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.

  • stoy@lemmy.zipEnglish
    8·
    8 hours ago

    If you press the lock button on your iPhone several times in a row, it will force the entry of a pin next time it starts.

    Test it out, and learn how to do it quickly if the popo comes for you.

    • lauha@lemmy.world
      5·
      5 hours ago

      On my pixel I can just hold the power button and click “Lockdown” on the menu and it will force the code

    • FackCurs@lemmy.world
      2·
      4 hours ago

      iPhone users: Hold power and either volume up or down button for two seconds It will lock and ask for your pin, regardless if you shut down the phone or not.

      Learn how to do it quickly and blindly, with your phone in your pocket.

      • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 hour ago

        Also change the passcode type to alphanumeric even if you just use numbers. Makes it impossible for them to unlock it with that Mosad software. Though you probably need to make the passcode longer than 6 characters and add in a few letters. Like a 6 number passcode just take days to crack. While a 12 character alphanumeric code takes thousands of years.

    • billbasher@lemmy.world
      1·
      5 hours ago

      You don’t even need to do it multiple times. If you go into the power menu while it’s locked it requires it so just power + vol up

    • halcyoncmdr@piefed.socialEnglish
      2·
      8 hours ago

      I haven’t done as much research on iPhones… does that put it back into a BFU state, or just not accept biometrics?

      There is a difference if it doesn’t force it back into BFU state, not for say a patrol officer/agent on the field, but definitely if they’re trying to get into your phone later.

      • stoy@lemmy.zipEnglish
        2·
        8 hours ago

        It just disables biometrics, so not a complete lockdown, but better than nothing.

        If you want to do a better lockdown, you do the following, it takes longer however:

        • Press Vol+
        • Press Vol-
        • Hold the lock button until you see the Apple logo

        This will force a restart of the device and require the pin to be entered.

        • lol_idk@piefed.socialEnglish
          1·
          5 hours ago

          You can just hold the lock button and volume up until it prompts you to power off.

          Or swipe down the control center and there a power icon in the top right

          Edit. Apparently that control center thing doesn’t work on my phone but it used to