Preparing for a Protest: Protect Your Privacy with These Tips

Understanding the Risks of Smartphones

As we step into a new year filled with global civil movements, ensuring safety in a world dominated by surveillance is crucial for protesters. Although your smartphone is an important asset for organizing and capturing events, it's imperative to minimize risks to your privacy while wielding this digital tool.

Double-Edged Role of Mobile Devices

Your phone can be invaluable for communicating with fellow protesters and staying informed of any immediate threats. Moreover, capturing live footage helps counter inaccurate narratives. However, these advantages come with potential downsides.

If authorities gain access to your device, they may retrieve sensitive data or monitor your activities and connections. Phones can be tracked through networks and are vulnerable to surveillance tactics like signal interception using IMSI catchers, which mimic cellular towers to spy on communications.

To Bring or Not to Bring Your Phone

Leaving your phone at home could be the safest bet to avoid tracking, but this disconnects you from real-time updates and documentation capabilities. An alternative is using a burner phone, a bare-bones option minimally risking personal data. If neither of these appeals to you, consider the protective strategies below.

Effective Strategies for Privacy Preservation

1. Disable Biometric Unlocking

Temporarily turn off biometric features like facial recognition or fingerprint scanning. The law surrounding biometric unlocking is ambiguous, particularly regarding whether you can be legally compelled to unlock your phone without a warrant. To be safe, rely on a passcode during protests.

2. Watch Out for Facial Recognition

Be mindful that authorities might use facial recognition technology in public spaces or via wearable cameras, potentially identifying protestors. Dress strategically to reduce detection.

3. Prefer Encrypted Communication

Utilize encrypted apps for conversations. Using encryption protects you from unauthorized eavesdropping. Enable disappearing messages to enhance privacy.

4. Sign Out of Personal Accounts

Log out of apps that could compromise your privacy if accessed unexpectedly. This includes social media platforms and email accounts.

5. Keep Your Device Locked

Keep your phone secured when you’re not using it. If your phone gets lost or seized, the data remains out of reach as long as it's locked. If capturing media, remember you might not need to unlock it.

6. Use Airplane Mode

Set your phone to airplane mode whenever feasible to cease radio signals and lower traceability. However, this will temporarily block messages, so switch it off when needed.

7. Limit What You Share Online

Post responsibly to prevent putting yourself and others at risk. Ensure you have consent from anyone you feature in media, considering the repercussions of public exposure.