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Guest Post by Kylla Castillo

Being able to safely protest for causes you care about is an essential pillar of democracy, but in the age of mass surveillance and data collection, protestors need to be more diligent than ever to protect themselves when exercising this essential right. 

Due to those risks, this article will share some strategies and precautions to take when attending protests so you and your peers can protect each other when advocating for the cause of your choice.

Why protect your data at protests?

But first, why protect your data in the first place? What specific risks are even present at protests? As mass surveillance and data collection becomes more and more common in society, protestors who wish to protect their privacy and increase their safety need to take precautions. This has been shown in recent years such as in 2020, when it came to light that the RCMP had compiled a six page profile on activist Rachel Small based on her social media presence, even though she wasn’t suspected of any criminal activity. In addition to this, modern devices like smartphones, which are commonly brought to protests, come with both affordances and privacy risks. This is because data from phones can be tracked by law enforcement, even if you haven’t committed a crime, as seen through Project Wide Awake by the RCMP. Your phone can also be confiscated, potentially putting sensitive information outside of your control if you’re not prepared. Due to these risks, it’s important to take precautions before, during, and after participating in a protest as these risks aren’t uncommon. 

To bring or not to bring your phone?

That is the question… Considering the risks associated with them, it’s worth asking whether or not you should bring your phone to protests. Whether or not you do so is a personal choice and there are pros and cons to each side. Here are some things to consider when making that choice for yourself:

Pros to bringing your phone

• Facilitates quick communication and coordination with trusted friends, family, and fellow protestors.
• Provides access to news, social media updates, and announcements from protest organisers.
• Affords you the opportunity to document the protest from your perspective and therefore can potentially be used as a tool for accountability.

Cons to bringing your phone

• Risk losing your phone or having it stolen.
• Confiscation from the police.
• Tracks your locations, times at locations, and activities.

Alternatives?

Another option you can take if it’s within your means is to use a cheap phone as an “alternative” or “dummy” phone which you use solely for protests. If you opt for this route, make sure to use a prepaid sim card paid for with cash to limit the chance of this phone and its activity being linked back to you. 

Safety strategies and precautions

Whether or not you decide to bring your phone, here are some safety strategies and precautions to take before, during, and after a protest to protect your digital identity.

• Disable biometric authentication

Biometric authentication refers to the methods of unlocking your devices through your physical and behavioural characteristics like Touch ID and Face ID. While convenient, biometrics make it easy for a third party to unlock your device without your permission, meaning they could access your personal files, contacts, and messages. Because of that, it’s recommended to turn these off when attending protests and instead use a password for your devices. How you do this varies depending on your device and even the version of the operating system (OS). Here’s a guide on how to disable Touch ID for iPhone ranging from iOS 12 to 17.

• Use a strong password for your devices

A strong password is 10 characters or more and doesn’t include guessable personal information like birthdays. It uses both upper and lowercase characters as well as numbers and special characters. Instead of a password, you can also try a passphrase which uses four words and strings them together, like “luggagefansockwire”. Either way, make sure your passwords are hard to guess and avoid using common ones like “1234” and “password”.

• Turn off and/or remove metadata from photos and videos

When you take photos and videos, metadata is likely attached to it, especially on modern devices like smartphones. This can include info on location, time and date created, and info on your device itself. This information can be crucial to third parties when tracking people down so it’s recommended to turn off and/or remove metadata whenever possible. How you do this depends on your device; tutorials on how to do this for some common devices can be found here.

• Use an encrypted messaging app

Keeping connected with fellow protestors is important, but to ensure safety make sure you use a privacy respecting encrypted messaging app. This doesn’t include Facebook Messenger which can hand over messages to authorities if requested. WhatsApp and Telegram are options but have their own privacy pitfalls such as Telegram lacking end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default and WhatsApp sharing data with their parent company Meta. Instead opt for Signal which is available on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, and even Linux. It has E2EE, is easy to use, open source, and is praised for its privacy.

• Enable airplane mode

Your phone is constantly sending off signals through its WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, and GPS capabilities. These can be used to gain sensitive information about you such as your location and online activity. Airplane mode, which is commonly used on airplanes, prevents the transmission of all of these signals usually through just the click of a button, though how you turn it on varies between devices.

• Protect your identity as well as  others’

Don’t forget to not only protect yourself but also your fellow protestors. If you’re taking pictures and videos of the protest, make sure to blur out or cover identifying items of yourself and fellow protestors like faces, tattoos, and unique clothing. This can be done on editing apps like Photoshop and even directly through Instagram when posting a story. 

• Turn off your device!

Lastly, the best way to avoid any of the privacy pitfalls that come with bringing a device is by turning it off during the duration of the protest. This way, you can still bring it but only turn it on if you absolutely need to, therefore avoiding the risks (although remember, the risks come back once you turn it on).

The future of protest?

When you’re preparing to go to a protest, the prepwork to protect your data can be daunting. Thankfully though, protesters aren’t alone in these concerns as civil liberty organisations, like the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), actively fight for our right to be able to protest safely.

Now, equipped with this knowledge and the awareness of the current state of protesting, put these strategies to action and go out there and advocate for the cause of your choice with a bit more peace of mind.