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Not yet reviewed by a lawyer. Sourced information, to be confirmed.

Phone: emergency lock, passcode and seizure

Key points

  • Turn off biometrics: passcode of at least 6 digits, auto-lock after 30 seconds.
  • In an emergency: press the side button 5 times (iPhone) or use Lockdown / switch off (Android).
  • During a simple ID check, the police cannot demand that you unlock your phone.
  • In custody, never give your passcode before talking to your lawyer.
  • Phone seized: change your passwords and log out all sessions as soon as you are released.

Disclaimer

General information about French law, not legal advice. If your phone is seized or you are placed in custody, ask your lawyer for advice.

Before you go: 4 essential settings

  • Disable biometrics (Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint, face unlock) and use an alphanumeric passcode or at least a 6-digit PIN (not a swipe pattern, which is easy to guess from smudges on the screen).1
  • Set auto-lock to 30 seconds and hide notification content on the lock screen. In Signal: Settings › Notifications › Show › the option with no name or message.12
  • Enable disappearing messages in your group chats (Signal) and, a few hours before the protest (at the peak of organising), shorten the timer of each conversation to the shortest you can manage: 8 hours, or 3 hours as a custom time if it is sensitive. What must stay (meeting point, numbers) goes on paper, not in the chat. The new timer only applies to new messages; note down what you need first.3 Avoid bringing your main phone if a spare phone without personal accounts is enough.14
  • Write your emergency numbers (close contact, legal team) on your skin under clothing so you never need to turn your phone on in front of the police.5

In 2 seconds before a stop or arrest

If you did not disable biometrics beforehand and a police intervention begins:1

  • On iPhone: press the side button 5 times quickly (or hold the side button and a volume button for 2 seconds until the Slide to power off / Emergency SOS screen appears, then tap Cancel). This immediately disables Face ID / Touch ID and requires your passcode.
  • On Android: hold the power button and tap Lockdown (if enabled), or power off the phone completely (on first boot after power-off, the passcode is always required and storage is encrypted at rest).1

Stops, custody and your unlock code

  • On the street (ID check): a police officer or gendarme is not allowed to demand that you unlock your phone or to search your messages or photos during a routine ID check.65
  • In police custody (garde à vue):
    • Police cannot physically force you to place your finger or face on the sensor, but biometrics remain less protective than a passcode under pressure.1
    • Regarding the unlock code: the Cour de cassation (7 November 2022) ruled that a phone passcode can constitute a "secret decryption convention" (Article 434-15-2 of the Criminal Code) when the phone is encrypted and the request is made under a formal judicial order in an investigation into an offence punishable by at least 2 years' imprisonment.78
    • In practice: never hand over your code spontaneously upon arrest; always wait for your confidential meeting with your lawyer to check whether the request is lawful and decide on your defence strategy.58

If your phone is seized or lost

As soon as you are released (or through a trusted relative if custody is extended):

  1. Change the passwords of your main accounts (e-mail, cloud) from a safe computer.
  2. Revoke active sessions and linked devices (Signal Desktop, WhatsApp Web, Google / Apple accounts, social media).
  3. Ask your mobile carrier to suspend the SIM card (and issue a new one) to prevent SMS verification codes from being intercepted.
  4. Ask with your lawyer for the return of seized property (restitution des scellés) from the public prosecutor or judge.5

Digital security tools in the directory

In one of these situations? stopped for an ID check, bag search or fine (€135) · a beginner (it's my first protest)

Sources

Each note links to the source of the information. Most sources are in French. Laws change: check the date of the source and, if in doubt, ask a lawyer.

  1. EFF Surveillance Self-Defense — Attending a protest · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. Signal — In-app notification options · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  3. Signal — Set and manage disappearing messages · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  4. EFF Surveillance Self-Defense — How to use Signal · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  5. Syndicat de la magistrature — Guide du manifestant arrêté · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩↩↩

  6. Service-Public — Contrôle d'identité · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  7. Code pénal, article 434-15-2 (Légifrance) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  8. Cour de cassation, chambre criminelle, 7 novembre 2022, n° 21-83.146 · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩

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