Shared here for public benefit.
Before going to a protest, demonstrators or observers should note that their cellphones may subject them to surveillance tactics by law enforcement. If your cellphone is on and unsecured, your location can be tracked and your unencrypted communications, such as SMS, may be intercepted. Additionally, police may retrieve your messages and the content of your phone if they take custody of your phone, or later by warrant or subpoena.
If your phone is powered your location can be tracked. Secured or not: your location can always be tracked.
The rest is doubtful, always assume law enforcement has access at will.
Just don’t bring it.
Set your phone on top of a Roomba that has scheduled cleaning throughout the day.
Pointless, unless you leave the roomba running outdoors. Indoors you don’t have GPS coverage, and your phone is logged onto the same cell tower anyway. Might just leave it stationary at home, same outcome.
Buy a Burner.
YOU DONT BRING IT.
By leaving it at home.
Leave it at home for a protest if you care about being tracked.
Pretty much all cell phones can be tracked even when turned off.
Even with a libre OS and all radios turned off? (So to use the phone as a camera and offline navigation)
I feel like it could still get damaged or used as evidence in court if you get caught up in a crackdown.
Turn it off and leave it at home.
Leave it on at home.
“Your honor, as you can see from my mobile device location history, I never even left my house that day.”
Not that that’ll actually work or that they’ll care, but still…
They likely have the data to show it didn’t move at all. Eg it wasn’t on your person.
You underestimate how much of a couch potato I am. Not moving is normal lol.
Even sitting on a couch moves your phone more than simply laying on a table. They can use accelerometer data to determine how, if at all, it moved.
Put a harness on your pet and put it on the harness. Boom, instant spoofing.
Movement data shows that you scratch your fleas a lot, you should do something about that.
“I let my landlord borrow my car, though. He said it was important.”
Most modern devices track the phone even when it’s turned off. If you can’t remove the battery, leave it at home.
When I shut the lid on my work computer I assumed it was “off” or at least inactive. My home network showed me it was continuing to “check in” throughout the night.
… Goes to a protest to support gaza, get’s phone unlocked because police is using Israeli cellebrite software…
Jesus Christ, this conversation is scary. I wish y’all good luck that none of these precautions are necessary.
As someone in a blue state where governance is sane, I’m “raw dogging it” (effing offensive slang term but now I’ve used it once in my life and can rest easy) and bringing my kids (teens). M also going to the local demonstration rather than go into the city for a big one - to some extent it’s a numbers game: ICE can’t raid them all and police aren’t legally allowed to help them
…. And hopefully my optimism is well founded
—-
Edit: huge success! Entirely peaceful. While a few cops drove by, there was no police presence. Thousands of people of all ages lining both sides of main st, and three sides of our town common. Constant honking from supporters driving by. It was very inspirational. I’m proud of my fellow citizens and hope our voice for restoring sanity and democracy is heard.
For those pessimists,a bit more context why I was so optimistic…… a few years back, our mayor and police were participants in a local BLM rally. Also a big part of local outrage against fascism was a city counselor getting assaulted and arrested for videoing an illegal raid on one of his constituents.
Doesn’t matter of the state is blue, the police force is going to do everything they can to fuck you anyways.
I’m in one of the bluest. Our police and FBI are not “blue.” American spy forces and “committee on anti-American activities”-ass motherfuckers are not kind or just, no matter the voting tendencies of the populace.
How many decades have we seen far right terror groups overlooked for anti-capitalist leftists? The left threatens the status quo, the right fortifies it. The blue and red dichotomy is the status quo. The democrats support the genocide in Palestine. Going against that status quo makes you not safe from government crackdowns, the party in power is completely irrelevant.
If your “blue leaders” are any good, they enforce psych profiles on police recruitment that ensures you don’t have a force full of racist authoritarian law in their own hands radicals, at least for the forces they control - feds may be a different story.
The fact that this conversation is even necessary is to me more scary.
I used to think the Bush era was bad. I’d gladly trade that for now.
Bush was just a goofy lil war criminal compared to this shit
Only 😏
You say kids. Youve rawdogged more than once probably
Nowadays millennials and Gen Z use raw dogging to indicate going either without protection to their electronic devices, or foregoing the use of devices like on a long plane ride.
Yes, very cringey slang for going without protection. Originally from pregnancy or STDs, but now also from boredom. In my case, without the protection of a mask or leaving my wallet and phone at home. I even drove and parked in a local public garage, so would be traceable in several different ways
You get a burner for the protest and give your phone to a friend or family member for the day so that it still pings towers at the usual places.
Or at home. It’s not unusual for me to spend several hours at home on a Saturday.
