Category: Protests
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Digital Security Checklist for activists
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Better to adopt good practices now than regret it later. Here is a non exhaustive list of simple things you can do to protect yourself. Use a private DNS server DNS is an essential service similar to a phone book which tells your device how to access resources (i.e. a website) on another computer (a…
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Using a Windows PC? Use this simple encryption hack for extra protection.
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By default, a Windows 10 or earlier PC is aptly named – it’s like a house with an open window. If the first prompt you see when you power your computer on is a Windows login screen, your data is totally insecure. Even if it wasn’t easy to crack the password, the data still remains completely…
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Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for online privacy
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You can’t have avoided hearing about VPNs lately. Even before the Online Safety Act 2023 put certain online content out of reach without age verification (causing a massive spike in VPN sales), companies were bombarding users with alluring claims and special offers. But what does a VPN actually offer? How do they work? What are their…
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How can I keep my Signal messages secure?
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Over the past decade, Signal has proven itself to be the messaging platform of choice for security concious users, and the one that we recommend. Run by a non-profit organisation, there are no instances of user data vewing leaked, stolen, stored or compromised, and the open source nature of the software means that anybody with…
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Staying safer during anti-fascist organising
It’s incredibly important to protect your identity and use secure methods of organising when you’re taking anti-fascist action, as you face risks not just from the police but from far-right groups. Far-right groups sometimes “dox” anti-fasicst campaigners, publishing people’s photos, personal details and information online. Keeping your identity secure and wearing a mask to protests…
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Filming the police
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in ProtestsWhy stop and film? Ordinary people stopping and filming the police can mean that officers behave differently than they would if no-one was watching and recording their actions. This might make the experience for the person who has been stopped or arrested feel far less intimidating or threatening. Can I legally film the police? The…
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Blurring faces in videos
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in ProtestsVideo shared online is a significant source of intelligence for the police and so – if you consider the risk warrants protecting someone’s identity – you may want to blur faces in a video clip before sharing it on social media. There are a number of tools that offer this. These resources come and go,…
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Reasons to wear a mask at a protest
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in ProtestsWear a mask to protest your health and others. The coronavirus pandemic is not over, 2 million people in the UK are now experiencing long COVID and tens of thousands of people who have a weakened immune system remain clinically vulnerable. Everyone wearing a mask is a way of offering safety and solidarity to people…
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Help! The police have taken my phone
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in ProtestsIf you are arrested, the police can seize your phone as evidence. You may not get your device back in a workable condition or at all if police seize it, which is why we would always advise you NOT to carry your phone if you think you may be arrested. Police do not have the…
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What are Police Liaison Officers?
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in ProtestsThe presence of uniformed officers at many demonstrations around Britain, who wear light blue bibs with “Police Liaison Officer” on the back, has become commonplace. They seem more friendly than other officers, but their efforts to chat with protesters hide their true role. Police leaders claim their job is to undertake what is misleadingly called…