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I've been seeing "cybersecurity" advice go around for protesters, and a lot of it is superstitious overkill that is unsuited to the threat model.
I have written and tweeted about op sec for protesters, and I find myself wishing I sought to educate about threat models instead.
I have written and tweeted about op sec for protesters, and I find myself wishing I sought to educate about threat models instead.
Yes, it is *hard* to protect yourself from surveillance. We live in extraordinary times where speech is under attack. But it's also incredibly exclusionary to demand that everyone gets a burner before they engage in First Amendment-protected activities.
I've also been rethinking the old hat advice about leaving your phone behind when you go to a protest. Yes, your cell signals can be tracked. Yes, cops might arrest you and confiscate your phone. Yes, Grayshift etc etc. But still, who does it protect when you leave your phone?
Where do you think videos of police violence — especially recorded at night, under poor lighting conditions — are coming from?
I don't think they're coming from burner phones.
I don't think they're coming from burner phones.
Obviously, lock your fucking phone, whether you're leaving it at home or taking it to the protest. But aside from that, I don't think there are any easy answers. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, especially not when these protests include so many newcomers to direct action.
I do agree that all of this points to a way bigger collective problem, one that implicates human rights on a lot of different levels! My original tweets are only engaging from a purely pragmatic perspective about "protester op sec." https://twitter.com/10000hamsters/status/1277696146740150273
I'm also going to add that yes, it's possible to remove sim card while protesting, or turn off location data, or turn off 4G (in response to IMSI catchers). But then also consider the ACLU Mobile Justice app that automatically sends videos of police violence to the cloud.
This is what I mean by a lack of understanding of threat models. Is it more important for you to be avoiding cell site simulators (sometimes referred to as stingrays), or is it more important for you to be filming, tweeting, texting* with friends?
* Signal is great, I love Signal, there are great reasons for activists to stick to Signal. But iMessage and WhatsApp are encrypted. Don't be a superstitious jerk about this.
My guy, I have some bad news about WhatsApp https://twitter.com/motorolairidium/status/1277700152518680579
