Protest Safely: Navigating Digital Surveillance in the Age of Increased Scrutiny
As significant social and political movements gain momentum, the act of public protest remains a cornerstone of democratic expression. However, in the modern era, exercising this fundamental right comes with complexities that extend far beyond physical safety. The landscape of surveillance has evolved dramatically, equipping law enforcement and government agencies with sophisticated tools capable of tracking individuals, monitoring communications, and collecting vast amounts of data. For anyone planning to participate in protests, understanding and mitigating these digital risks is as crucial as preparing for physical well-being.
The surveillance apparatus available today is more pervasive and powerful than ever before. It's the same technology that can be used for various forms of monitoring, and it is increasingly deployed in the context of public demonstrations. This means that simply being present at or near a protest can potentially create a digital record that authorities could later access or use.
There are two primary areas of digital surveillance that protesters should be acutely aware of. The first involves the data residing on your personal devices, particularly your smartphone. If you are detained, arrested, or your phone is confiscated, authorities may attempt to access its contents. This could include call logs, text messages, emails, photos, videos, social media activity, location history, and app data – a comprehensive digital footprint of your life and activities.
The second area concerns the information you passively generate simply by being in a specific location at a specific time, especially within a crowd. This can include your phone connecting to cell towers or Wi-Fi networks, potentially being intercepted by specialized devices, or being captured by various tracking technologies deployed in public spaces. Tools like automated license plate readers can log vehicle movements, while increasingly sophisticated facial recognition systems can identify individuals in photographs and video footage, even within large gatherings.
Given the documented instances of authorities arresting peaceful protesters and journalists, it is prudent to operate under the assumption that any digital evidence linking you to a protest could potentially be used against you. This isn't about paranoia; it's about informed caution in a rapidly changing environment.
Evan Greer, deputy director of the activist organization Fight for the Future, highlights the current climate: “The Trump administration is weaponizing essentially every lever of government to shut down, suppress, and curtail criticism of the administration and of the US government generally, and there have never been more surveillance toys available to law enforcement and to US government agencies.” While this reality can seem daunting, Greer emphasizes that practical steps can significantly enhance your digital security. “That said, there are a number of very simple, concrete things that you can do that make it exponentially more difficult for someone to intercept your communications, for a bad actor to ascertain your real-time location, or for the government to gain access to your private information,” she notes, echoing advice she shared during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests on X (then-Twitter).
This guide, originally published in 2020 and updated in 2025, aims to provide actionable strategies for navigating the digital surveillance landscape while exercising your right to protest.
Your Phone: A Constant Digital Beacon
Your smartphone is arguably the single biggest digital security risk you carry to a protest. These devices are designed to constantly communicate, broadcasting signals that can be picked up and logged. Every time your phone connects to a cell tower, your mobile carrier records that connection, creating a historical log of your location and movement. Law enforcement can obtain this data, often with a court order or subpoena, to map your presence at specific locations and times.
Beyond standard cell tower data, more advanced surveillance tools exist. So-called 'stingray' devices, or IMSI catchers, are portable devices that mimic legitimate cell towers. They trick all mobile phones within a certain radius into connecting to them instead of the real towers. When phones connect, the stingray can capture their International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number. This unique identifier is linked to your phone and, through your carrier, to your identity. By collecting IMSI numbers in a protest area, authorities can potentially compile a list of every phone present, effectively de-anonymizing the crowd.
Harlo Holmes, director of digital security at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, states plainly, “The device in your pocket is definitely going to give off information that could be used to identify you.”
For individuals prioritizing anonymity above all else, the most secure option is to leave your primary smartphone at home entirely. This eliminates the risk of its data being accessed or its presence being logged. However, this isn't always practical. Protesters often need phones for coordination, communication with legal support, or documenting events.
If you must bring a phone, minimize its broadcasting. Keep it turned off as much as possible. Only power it on when absolutely necessary for brief periods to send or receive messages. Coordinate logistics with your group beforehand so you don't need constant communication. To go a step further, consider using a Faraday bag. These pouches are lined with conductive material that blocks all incoming and outgoing radio signals (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS), effectively making the phone invisible to wireless tracking while inside. You would only remove the phone from the bag when you need to use it.
Another common piece of advice is to use a secondary phone, sometimes referred to as a “burner” phone. The idea is that this phone isn't linked to your primary identity or filled with sensitive personal data. However, the concept of a truly anonymous burner phone is often misunderstood. Simply buying a cheap prepaid phone doesn't guarantee anonymity. If you provide any identifying information when purchasing or activating the phone or its service (like a name, address, or even using a credit card), it can be traced back to you. As Holmes cautions, “Don’t expect because you got it from Duane Reade that you’re automatically a character from The Wire.”
