Wondering if the Zorin OS roadmap could include a security feature - Duress Password. The idea is that the duress password would initiate a hard drive wipe.
This, coupled with the encrypted drive option, would provide a solid secure laptop setup. (becoming more critical in Canada w recent laws that allow police to walk in your house and simply take your computers and even mail w/out a warrant)
Individuals may add or modify open source software to meet their own needs. A default with Zorin OS, used globally, that can initiate a hard drive wipe is cumbersome, unnecessary for the vast majority of end users and likely to create more problems than protect data.
While there is a proposed Strong Borders Act in Canada to expand police inspection of mail, it has not been passed at this time.
It's been many years since I've used it, but as I recall, TrueCrypt supported duress passwords way back in the day. TrueCrypt was shelved ages ago when the devs decided Bitlocker was good enough, but forked into VeraCrypt. It's been ages since I've used it VeraCrypt as well, but it is available for Linux and may meet your needs.
Mmmm, I don't think this is such a good idea...
A regular "delete" operation doesn't actually remove the data from the drive, it simply labels that location as free to use for other data. Using forensic tools, you can still read the contents of the drive no problem.
In order to delete a file for good, you need to explicitly write garbage data on that location. This takes time, which you likely don't have much of in a duress situation. It'd be much quicker to drill a few big, fat holes in that drive to render it useless.
Now, I'm not a lawyer... but even if you're not caught in the act of doing this, it'll be quite obvious what happened. If you don't have anything to hide, just let them take your computer and be done with it. Just make sure you have backup copies of your important data stored securely elsewhere.
This is not to say that it's okay for the government to come into your house and take what they want. But if you were getting mugged, would you risk your life for whatever is in that computer? Probably not a good idea.
If you want to know more about the technicalities of how to protect yourself digitally, I'd recommend checking this site. There's also a community forum where you can get much better advice about this sort of topic:
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This sounds fine in theory but a little extra thought needs to be applied.
I personally have nothing to hide, in my country refusing to give up your passwords = prison time (yet we claim our country is a Western liberal democracy, it actually should be spelled deMOCKracy) ... however I have a huge problem with the government having laws that enable them to seize devices and demand passwords, if the government were to target you for POLITICAL reasons it is to easy for them to download illegal material like CP and claim you are a criminal, instant long prison time, life ruined, zero sympathy or belief you are innocent and the actual victim.
Maybe you trust your government however I do not, my government like every other so-called Western liberal democracy is nothing more than a self serving self enriching criminal mafia ... IMO
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I'm presenting a purely technical solution to technical problem. Granted, the drive will not survive the process... but that's sort of the idea 
For a more relaxed solution I'd suggest tools like Bleach Bit to delete files securely, or running the dd command to start the process of "zeroing" the drive.
Most of us are not important enough to be actively framed by a government.
I agree with the warning: Any government that can pass laws allowing them immunity to search and seize property without probable cause, warrant or existing criminal evidence is dangerous.
That being said... I did look into several western democracies to see if I could find examples of any doing this.
I found none. This does not mean we cannot list concerning patterns or trends, but I found none that actively have current laws that allow for the above.
What I did find was that some nations allow exceptions for limited use case of warrantless search and seizure in extreme circumstances.
This... does not apply to your average citizen, living their life in their own homes and such. It applies to large criminal activities or cases of clear and present threat to life and limb.
I do or I do not... have something to hide
Using the restroom is a private act. It is not criminal. It is not shameful in a society. It is not sinful. It is a normal biological necessity.
It is: Private. Personal. Intimate.
We hide it.
Having something to hide is not indicative of wrongdoing.
Privacy can include security for financial data, personal matters, and all manner of innocent behaviors.
I would expand this. What IS shameful or sinful to one person or even to society at large, may still not be illegal or even unethical, but may invite unwelcome/unwarranted scrutiny if discovered, because of the shame or presumed sin. Even those with something to hide may have entirely reasonable bases to hide things. Expressing this less vaguely wanders perilously close to politics, but I think I put it clearly enough.
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An over used word is "spectrum." In reality, things blend together without clear lines defining the in between.
When policy decisions, legal frameworks, or corporate actions directly impact open-source development, user freedoms, or privacy in computing, those topics become inherently relevant to GnuLinux.
Discussing and staying informed about issues that affect or even govern the user space GnuLinux operates in is necessary. This thread is an example of such.
Your expansion is perfect. Something can be legal and ethical, yet stigmatized in a society at large.
Openly speaking in favor of privacy can be spun into some kind of admission of guilt.
This is the clear reason why privacy must be a protected right.
Speaking for myself, as an open atheist, this information has often been used to attack my character. In the right setting, I have good reason to keep my personal lack of belief private.
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I think one solution is to use 2FA. You can even set this up as a requirement for sudo too. They might get tired of having to keep going to your smartphone for the 2FA!
Unless this sets something on a per file basis, I don't think that that's going to accomplish much. If they've seized the hardware and are willing to use data forensics to recover what's on it, they'll pull storage devices and put them in an air gapped bench they control. Data not encrypted or destroyed is very difficult to protect from someone with unrestricted physical access.
I am not going to say what country I am in ... you did not look hard enough as the country I am currently residing in, a so-called Western liberal democracy absolutely passed laws that enable this to be done. I installed GrapheneOS on my phone which has the fun feature of wiping the phone if some entity tries cracking the password 10 times ... I would love to find a linux equivalent.
Probably correct. Searching broadly and vaguely, this seems entirely possible.
I cannot verify this without detailed information.
But, what really matters in this context is how you are seeking to protect your privacy and secure it from any unwanted intrusion.
As this is your personal goal; I cannot see it as a feasible Default Behavior for on Operating System that is used globally and considering the high risks of that behavior for safe data storage.
I have no fear of the government in the country I am currently residing in (my birth place) my only concern in my daily life is keeping big tech out of my life which I believe I am quite successful at achieving. I am NO one's product!
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