Unkweusultineg Protecting Self & Community: Indigenous Activism & Safety in the Digital World
Guest Post by Taya Jardine
Introduction
We are in a new age of Indigenous uprisings across the colonized world. From international movements such as #LandBack to local movements in Indigenous Nations globally, we are at the forefront of revolution. Engaging with forms of digital activism and creating activist spaces on social media platforms have a massive part of these movements. Now, more than ever, Indigenous youth can rally together for change.
Brief History of Indigenous Digital Activism
#IdleNoMore and #NoDAPL were some of the first iterations of Indigenous social movements utilizing social media as a tool for widespread attention and support [3]; [14]; [16]. The idea that would become #IdleNoMore began in Facebook group chat between Indigenous women concerned with the potential passing of Bill C-51 before, becoming one of the largest social movements in the history of the colony [13]; [14]. It seems that with the development of each new trauma in an Indigenous community comes a new “political” movement in response.
Benefits
As Indigenous people, we have long been excluded from participating formally in colonial politics [3]. Through digital means, we can connect with other Indigenous Peoples easier than ever before, allowing us to join together against colonial oppression. With over a million supporters “checking-in” to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, it is impossible to deny the ability of digital activism to draw attention to an otherwise underreported cause [12]. Digital activism has also allowed for movements to overcome media suppression. The #MMIWG2S movement allowed communities to rally together to support victims’ families and widely publicize information that was ignored by traditional media and investigators [15].
Risks
Increased digital presence also comes with its share of risks, including personal attacks, racist abuses and governmental threats [2]. In the case of Standing Rock, there was a fear that police were using Facebook and other social media to track protesters in order to arrest them after the fact [10]; [16]. Movements with large digital footprints are also at an larger risk of infiltration by detractors or informants, leaks of members personal information known as doxing, and targeted suppression or surveillance of members [1]; [9].
Cybersecurity for Activists
Now that we know the potential risks of engaging with , it is important to understand that there are steps you can take to protect not only yourself but also your movement and community. Due to the popularity of Facebook as a gathering place for Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks alike, the early stage of these movements often result in a Facebook Group for those impacted and those looking to offer support. If you create a Facebook group to build support for your cause, or create a space for discussion, consider the following safety steps:
Task |
Options |
Recommendations |
| Privacy Settings | Public: anyone can see posts/comments/shares, FB users can see the names of members, admins and mods.
Private: current members can see posts/comments/shares and names of members, FB users can see the names of admins and mods. |
Private
*Also consider choosing “hidden in search” to block non-members from finding your group. *Remember that Facebook as a company still has access to information posted in a private group. |
| Group Rules & Entry Questions | Up to 10 Group Rules can be added using the Facebook Group admin tool bar.
Membership Questions can be added as part of the membership request process for private groups. |
Establish rules for engagement when you create the group.
* Consider rules outlining respectful engagement & prohibiting screenshots & sharing of information outside of the group. Establish membership questions based on group specific ideals and information that is not publicly available to decrease the likelihood of infiltration & disruption. |
| Administrators & Moderators
(Admins & Mods) Admin: able to change group privacy settings and appoint new admins & mods. Mod: able to manage posts. |
FB groups must have at least one Admin and may have multiple additional Admins and Mods. | Establish multiple trustworthy and reliable Admins & Mods.
To ensure the maintenance of your group, at least one admin must be using their government name for their profile. |
| Blocking Users | Only Admins can remove or block a user from the group. | Blocking users is a helpful step in protecting the security of our group.
Block users who violate group rules or outsiders who have infiltrated the group. |
| Content History & Control | There is always the risk of FB receiving “removal requests” from governments, law enforcement or individuals.
Pause: can be done by any admin, the group will not appear in search results to non-members and no new members can join the group. Deletion: removal of all members followed by the creator removing themselves, this is a permeant irreversible decision. |
In case your group is targeted for removal, keep a separate record of members and important discussions.
Pausing your group is a useful for short term problem management (ie. removal of posts/comments/media, removal of members, etc.). Deletion of a page is useful if your action has come to an end, or if you feel the security of your group has been compromised beyond repair. |
As movements become larger and engage regularly in on the ground activism cybersecurity needs become more complex. Developing a culture of security is the key to the safety of the organization and its members. Security culture is not just cybersecurity, it is a mutual understanding and desire to keep the community safe; this includes relationships built on communication and trust within the group while preventing rumours or miscommunications that may lead to fractures in the group [1].