A more practical approach than seeking a truly anonymous burner might be to use a secondary device that you own but have intentionally set up with minimal sensitive information. This means logging out of or uninstalling apps that contain your most private data, such as email clients, social media apps, banking apps, and cloud storage services. The goal is to reduce the amount of potentially incriminating or identifying information accessible if the device is seized. “Choosing a secondary device that limits the amount of personal data that you have on you at all times is probably your best protection,” Holmes advises.
Regardless of which phone you bring, be mindful of your communication methods. Traditional phone calls and SMS text messages are not end-to-end encrypted and can be intercepted or accessed by authorities with relative ease. To protect your conversations, use encrypted messaging applications. Signal is widely recommended by security experts for its strong encryption and privacy features. Ensure that everyone you communicate with is also using the same encrypted app, as encryption only works when both sender and receiver are using the secure platform. Many encrypted messaging apps also offer disappearing message features, allowing you to set messages to automatically delete after a set period, further reducing the amount of data stored on your device and in the conversation history.
Beyond communication, prepare for the possibility of your device being physically seized. Modern smartphones offer full-disk encryption, which scrambles all the data on the device, making it unreadable without the decryption key. On iOS devices, this is enabled by default when you set up a passcode. For Android phones, you may need to manually enable disk encryption in the security settings. Check your device's specific settings to ensure this is active.
The method you use to unlock your phone is also critical. While convenient, biometric methods like fingerprint (TouchID) or face unlock (FaceID) can potentially be compelled by law enforcement. It is significantly harder for authorities to force you to reveal a strong passcode than to simply place your finger on a sensor or point the phone at your face. Before heading to a protest, disable biometric unlocking methods and rely solely on a long, strong alphanumeric passcode. If you typically use biometrics for convenience, make sure you know how to quickly disable them. On iPhones, holding down the side button and a volume button simultaneously brings up an emergency screen that, when exited, requires the passcode to unlock the phone, even if FaceID or TouchID were previously enabled. Many devices also allow you to access the camera or initiate recording without fully unlocking the phone, which can be useful for documenting events while keeping your device locked.
Your Face: The Target of Recognition Technology
In the age of ubiquitous cameras and advanced algorithms, your face has become a primary identifier for surveillance systems. Facial recognition technology, once confined to science fiction, is now a reality used by law enforcement to identify individuals in live feeds, recorded video, and even still photographs. Protests, with their large crowds and extensive visual documentation (both official and public), present a prime environment for this technology's deployment.
Wearing a face mask and sunglasses can significantly impede facial recognition systems by obscuring key facial features. However, the effectiveness of this tactic is constantly being challenged by evolving technology. Fight for the Future's Evan Greer notes that the accuracy of the most advanced tools available to law enforcement is often unknown, and a simple surgical mask or KN95 might not be sufficient to defeat sophisticated face-tracking tech.
For those seeking a higher level of obfuscation, more comprehensive face coverings may be necessary. Greer suggests that full-face masks, or even creative, non-threatening masks like those used in cosplay or Halloween costumes, can be far more effective. “I've seen people wear funny cosplay-style cartoon masks or mascot suits or silly costumes,” says Greer, citing examples like masks of political figures seen at protests. “That's a great way to defy facial recognition and also make the protest more fun.”
Beyond your face, consider your overall appearance. Law enforcement and surveillance systems can use other identifying features. Colorful or distinctive clothing, prominent logos, unique hairstyles, or visible tattoos can make you easier to spot in a crowd and track across different locations or through different surveillance feeds. If you have identifiable tattoos, consider covering them. Opting for less distinctive, neutral clothing can help you blend in.
Despite these precautions, Greer offers a sobering caution: preventing determined, surveillance-empowered agencies from learning that you were present at a protest at all is becoming increasingly difficult. For individuals in particularly sensitive positions, such as undocumented immigrants who face significant risks of deportation, she suggests carefully weighing the potential consequences of attendance against the effectiveness of obfuscation techniques. In some high-risk scenarios, staying home might be the safest option.
