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How to secure your phone before attending a protest

⁨347⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨return2ozma@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.theverge.com/21276979/phone-protest-demonstration-activism-digital-how-to-security-privacy

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Comments

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  • sbv@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    If you can, leave your phone at home

    That’s it! There’s the answer!

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    • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Its a balancing act. You shouldn’t be recording tiktoks and doing the carlton.

      But there is a lot of value in organizers being able to communicate. If you see a fat white kid with an assault rifle, you let people know. Same with when the paddy wagons roll in.

      And there is a LOT of value in being able to make it clear to the cops that you are recording before they decide to “teach some people a lesson”.

      I chat about this with my activist buddies a lot. And one thing we are increasingly realizing is that there is a LOT of value in convincing even a mid-tier IRL streamer to come out. Yeah, they are fucking obnoxious when they are trying to yell to chat. But it is someone who is high enough profile that they won’t immediately have their gear destroyed AND privileged enough that they won’t even realize that is an option until it is too late. At which point the decision as to how to handle the escalation is already happening.

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      • gnome@programming.dev ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Hmm if it’s a smartphone, their location can still be tracked even if they’re not recording videos for social media. I’ve never attended a protest, but one of my younger siblings has. I agree with the author here: don’t take a smartphone with you. If you need to go to a protest, and it’s a charged topic (i.e. people have been fired or detained for it), take a dumb phone and make calls once you’re considerably away from the protest’s meeting site. Or, buy a burner phone for use only at the meeting site. If video footage is that big of a deal, take an old-fashioned video camera to record.

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      • sbv@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        The guide seems to be aimed at attendees, rather than organizers and media. If someone is showing up to add their voice to the protest, then leaving their phone at home is an ideal way to minimize their footprint.

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      • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        You shouldn’t be recording tiktoks and doing the carlton.

        Then why even GO to a protest??? To stand up for our freedoms? Pssshhhh!!!

        does the carlton

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      • 18_24_61_b_17_17_4@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Just an aside that Paddy wagons is pretty racist.

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    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      If you aren’t communicating that a protest happened, then it didn’t happen.

      It’s quite literally the entire point.

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    • stoy@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      “But how will I livestream my protest against Elon on X with out my phone?”

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    • ryan213@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Of course! It’s so obvious!

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    • refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Ideally also leave your car at home and take public transit while paying with cash or walking. CCTV and facial recognition are still issues, but you would be reducing your fingerprint a ton.

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  • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    [deleted]
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    • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      This so much!

      Leave all Bluetooth devices at home as well as they have unique IDs that can be tied back to you as well.

      And if you’re worried about your stereo you can always pull the fuse so it gets no power then put the fuse back when you get home.

      Need directions? Print them and DO NOT LOSE THE PAPER!

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      • thejml@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I wouldn’t bring paper directions unless they lead to and from a place that ISN’T related to you. Somewhere you know you can get to and from by heart but is a public place, for instance. Don’t give away a beautiful map from your home address To the protest.

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  • Omgboom@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Don’t take your phone to a protest

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    • doingthestuff@lemy.lol ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Bring an old point and shoot digital camera though. Pics and video might keep you from getting locked up.

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  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    What a boring dystopian article. It’s sad, but necessary.

    purchase and use a burner phone instead, and only turn it on when you’re at the site of the demonstration

    This should be the de facto response. In addition, I’d suggest not using your personal phone for any protest related communications and stick with burners no matter how much you may trust the organizers.

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  • catloaf@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The EFF also has an article: ssd.eff.org/module/attending-protest

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    • ToiletFlushShowerScream@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Back when I had Amazon smile, the donations went to the EFF. This makes me happy it went to a worthy cause.

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      • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Smile only existed to bleed referral revenues away from search engines. Once enough people started using their app directly they no longer needed smile to make them skip referrers.

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  • phoenixz@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Buy a burner, keep the battery out until you arrive at the protest, remove the battery when you leave the protest. Don’t store any phone numbers in that phone.

    Not that protesting will do anything anymore, that time has come and gone

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    • user224@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      remove the battery

      Don’t forget a portable heat gun, suction cup and prying tools. /j

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    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I disagree about saving numbers, you should add your emergency contacts and anyone you went with in case you get separated or shit goes down

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  • misk@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Write down your name and ICE information with a sharpie on your body. Use a rugged phone case.

    Don’t bother going to peaceful protests, they don’t work against post-truth authoritarian governments.

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    • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Going to peaceful protests are useful because it can help you meet some more like-minded folks.

      Not to mention sometimes a protest starts peaceful and then goes to shit.

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  • sirico@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Burners

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  • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The Hated One is another good resource on these topics. The guy is a paranoid and has an extreme threat model, but the information is still on point. Worth watching and sharing.

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    • SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Got a specific video you could suggest from them?

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      • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        How To be Anonymous In A Protest | Burner Phone Tutorial

        I think this one is pretty good. Pretty good explanation of how a protester might leave digital information and what to do about it.

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