U.S. Charges Samuel Tunick, 30, With Obstruction After Phone Data Wipe at Atlanta Airport
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
U.S. Charges Samuel Tunick, 30, With Obstruction After Phone Data Wipe at Atlanta Airport
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Summary
Federal prosecutors in Atlanta charged Samuel Tunick, 30, with obstruction after his Google Pixel was wiped during a January 2025 customs search at Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
CBP officers had sought to inspect the phone after Tunick returned from the Dominican Republic; after questioning, he handed it over but provided a passcode that erased the device's contents.
The case is among the earliest known federal prosecutions tied to software designed to wipe a device after a specific code is entered, extending obstruction law into border-search disputes over digital privacy.
Tunick, a Georgia State graduate student and activist, says the prosecution threatens privacy rights and reflects Trump's September NSPM-7 directive, which broadened the definition of domestic terrorism.