There are many things you should know to secure your identity if you're one of the many protesters out there in the streets. One thing to keep in mind is to know how to secure your gadgets, like your phone. Here are some of the important things you should do to your phone before attending protests.
How to protect your phone before attending protests
According to The Verge, a lot of things could happen on protests that you wouldn't want to happen. If you're going to be arrested, it is better to keep everyone's profiles away from you. And remember: you still have rights as a protester.
Use password than fingerprint or facial recognition
Nowadays, its easier to put fingerprint or facial recognition when it comes to locking phones. But when you're in a protest, it is better to keep passwords than biometrics. Why?
Under the Fifth Amendment in the United States Federal law, compelling a password from a suspect is a violation. So once a police officer demands your phone to be unlocked-- and you're using a password than biometrics, you can safely resist to do it.
Use secure apps
Secure apps are important when it comes to mass protests. It's good to have installed secure apps like Tor or DuckDuckGo to keep authorities away from your personal activities if you want to be undetected with your online activities.
Turn airplane mode
Keeping your phone in an airplane mode is one of the basic things to do when you're in a protest. Aside from staying away from any location-tracking schemes, airplane mode also allows users to move without any interference with cellular companies.
No movement, no data.
Don't take photos as much as possible
One of the most common things to do in a mass protest is to take photos and post it on social media. Unfortunately, this could result in an even worse problem.
As much as possible, don't take any pictures of yourself or anyone from the protest. If you still want yourself to be seen online, make sure to blur the faces of other people that may be captured in your image.
Secure your social media accounts
Again, posting anything that could track you on social media during a protest is a no-no for your security. If you insist on doing that, you can have an alternative account or make your existing account private. Just to make sure that authorities will not make you liable for any damages that you've not done in a protest.
Leave your phone, if you can
If you wouldn't want to have any hassle between your phone and yourself, better to keep your phone at home.
You don't need to secure it, put passwords, or change settings on your gadget. That's much easier to do than bringing it in a protest.