For digital safety specifically, moving from Facebook to more secure forms of communication and information distribution is key to the safety of your movement and those involved. Apps like Signal offer end-to-end encryption on text and call services which can protect your communications from being intercepted or tracked [11]. It is also important to protect any sensitive data you might have related to your activist work. Simple steps include using a password manager program to generate and manage strong randomized passwords, enabling a virtual private network to hide your IP address, and switching to privacy focused browsers and search engines [4], [11].
Helpful Resources
Digital Tattoo Project has a variety of resources with more information on Anonymous Browsing, Password Managers and more.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has curated Surveillance Self-Defense, a detailed guide on ways to protect yourself from digital surveillance internationally. Sections include building a security plan, attending protests, social media use, and passwords.
Glencora Borradaile’s open access interactive text Defend Dissent addresses suppression and surveillance from a primarily American viewpoint with an introduction to Cryptography.
Discussion Questions
How might you approach building a culture of security in your activist community?
Does having conversations around cyber security in digital activism give you more confidence in engaging in more activist work online?
How do you think conversations around cybersecurity can be integrated into Indigenous activist spaces in the future?
References
[1] Borradaile, G. (2021). Defend Dissent. Oregon State University. https://open.oregonstate.education/defenddissent/
[2] Carlson, B., & Frazer, R. (2018). Yarning circles and social media activism. Media International Australia, 169(1), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X18803762
[3] Duarte, M. (2017). Connected Activism: Indigenous Uses of Social Media for Shaping Political Change. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 21. https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v21i0.1525
[4] Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2015, April 13). Activist or protester? Surveillance Self-Defense. https://ssd.eff.org/en/playlist/activist-or-protester
[5] Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2017, January 26). Facebook Groups: Reducing Risks. Surveillance Self-Defense. https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/facebook-groups-reducing-risks
[6] Facebook. (n.d.-a). How do I manage membership for a Facebook group I admin? | Facebook Help Center. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/help/214260548594688
[7] Facebook. (n.d.-b). How do I remove or block someone from a Facebook group? | Facebook Help Center. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/help/211909018842184/
[8] Facebook. (n.d.-c). Writing Great Rules for Your Facebook Group | Facebook Community. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/community/establishing-membership-and-rules/how-to-write-great-group-rules/
[9] Howe, M., & Monaghan, J. (2018). Strategic Incapacitation of Indigenous Diss Ent: Crowd Theories, Risk Management, and Settler Colonial Policing. Canadian Journal of Sociology (Online), 43(4), 325–348. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs29397
[10] Leverston, J. B. (2021). From Isolation to Visibility: Social Media as a Tool for Native American Activists to Generate Support for Their Social Movements [A.L.M., Harvard University]. https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37369147
[11] Shannon. (2020, June 6). Cybersecurity for Activists: How to Protect Yourself When Protesting for Change. Online Security News, Reviews, How To and Hacks. https://securitygladiators.com/cybersecurity-for-activists/
[12] Tchekmedyian, A., & Etehad, M. (2016, November 1). 2 years of opposition, 1,172 miles of pipe, 1.3 million Facebook check-ins. The numbers to know about the Standing Rock protests—Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-standing-rock-numbers-20161101-story.html
[13] Tupper, J. (2014). Social Media and the Idle No More Movement: Citizenship, Activism and Dissent in Canada [Application/pdf]. JSSE – Journal of Social Science Education, 4-2014 Civic Activism, 147 kB. https://doi.org/10.2390/JSSE-V13-I4-1354
[14] van Gelder, S. (2013, February 21). Speaking With the Founders of Idle No More. HuffPost. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sarah-van-gelder/idle-no-more-founders_b_2708644.html
[15] Watson, K. (2018). Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: The Role of Grassroots Organizations and Social Media in Education. Canadian Woman Studies. https://cws.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cws/article/view/37772
[16] Wells, M. (2017). In Defense of Our Relatives. Studies in Arts and Humanities, 3(2), 142–160. https://doi.org/10.18193/sah.v3i2.111
Written by: Taya Jardine, UBC, School of Information
Edited by: Brittanny Dzioba & Lucas Wright
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