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Comment by rendaw

8 days ago

I've heard that duress pins/passwords and false roots and the like aren't actually helpful. IIRC the argument was that if they're familiar with your OS they're familiar with the duress pin capabilities.

But even if that's the case, there's no way to tell if a duress pin was used, right? And if you're in a place with weak legal processes and they decide possibility=guilty, then the duress pin doesn't make things worse, right? I.e. if they wanted to do something to you, then "lack of evidence due to duress pin" is no different than just "lack of evidence" i.e. the pin at least doesn't make things worse...

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rendaw

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stevefan1999  8 days ago

Simple, "if you try to enter the duress pin, you and your family and your friends, will be beaten to death, and I will make you watch them die one by one, unless you tell me the real pin, and then kill you next"

Increasing the extreme and cruelty of violence. It always works. That also means the "investment" of each action will have higher stake, though.

It is not an intimidating thought experiment, it is being used in the 2026 Iranian Protest by the IRGC

  • piaste  7 days ago

    Even in that scenario, having the duress pin option does not make things worse. It's functionally equivalent to smashing the phone, just easier to do with one hand.

    i.e. whatever they do to you if you wiped the phone via duress PIN, they would already do to you if you managed to smash the phone.

  • dangus  7 days ago

    It’s just an optional feature that could be used in a much less extreme situation.

    It could be used in a situation where that infinite escalation of violence isn’t likely to happen.

    E.g., a petty thief who says “gimme your pin”

    Once they have the phone unlocked they don’t care that it’s wiped.

  • rexpop  7 days ago

    These kinds of threats should, really, only strengthen our resolve. After all, they clearly demonstrate the opposition's danger should they succeed.

  • rendaw  8 days ago

    Okay I'm IRGC, and I think this guy has some information. So I threaten him. He gives me his PIN. I get into his device, and can't find the information.

    Did he wipe his device? Or did I get the wrong guy? I'm convinced he had the information, so whether he used the duress PIN or not I'm going to go through with the torture...

    Also, even if you're right, then that would mean that the duress PIN is useful in places that aren't Iran right? Like the US? Canada?