> Also, is leaving a file that breaks the admissibility of previously gathered evidence considered active hacking? Am I misunderstanding something about the function of the files in Signal? I thought the only way Cellebrite's software is interacted with is if it tries to access Signal on the device. Signal isn't actively searching to hack back. It's triggered by Cellebrite's software, not Signal's.
Yes this is called booby trapping and at least in the US is illegal. It’s akin to tying a trigger to a door opening so that whoever opens the door gets shot, even if that person had no right to be there, you can still be held liable for any injury the bullet causes.
I don't think axiomatic derivation from Quora posts about physical booby traps is going to be a reliable way of understanding how the law actually functions here.
Booby trapping specifies a device that causes bodily harm to a living thing, legally. There is no chance of bodily harm from evidence becoming inadmissible. The question of whether it is considered a computer virus, legally, is my question. Signal isn't actively trying to hack Cellebrite.
In your estimation is having a zip bomb I'm proud of crafting on my laptop a boobytrap because it could cause problems for a malicious actor naively unzipping all my files?
Yes this is called booby trapping and at least in the US is illegal. It’s akin to tying a trigger to a door opening so that whoever opens the door gets shot, even if that person had no right to be there, you can still be held liable for any injury the bullet causes.