DEVICES
Use a passcode, not fingerprint or facial recognition. If possible, use more than 4 digits.
Double-check your phone is encrypted. Back up your phone.
Use multi-factor authentication.
Enable Find My or remote access so you can locate or wipe your phone as necessary should it be taken from you or should you lose it.
Bring a backup battery to charge your devices.
If you have prepaid, top it up.
If you have the resources, consider getting a cheap alternative phone just for protests or other similar scenarios.
Remember numbers or sharpie on your arm in a hidden-from-view area.
TRACKING
Turn off location tracking. Go into your phone and turn it off for each app individually if necessary.
Consider deleting your social media accounts while protesting.
Consider removing apps you don’t use or need. Many apps, even games for example, track and gather information and location. Log out of any apps.
Consider suspending your social media accounts while protesting.
CAMERA
Use your camera while in lock mode in case it gets taken while you are taking photos or video.
When you take photos and post, share, or send them, you want to make sure you strip them of as much metadata as possible. Metadata is information like location, time, device, etc. While this does not remove everything, taking a screenshot and sharing the screenshot instead does help remove some of that data.
COMMS
Use secure messaging apps. I made a different video about this separately, but many recommend Signal over others. On Signal, use expiring messages that expire after a period of time. Do your own research.
Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and also go into Airplane mode.
It is very easy for police to spoof a Wi-Fi network name or even a cell service provider. For example, you might be passing by a library and the Wi-Fi could be named “NY Public Library,” but still don’t join it.
When your phone is connected to a network, authorities have been known to obtain information from cell providers to identify you.
SURROUNDINGS
Be mindful of the privacy of those around you. There are many risks to being at a protest and you want to protect your fellow protestors as much as possible. There are apps that can blur faces or even entire bodies in videos. Signal has a blur feature as well.
While it is important to document and share, be aware that anything you share can be used to target individuals.
And finally, wear a mask. For so many reasons.
Things are always changing, security is always changing. This is not exhaustive.
But even if you do some of these it’s better than doing none of them.
Stay as safe and secure as possible out there y’all.
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