Best Security Practices for Activists?

Question

Eight years ago I asked for advice about security practices for activists, and received the helpful advice (from Thomas Ptacek, if I remember correctly) not to disarm unilaterally, but to use a useful tool if it helps a group of activists organize well, and not to obsess about the full theoretical security of one online tool versus another. I am seeing new groups of activists pop up organized through largely online channels, including some channels that were founded way back in the early years of HN by people well known to the HN community. I use Signal now and am curious Discord (which I have never used, but which is used a lot by a group of local activists). What tools and practices should I be familiar with in 2025? How can I help newbies to activism who are also newbies to technology (the kind of folks who would never visit HN) get up to speed with best practices? What habits are useful to practice and what tools are useful to use to facilitate communication without getting nonviolent, peaceful, legal protesters in trouble just because they are trying to organize to express dissent? (How much do those considerations change in the United States with new directors in all the United States federal agencies that have investigative powers and electronic communications resources?) Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Rhapso · Accepted Answer

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/01/23/activists-...
Is a start.
It gets complicated because we are getting to the point where using signal is itself being seen as probably cause for investigation: https://kmlawfirm.com/2023/02/28/its-not-what-you-say-its-ho... so I encourage everybody who doesn't need such security to use signal anyways, if only to add protection to the vulnerable.
Pay attention when you scan signal QR codes: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/rus...

getwiththeprog · Answer

Don't wear a mask. Social change is about many caring people coming together to support a worthy cause. Solidarity and visibility are key. The women's rights movement was not organized by cryptographers. Social change does not come from the shadows. Spend your time on simple basic things that support solidarity. Discord, web-pages, Whats App... use it all!Model you tactics on successful campaigns and people. What does the ACLU use? How about Amnesty International?

colanderman · Answer

Don't bring your phone to protests. If you do, turn off all radios (airplane mode + WiFi off + Bluetooth off) and do not use Google or Apple Maps to find your way there. (Use an offline mapping app like OsmAnd if you need to.) Enable lockdown mode on your phone (= no biometric activation).I would personally not use Discord for activist coordination. All your communications are stored on their servers.

sepositus · Answer

> What habits are useful to practice and what tools are useful to use to facilitate communication without getting nonviolent, peaceful, legal protesters in trouble just because they are trying to organize to express dissent?
I guess the first question is in trouble with who? For the longest time I worked at a place that pressured employees to avoid getting involved in politics which turned out to just be patently false and was only ever used to squash one side of the argument. So, in that case, I just didn't post things where my employer might run across them, which doesn't take very advanced technology.
If you're trying to protect yourself from a government, you're going to probably have a bit more work ahead of you.

gus_massa · Answer

Nice to find you again! I miss your comments with a lot of relevant citations.
> What habits are useful to practice and what tools are useful to use to facilitate communication without getting nonviolent, peaceful, legal protesters in trouble just because they are trying to organize to express dissent?
I'll repeat my old recommendation: Assume three letters agencies can read all your communication anyway. Beware of the guy that wants to escalate and blow up everything, he is probably an informant (or an idiot).

archagon · Answer

I vaguely recall Naomi Wu writing insightfully on the subject in the past. Maybe in relation to BLM protest security?

k310 · Answer

Some suggestionsPrivacy Guides home:https://www.privacyguides.org/en/The Protesters' Guide to Smartphone Securityhttps://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/01/23/activists-...Infosec 101 for Activistshttps://infosecforactivists.org/Using Tails When Your World Doesn't Feel Safe Anymorehttps://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/01/29/installing...How I&rsquo;m Building a Trump-Proof Tech Stack Without Big Techhttps://www.joanwestenberg.com/american-tech-is-compromised-...EFF guides: I don't have the URL's handyhttps://eff.orgSee also:https://riseup.net

theshrike79 · Answer

For out of band communication Meshtastic devices might be a good option