hee hee hoo hoo you should definitely bring the self-surveillance device that is registered in your name, covered in cameras, and reports its location at all times to a legally dubious event

great plan

  • GaveUp [she/her]
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    the fear is not realistic tbh. the police can arrest you any time they want and there's nothing stopping them. and if you actively organize, then they're already tracking you regardless

    • FunkyStuff [he/him]
      ·
      5 months ago

      This is kinda true but not everyone who attends a protest is actively organizing. If you bring friends that aren't as engaged in politics as you to the protests, tell them not to bring their phones. If you aren't in a party, don't bring your phone. Don't take risks for no reason.

      • umbrella@lemmy.ml
        ·
        5 months ago

        taking a capital surveillance device with you while doing things capital wouldnt approve of is dumb.

        i don't know any leftists irl who worries about any of this in excess.

      • GaveUp [she/her]
        ·
        5 months ago

        dw, people irl ime don't do this, it's just the chronically online

    • umbrella@lemmy.ml
      ·
      5 months ago

      nah, constant eyes on us will make organizing much much harder.

      people will understand that when they decide we became a real problem. they have been rushing to expand surveillance in the last decade for a reason.

  • buh [she/her]
    ·
    5 months ago

    Bring someone else’s phone to the protest

    • RedWizard [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      5 months ago

      Yes, for clarity your IMSI is tied to your identity on the provider. You would need to get a new provider and new SIM card for this number to change. Not an easy thing for the average person.

          • Justice@lemmygrad.ml
            ·
            5 months ago

            This sounds paranoid, etc., but it must just be stated

            Every single US telecom works willingly with the US government to provide them literally any and all info they request for anyone at any time.

            AT&T is effectively just a privatized part of the government and they also happen to own most of the "backbone" of the internet.

            It's just this giant jumble of public funds going to the private ISPs and then into the capitalist owner's pockets. They cooperate because it's profitable to work adjacent to "national security" stuff and because most people don't know/care the extent that they "legally" spy on you.

            So I just say, without paranoia or exaggeration, anything you say online can/will be used if you're planning/doing illegal things. And none of the encrypted apps are gonna save your ass either including VPNs. Theoretically a lot of that can protect you, but even assuming it has no backdoors and is legitimately secure, people always make mistakes eventually.

            In person, "meat space" discussions with no electronics nearby is the only effective way to eliminate the surveillance

  • RedWizard [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    5 months ago

    Get yourself a Faraday Bag to keep your phone in. That way you can keep it on you but ensure it's offline. I have no recommendations on which, you'll have to test them. I have never used one personally, I'm just aware they exist.

    • BobDole [none/use name]
      ·
      5 months ago

      If you’re paranoid enough, your phone could track you through inertial navigation with all of the accelerometers it has.

      • LesbianLiberty [she/her]
        ·
        5 months ago

        There'd be no basis for this though, this is something would would definitely not be on by default. This suggestion reaches an absurdity that confuses real attempts at phone location obfuscation

        • BobDole [none/use name]
          ·
          5 months ago

          https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/34025811/Location_Tracking_Using_Non_Privacy_Sensitive_Mobile_Sensors.pdf

          It’s the basis for Inertial Navigation Systems that have been in use for aviation and maritime navigation since the mid twentieth century. The best method is leave it at home.

    • JayTwo [any]
      ·
      5 months ago

      If you need a temporary cage asap aluminum foil works. It just looks ridiculous.

      • Frank [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        5 months ago

        Make sure to read up on how to do it properly. It's not as simple as wrapping the phone in foil.

        • JayTwo [any]
          ·
          5 months ago

          Oh dang you got a link for how to do it right?
          Because I thought multiple layers of heavy duty foil was enough but now duckduckgo is saying it isn't but not really telling me what is.

          I once tested if I could get any packets in or out through both wifi and cell and wasn't able to but while it was more advanced than just trying to call it, it wasn't exactly the most rigorous test either, fwiw.

          • Frank [he/him, he/him]
            ·
            5 months ago

            I don't have a guide, but my understanding is radio waves being spooky ghost magic if you don't do the edges and opening's correctly that just have foil around it won't work. The radio waves will still go in and out. Apparently cell radio waves are much harder than just blocking the metal detectors or whatever when you're using a foil lined bag to shoplift.

