Your mobile phone is one of the most powerful tools you can bring to a protest, but it can also be one of your biggest vulnerabilities. This year has seen mass demonstrations across the US, particularly against aggressive immigration enforcement and the use of force by federal and local authorities -- including the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis -- where protesters have used their phones to record video, document abuses and communicate with one another.
Phone data and use are increasingly being targeted by police and government agencies. Phones are also tracking devices that can be intercepted to monitor locations, match identities and surveil text messages (the FBI has threatened to investigate encrypted Signal chats, too). While the safest move is to leave your phone at home, that's not always practical.
If you want to secure your phone's data, limit your digital footprint and protect your privacy while exercising your constitutional rights, here are some steps you can take.
If you plan to protest or serve as a legal observer, here's some advice from the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International.
Make sure strong encryption is enabled
Your phone contains all sorts of information about you: your contacts, work address, photos, social media accounts, emails, stored financial information, etc. If your phone is confiscated, lost or stolen, you don't want to make it easy for someone to grab that data.
As a first step, make sure your device is securely encrypted. Most iPhones and Android phones encrypt data automatically when you set a passcode. Make sure it's a strong passcode (8-12 random characters).
On Android, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Device Unlock > Screen lock (or similar, depending on which device you own).
On iOS, go to Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) & Passcode and tap Turn Passcode On.
You can double-check that encryption is enabled after you've set a passcode. In iOS, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, then scroll to the bottom, where you should see the phrase "Data protection is enabled."
... continue reading