Our favorite little pocket computers are also little snitches, collecting data that can be used against us if we're in the wrong place at the wrong time, like a protest. Protests are ripe opportunities for law enforcement and other groups to surveil participants. It's a handy collection of people they don't like all in the one spot and the data on a smartphone can provide proof you were there. This can lead to your sex work identity being linked to your non-working identity.
There are a few things you can do to lower the chances of your phone ratting you out, but keep in mind when reading this article that it only covers the digital aspect of a protest and it is also not legal advice. For general information about protest safety, visit the following resources:
- Amnesty International (Australia)
- Human Rights Campaign (USA)
- Liberty (UK)
- American Civil Liberties Union (USA)
- NYU Law (USA)
Much of this post is paraphrased from the Surveillance Self-Defense guide published by the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF). It's an invaluable resource on digital security and they even have a handy PDF you can print and carry with you.
Before The Protest
If you're involved in organising a protest, use secure messaging apps that utilise end-to-end encryption. Signal is what the EFF and others recommend. Social media app DMs and emails are typically not encrypted and are often handed over to authorities should they ask the platform operator for that data. Signal's new username feature even means you don't have to hand out a phone number to strangers in order to chat with them – very handy!
Try not to use cloud services like Google and Microsoft 365 for disseminating information and for collaboration. While they are relatively secure, they are beholden to law enforcement and do not encrypt your data, so can access your files and hand it over to anyone with a warrant or subpoena. For more information on cloud services for sex workers, check out one of our previous blog posts on the topic.
Make sure you've done all the basics of cybersecurity like using a password manager for unique passwords on every service, enabling multi-factor authentication (including physical security tokens) and using an honest VPN service. Follow those links for our previous blog posts on those topics, they’re great and written with sex workers in mind!
When attending a protest, it’s a good idea to leave your smartphone at home, unless you really, really need it. It'll feel weird leaving the house without a phone, but your phone can't dob you in to the cops if it's not there to record any data! Alternatively, you may want to investigate using a "burner" phone that has nothing on it except for encrypted messaging apps like Signal. Don't log in to Google/iCloud or any other apps on this burner phone!
If you insist on taking your phone do the following:
- Back it up to a computer ideally (easy on iOS, difficult on Android) or the cloud, so if it's lost or confiscated you can restore your data to a new phone. Here are instructions on how to backup Apple iOS devices and the same but for Android.
- Use a password (aka custom alphanumeric code) instead of a PIN or biometrics to unlock the device. This is much harder to brute force or guess than a PIN and you can't be coerced into providing your face/finger to unlock the device. Here's instructions on how to enable a password for iOS and for Android.
- Enable Guided Access mode on iOS or App Pinning on Android. This feature allows you to use an app while the rest of the device is unavailable, e.g: if you need to show someone an app, they can't switch to another app.
- Lock apps behind passphrases/PINs if possible. For example, Google Drive can be configured to open only if you provide a password. Many apps have this feature so if an app you use contains information that could be used against you, check to see if it has this feature and enable it.
- On iOS, enable Lockdown Mode - a feature that Apple says includes "safer wireless connectivity defaults, media handling, media sharing defaults, sandboxing, and network security optimizations". This might break some functionality in some apps.
During The Protest
Place your smartphone into Airplane Mode, and turn off Location Services, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. If using an Android phone or if you use Google apps on your iPhone (Google Maps, Gmail, etc.), you should also go into your Google account to turn off Location History so a record of your movements isn't uploaded to Google that can then be accessed later.
Offline mapping apps are available should you need to navigate while location services are disabled. Organic Maps is a privacy-focused and open-source mapping app recommended by the EFF that doesn't require data to work. Alternatively, consider an old school dedicated GPS unit (e.g: TomTom/Garmin) rather than a smartphone for directions. Make sure to check it doesn't log your recent location searches.
It's not possible to record video on an iOS without the screen turned on, but you can record video without unlocking your phone. This is handy so if your phone is recording and is confiscated, whoever takes it doesn't have your unlocked device in their hands. On Android there are apps that let you record video while the screen is off and locked, which might come in handy. Consider old school alternatives like a dedicated camera or camcorder that are not internet/GPS/wi-fi connected and don't have cloud functionality linked to your identity.
After The Protest
If your device was confiscated or lost, immediately change passwords for all your apps and accounts. This will lock out anyone that does manage to get past the passphrase on the device from getting access to any connected accounts.
Think twice about sharing photos of the protest you just attended. The photos you upload to social media can and will be digested by automated facial recognition tools that can reveal the identities of those in attendance. If you must upload photos, make sure to properly censor the images so things like faces, tattoos and unique items of clothing are not visible and remove the EXIF data of the image to remove geographical information and other identifying metadata using an EXIF stripping tool.
Protest Wisely
It's a tough process to keep your privacy at a protest, particularly if you take a smartphone with you. There's so many ways the data on it can be used against you if things go wrong at the protest. Your identity can be made public and could be used by law enforcement to link your identity to your sex work. While no protesting is risk free, if you follow these three steps you'll go a long way to limiting any fallout:
- Read the EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense guide.
- Use Signal to communicate before and after the protest.
- Don't take a phone with you at all to a protest if possible.
The information in this article/on this website is for general information only. It should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the website owner - Tryst. Tryst is not a legal adviser. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice to check how the website information relates to your unique circumstances. Tryst is not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by use of this website or article.
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