  • tombruzzo [none/use name]
    ·
    5 months ago

    How will people know the protest is happening unless you stream it to Facebook with your front facing camera?

  • ghost_of_faso2@lemmygrad.ml
    ·
    5 months ago

    The OPSEC idea behind this isnt worried about being tracked in real time by the police at the protest, the highest risk is it being used in court after the fact to prove you where there, and nearby illegal stuff happening; thats why you leave it at home, not just bring it turned off, they can still use that to say 'you where here'

    • umbrella@lemmy.ml
      ·
      5 months ago

      bingo. they just can't sift through data in real time outside of specific situations just yet. especially in a big protest or something.

      but they can pull up the records of who was there at the time from the isp and persecute them individually.

      think jan 6 riots, but they would be way less lenient to not-fascists.

        • Chronicon [comrade/them]
          ·
          5 months ago

          Yeah surprisingly seems to be true. I've bought a SIM with cash before. They do ask for your full name and address at the very least but its conceivably possible to do with a fake name and address and topping it up with cash every so often.

          But almost nobody does that, and it doesn't really change the point of the OP since if you ever use the sim for identifiable comms or in identifiable locations or sign into other services in your name using it.

        • GaveUp [she/her]
          ·
          5 months ago

          Really? They always ask me to enter my SSN/SIN

          • krolden@lemmy.ml
            ·
            edit-2
            5 months ago

            Get a prepaid plan on some other reseller they dont need shit.

            Verizon ATT etc will ask all that info if you're signing a contract or burying a phone on credit.

            Or better yet just dont put a sim in a phone and just use it on WiFi.

            • Mardoniush [she/her]
              ·
              edit-2
              5 months ago

              That wont stop the tracking, at least here. Even without a sim they can use connection to emergency networks and the imei to track you.

              Of course here you need id to get a sim

  • umbrella@lemmy.ml
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    surveillance will be used to fuck us hard if we ever become a problem. i wouldnt be surprised if they are keeping tabs on a lot of us, remember the snowden leaks and how they keep an eye on the planet, directly from the servers.

    only trust selfhosted and completely open source apps, and even then they can exploit almost every device with cyber weapons if they need to track anyone specific. we make fun of ai but its an excellent tool to sift through data to keep us in check. we have to come u**p with and use good alternatives.

    we let them fucking build this panopticon around us and we will pay the price. its not gonna be like 100yrs ago when workers could just scurry off into the void, they have facial recognition everywhere now. i know many here might not understand the gravity of surveillance but we havent seen the start of it.

    they will 100% be very prepared to target anyone challenging the status quo in an unprecedented way.

  • I mean, in airplane mode with Bluetooth and WiFi turned off you should be ok. It's nice to have to take a photo or two. Also nice to have in case of emergency. But without GrapheneOS or a similar OS running on the device, it being on is a big oversight for sure.

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      5 months ago

      Even then it's iffy. Many phones don't really shut down when they're shut down, and if you really want to be paranoid even with the radios turned off they might still be receiving or something and phone home when you turn the on again.

      But, still, at this point we're mostly small fish.

      As a general note, make sure you either don't take photos of faces, tattoos, or anything identifiable, or just don't take pictures at all and leave that to the journos.

      • CindyTheSkull [she/her, comrade/them]
        ·
        5 months ago

        Yes, it's really best just not to bring your phone at all but if you must, like for emergencies, or you need it beforehand and then for some reason have no place to stash it then a Faraday container can come in very handy. It's also not 100% fool proof but if used right will prevent any signals from outside reaching your phone or any signals from your phone going out (as mentioned, you can not trust airplane mode.) There are DIY guides online for making your own.

  • KrupskayaPraxis@lemmygrad.ml
    ·
    5 months ago

    I agree, but one problem I have is that I need to be able to message or call someone. Especially if I'm arrested I would like a phone to call a lawyer. Also I want to document the protest online so people who follow me know what's going on. (Of course I wouldn't film anything illegal, or give away people's identities) Althought I can do those things without my own phone.

    • alexandra_kollontai [she/her]
      hexagon
      ·
      5 months ago

      Also I want to document the protest online so people who follow me know what's going on

      great plan, yes, perfect. fantastic. that's just what phones are for