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DuressDecoy: Protection Against Coercion

Overview

DuressDecoy: Protection Against Coercion is a safeword-PIN behavior for Spaces that a user has marked as sensitive. When the safeword PIN is entered, those sensitive Spaces are either hidden or deleted, depending on the tier. The PIN is received by the server and the feature is applied server-side so a compromised device does not reveal, through different local behavior, that a safeword PIN was entered instead of the normal access PIN.

How It Works

  • Sensitive Spaces Selection: The user marks selected Spaces as sensitive.
  • Safeword PIN Entry: The user enters the safeword PIN instead of the normal PIN.
  • Server-Side Handling: The entered PIN is sent to the server, which applies the duress behavior there rather than relying on the local device to do something observably different.
  • Tier-Dependent Outcome: Sensitive Spaces are then either hidden or deleted, depending on the tier.
  • Scoped Behavior: The feature applies to the Spaces marked as sensitive. It is not a silent-alert system and it does not open a separate decoy Safe.

Security Implications

  • Protection for Sensitive Spaces: The feature helps protect selected Spaces when a user needs to open the Safe under pressure.
  • Plausible Deniability on a Compromised Device: Because the server receives the PIN and applies the outcome server-side, an adversary watching the compromised device should not be able to tell from local behavior whether the normal PIN or safeword PIN was entered.
  • Simple Duress Response: The safeword PIN directly affects only the Spaces marked as sensitive.
  • Tier-Specific Severity: Depending on the tier, the result is either concealment or deletion of those sensitive Spaces.

Use Cases

  • Checkpoint or Search Scenarios: A user can enter the safeword PIN if they are being pressured to open the Safe and want sensitive Spaces protected.
  • Personal Safety Situations: Sensitive records can be hidden or deleted rather than exposed during a coercive interaction.
  • Compartmentalized Protection: Users can decide in advance which Spaces should be treated as sensitive if the safeword PIN is ever used.
  • Shared Space Caution: If a sensitive Space is also a Shared Space, ownership matters for whether deletion affects every participating Safe or only one Safe loses access.

Why It Matters

DuressDecoy keeps the coercion response simple and focused. By tying the safeword PIN to Spaces marked as sensitive, UnoLock lets users predefine what should be concealed or removed if they are forced to open the Safe under pressure.

FAQs

How does DuressDecoy differ from LifeSafe?

DuressDecoy acts on Spaces marked as sensitive when the safeword PIN is entered. Depending on the tier, those Spaces are hidden or deleted.

Can UnoLock detect when I use the duress PIN?

The server receives the entered PIN and applies the DuressDecoy behavior server-side. That is necessary so a compromised device does not visibly behave differently when the safeword PIN is used.

What if I accidentally trigger the duress PIN?

The effect depends on the tier because sensitive Spaces are either hidden or deleted when the safeword PIN is used.

What if the sensitive Space is a Shared Space?

Ownership matters. If the owner Safe deletes the Shared Space, it is deleted for every participating Safe. If a non-owner Safe loses access to the Shared Space, the data remains for the owner and other participants.

Compliance & Privacy Regulations

  • Plausible-Deniability-Oriented Processing: DuressDecoy is implemented so the server can apply the safeword outcome without exposing a distinct local signal on a compromised device.

Integration with Other Features

  • Spaces: DuressDecoy applies to Spaces that the user has marked as sensitive.
  • PIN Code: The feature is activated through the safeword PIN rather than the normal Safe PIN.

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