That’s not true. In Italy, the police can’t search your phone just because you have a Pixel, or any other type of phone, to be honest. They can do so only with a court order, or if you’re caught in the act of committing a crime. There is no law or custom that zeroes in on Pixel phones, but privacy-heavier devices are definitely overrepresented. Your friend has probably misheard, or heard some gossip. It is totally common to own a Pixel in Italy, and there’s nothing illegal about it. I hope this helped you haha