Post Protest Tips

Just a few, and interdependence.

Note: these tips are primarily for marches as opposed to protests, but the state often does not bother to make the distinction, so they’re tips all around.

Here are several privacy and security tips when returning from a protest.

Hopefully before you went, you changed any kind of biometric access to your device to a passcode instead. Keep it that way, no need to switch it back to facial or fingerprint recognition or biometrics. Keep it as a passcode.

Try to ensure that people's faces are not easily identifiable in videos and photos before sharing them publicly. Malicious entities, such as the state, will use humans to identify faces but also facial recognition tech.

There are several apps that can blur faces out of photos. You can also place words, shapes, and emojis over people's faces. The same goes for video. Do this not only for faces, but also for any unique identifying characteristics. This could be tattoos, unique haircuts, hair colors, or unique clothing and accessories.

Before sharing anything, ask yourself if you need to. You may want to, but do you need to? By sharing, are you putting anyone at risk?

We also need to cultivate a culture of consent. Yes, even in public instances. This is where interdependence comes into play. This is not just about you. It is not just about you sharing. This is about taking care of each other, before, during and after protests. Your sharing impacts others. It does not matter whether what people are doing is very legal. The agents of the state do not care about that.

If you share any photos, instead of sharing the photo itself, even with people's faces and distinguishing characteristics obscured, take a screenshot of it and share the screenshot instead. There is more metadata attached to the original photo than a screenshot of the original. This can help to keep exact location and time data ambiguous.

Often, people capture footage of fellow protesters being unique. Perhaps they are distributing PPE, handing out food, or doing small side actions. Even if each of those actions are legal, agents of the state will always try to isolate and identify specific individuals. Do not give them the opportunity. Do not share anything that will separate one person from the rest of the group.

Remember that everything you do impacts someone else, and that includes within protests too.

Always remember interdependence. We are the waves, and we affect each other directly. Our privacy security, safety, wellness and liberation are dependent on each other. It's all of us together.