Here is the simple trick: leave your phone at home. Get a burner.
Side note, leave the burner in a Faraday bag when it’s going to be near your daily driver.
Faraday bags do not work with modern phones anymore, specifically 5G
Faraday bags work, period, if they are made and used properly. If there’s no RF getting in or out, there’s no GPS and no checking in with the towers. Inertial navigation doesn’t work worth a damn after a little while, and it won’t work at all when powered down. Obviously? black tape over the camera lenses unless you’re ready to share what they’re seeing, and the microphones can listen very well too, it is a phone after all, so bear that in mind.
Burner means non Smartphone with a fresh anonymous sim. Its not easy to get but important enough to “jump the hoops”
Wow, I hadn’t even thought about that. Excellent point!!
people on the internet love to talk about all these great security smart things that they will definitely never do.
leave valuables at home, wear unremarkable clothes, and write your lawyers number on your arm with a sharpie.
personally i bring my phone and a leica. ive been to jail for protesting before and in my current situation i just don’t care.
Leica digital or chemical film?
m10p with a 28mm and a flash
Its important because you endanger not just yourself but anyone who is possibly linked through your activities. Your actions are your own responsibility. If you are able to protect others in this Situations you should. And i hope you only document voilation oft power with your leika and not others protesting.
i don’t know what you just said but the whole point of a protest is to disrupt in order to be seen.
I went to jail for trespassing. same as everyone else. its bullshit.
Leave it at home.
Or get a burner
And get a burner.
Yeah. And, leave the other at home. Somehow, that mutual exclusivity between devices made me write “or”. Hehe.
thats my plan. im not taking wallet or keys or anything. just a transit card.
Having an ID can help if you do get arrested. But that’s about all I carry.
Why do you need an ID? Leave it in your car if you’re driving.
I don’t think there’s a single state that requires you to actually carry documentation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_identify_statutes
These are the states that require you to at least verbally state your name, and only if the officer has reasonable suspicion that you have or will commit a crime.
They can ask your name. You may not have to answer.
Research your state’s law on this before you go. It’s in the link.
There’s legal requirements, then there’s practical dealings with officers in the field. Seems to me that these days if you’re “undocumented” you’re asking to be sent to processing which can be a quick trip to a center somewhere across the country, if that’s the mood they’re in. After you get out you can try to sue them, maybe even win, but how long before you collect your damages?
This. You’ve got to ask yourself, what your goal when interacting with law enforcement is. It it your goal to stand up for every right? Or do you want to get away for the interaction as easy as possible?
Let me give you an example of what I mean. I Denmark police can stop and ID you without a cause. You don’t have to provide an ID, but you have to state your name, address, and birthday. If you don’t, then you’ll be arrested. Our SSNs consists of birthday and a checksum. You’re not required to state your SSN checksum, but if you do state it, the police will have to pay you if the stop is longer than 10min.
So giving the police a little more than they’re entitled to, can get you out of the interaction a lot easier.
Of course you can stand up for your rights, and if you want to fight, then do it. But it will make your day harder.
“No ID found, this must be an illegal”
-ICE probably
Regardless of the law, you can be detained by law enforcement if you cannot prove who you say you are until you can prove it.
They’re detaining people with Real IDs for hours at a time. It likely makes no difference.
When they’ve got a cell full of detainees and they’re deciding who ICE is going to ship to “advanced processing” who do you think goes to the front of that line? I’m guessing it’s the “undocumented,” regardless of whatever laws you’re focused on.
If law enforcement was following the law I would not be protesting.
lookit mr can’t-get-disappeared-by-ICE over here
Also bring an ID and some cash. E.g. to buy some snacks/meal/water if the day goes longer than you planned for.
And take a burner phone if you must absolutely bring one.
What’s wrong with a grapheneOS device on airplane mode? Is firmware level tracking a confirmed thing?
Stingray been in use widely since the 90s. LEOs have much better access and tech now. Pinpoint down to which room in a multi level hotel.
So it should be safe in airplane mode, no? If I can trust my device, that is.
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They may confiscate your phone and record all data on it.
If it’s a fresh wipe with a good passcode, and you keep it on airplane mode, you’re probably fine.
Set up a duress PIN on your graphene phone
Graphene is not a good OS for this type if work. Yes it’s secure, no good backup solutions. You will lose all your data upon confiscation. Graphene again is secure but if all your data is gone what good will it do? DO NOT TAKE YOUR PERSONAL DEVICES.
Literally clicked to comment this
You leave it at home. Take an old factory-reset with a prepaid sim. Keep it off unless you 100% need it.
