneOS 2FA biometric + PIN + duress PIN + auto reboot:

    • If someone spies on you unlocking your phone, they don’t get your encryption password
    • If they figure out your PIN, they can’t unlock your phone without you physically being there, and your phone may reboot to the password unlock before they get it to you
    • If they compel you to use biometrics, they can’t legally compel you to give them your PIN
    • If they decide to start trying out common PINs and you set your duress PIN to one of them, then it wipes your phone
    • mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world
      6·
      11 hours ago

      Or grapheneos but compartmentalize sensitive data to a profile where you use no fingerprints, only pins. Duress can be entered anywhere right? So if you’re being compromised , enter the duress pin.