If you stick with biometric unlocking methods to access devices faster, remember that some phones have emergency features to disable these types of locks. For example, pressing one of the wake button and one volume button on the iPhone simultaneously, it locks itself and requires a password to unlock instead of faceID or touchID, even if they are enabled. Most devices also allow you to take photos or record videos without unlocking them first, which is a great way to make your phone locked as much as possible.
Your face
Facial recognition has become one of the most powerful tools to determine your existence in a protest. Consider wearing a mask and sunglasses to make it difficult for you to determine your identification by surveillance cameras or facial recognition in social media photos or videos of protests. However, fighting for the warning of future Greer that the accuracy of the most effective facial recognition tool for law enforcement remains unknown, and a simple surgical mask or KN95 may no longer be enough to beat the lasting facial tracking technology.
She said that if you take it seriously and aren’t identified, a comprehensive mask may be safer, even a Halloween-style mask. “I’ve seen people wearing funny role-playing cartoon masks, mascot suits or stupid costumes,” Greer said, citing examples of role models for Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s masks, who saw protesters at Tesla castla protests against Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “It’s a great way to ignore facial recognition and make the protests more interesting.”
You should also consider what clothes you wear before going out. Brightly colored clothing or prominent logos make it easier for you to identify law enforcement and easier to track. If your tattoos make you recognizable, consider covering them.
However, Greer warned that it is becoming increasingly difficult to prevent agencies that determine surveillance capabilities from learning about the fact that you are participating in the protests. For those in the most sensitive positions, such as undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation, she recommends that you consider staying at home rather than relying on any obfuscation technology to mask their presence at the event.
If you are driving to protest (yourself or someone else), consider an automatic board reader that can easily identify the vehicle’s movements. And, besides the license plate, note that these same sensors can detect other words and phrases, including bumper stickers, logos and even T-shirts.
More broadly, everyone participating in the protest needs to consider – perhaps more susceptible to risk tolerance than ever, from mere identification to the possibility of arrest or detention. “I think it’s important to say that protests in the United States are at higher risk than ever before – it has the possibility of actual violence and mass arrests,” said Danacea Vo, founder of Cyberlixir, a nonprofit and vulnerable community cybersecurity provider. “People are able to show up naked even if it’s just compared to the protests that happened last month. Now things have changed.”
Your online footprint
While most privacy and security considerations for participating in face-to-face protests are naturally related to your body, any device you bring, and your physical environment, there are many other factors that need to be thought about online. It is important to understand how posts on social media and other platforms can be collected and used by authorities before, during or after the protests to identify and track you or others. This information will appear only on the online platform where you attend or participate in the protest. And if you take photos or videos during a protest, this content can be used to expand the perception of law enforcement officers about who participates in the protest and what they do there, including any stranger who appears in your image or footage.
Authorities can get into your online presence by looking for information about you, but they can also get there using batch data analysis tools such as Dataminr, which provide real-time monitoring for law enforcement and other customers, thereby connecting people to their online activities. Such tools can also surface, and if you have ever made violent comments online, or suggest a crime (even if it’s a joke), then if you’re questioned or arrested in a protest, you may find the event and use it. This is a special concern for people living in the United States or those with vulnerable immigration status. The U.S. State Department has made it clear that it is monitoring social media activity for immigrants and travelers.
