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EFF's Cell Phone Guide For US Protesters

Posted by Soulskill on from the do-not-use-your-cell-phone-as-a-projectile-weapon dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The Electronic Frontier Foundation has updated its guide for protecting yourself and your cell phone at a protest. In addition to being extremely powerful tools (real-time communication to many watchers via social media, and video recording functionality), cell phones can also give authorities a lot of information about you if they confiscate it. The EFF is trying to encourage cell phone use and prepare people to use them. (The guide is based on U.S. laws, but much of the advice makes sense for other places as well.) Here are a few small snippets: "Start using encrypted communications channels. Text messages, as a rule, can be read and stored by your phone company or by surveillance equipment in the area. ... If the police ask to see your phone, tell them you do not consent to the search of your device. Again, since the Supreme Court's decision in Riley, there is little question that officers need a warrant to access the contents of your phone incident to arrest, though they may be able to seize the phone and get a warrant later. ... If your phone or electronic device was seized, and is not promptly returned when you are released, you can file a motion with the court to have your property returned."

5 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Better Idea by sexconker · · Score: 5, Informative

    Use a shitty pre-paid phone when you're out rabble rousing.
    Wipe it before you leave the house.

    1. Re:Better Idea by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's a great idea to use a mobile phone at a protest. For a start they can upload video and photos in real-time, making it impossible for the cops to delete them. Encrypted messaging is a good way to organize a protest.

      If you just take a camera you are both isolated and vulnerable to having to taken off you and wiped.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. Re:Best by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If this is good advice, the government is tyrannical.

  3. STOLEN, not "confiscated". by jcr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Confiscation is legal. When a pack of thugs in costumes takes your phone to keep you from exposing their crimes, they're stealing your phone, not confiscating it.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  4. Alter the phone so standard tools won't work by mysidia · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For example, take steps to disable 'data communication ports on the device that you don't use.

    Disable the ability to pair over USB or bluetooth.

    Use nonstandard filesystems.

    Analysts attempting to execute an illegal search of your device are not going to be "technical gurus"; too few of those to go around.

    They'll be using standard software tools they bought from some vendor.

    Make sure no "standard" tools will work as expected on your device, and their costs go up tremendously.