Your mode of transportation can also be a vector for surveillance. If you drive a car to a protest, be aware that automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are widely used by law enforcement. These cameras capture images of license plates, convert them to text, and log the location, date, and time. This data is often aggregated into massive databases, creating detailed records of vehicle movements over time. ALPRs can easily document that your vehicle was present in the vicinity of a protest. Furthermore, some ALPR systems and other roadside cameras are becoming capable of detecting more than just license plates; they can also read other text and images, including those on bumper stickers, signs displayed in windows, or even slogans on T-shirts visible through the windshield.
Ultimately, everyone considering attending a protest must engage in a personal risk assessment. The potential consequences of being identified or arrested have escalated in recent years. Danacea Vo, founder of Cyberlixir, a cybersecurity provider for nonprofits and vulnerable communities, notes, “I think it's important to say that protesting in the US now comes with higher risks than it used to—it comes with a real possibility of physical violence and mass arrest.” She adds that the situation can change rapidly: “Even just compared to protests that happened last month, people were able to just show up barefaced and march. Now things have changed.”
Your Online Footprint: Digital Breadcrumbs
While physical presence and device security are critical, your online activity before, during, and after a protest also constitutes a significant surveillance risk. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies routinely monitor social media and other online platforms for information related to planned protests and participants. Simply posting online that you plan to attend a protest, are currently at one, or have just left can create a digital record linking you to the event.
Furthermore, the content you create and share online can be analyzed. Photos and videos taken at a protest, even if intended for personal use or sharing with friends, can be collected and used by authorities. Such media can help law enforcement build a clearer picture of who attended, what happened, and who interacted with whom. Crucially, your photos and videos might inadvertently capture the faces of other protesters, potentially exposing them to identification and tracking without their consent.
Authorities don't just rely on manual searches; they utilize bulk data analysis tools. Platforms like Dataminr aggregate and analyze vast amounts of public social media data in real time, alerting subscribers (including law enforcement) to emerging events, trends, and potentially identifying information. These tools can quickly connect individuals to their online activity related to a protest. Moreover, your past online presence can be scrutinized. Any comments you've made, even years ago, or any content you've shared that could be interpreted negatively by authorities — including jokes or hyperbolic statements about illegal activities or violence — could be discovered and used against you if you are questioned or arrested. This is a particularly acute concern for non-citizens, including those on visas or with tenuous immigration status, as online activity can impact immigration proceedings. The US State Department has explicitly stated its intention to monitor the social media activity of visa applicants and travelers.
Metadata embedded in digital files is another often-overlooked risk. Photos and videos taken with your smartphone typically include metadata such as the exact time, date, and GPS coordinates where they were captured. Sharing these files online without stripping the metadata can reveal your precise location at the time the media was created, helping authorities map your movements within or around a protest area.
If you plan to take photos or videos, be mindful of the privacy of others. Obtain explicit permission from fellow protesters before including them in your media, especially if you intend to share it publicly. Consider the risks associated with livestreaming; while it can be a powerful tool for documenting events in real time, it's difficult to control who appears in your stream and whether they are comfortable being broadcast to a potentially wide audience, including authorities.
Even if you have no intention of sharing photos or videos online, remember that the media stored on your device could be accessed if your phone is seized. This underscores the importance of encrypting your device and understanding your rights regarding compelled access.
The decision of whether and how to document a protest involves a difficult balancing act. Cyberlixir's Danacea Vo highlights this tension: “With federal crackdowns on protests ramping up around the country, people must assess each situation and weigh the benefits of maintaining personal privacy versus chronicling the reality of what’s happening at protests.” She acknowledges the risks of sharing identifiable information online but also stresses the vital role of documentation. “Social media monitoring and online profiling is the factor that lots of people forget. Those who publish footage on social media should avoid sharing photos or videos that reveal people's faces,” she advises. However, she adds, “But I also believe that documenting what’s going on is essential, especially in high-risk conditions, because when the state escalates we need proof for legal defense, for public record, for future organizing, and also to keep ourselves physically safe in real time.”
This suggests a strategic approach to documentation: prioritize capturing the actions of authorities or significant events, while minimizing the capture and sharing of identifiable images of fellow protesters. If sharing is necessary, explore methods for blurring faces or stripping metadata.
Assessing Your Risk Tolerance and Staying Vigilant
As protests continue and the potential for escalated responses from authorities remains, it is crucial to be prepared for the deployment of existing surveillance technologies and potentially the emergence of new forms of digital monitoring aimed at countering civil disobedience or retaliating against activists. Staying informed about the latest surveillance methods and privacy-enhancing tools is an ongoing process.
Every individual has a different level of risk tolerance and different potential vulnerabilities based on factors like immigration status, employment, existing legal issues, or public profile. What is a manageable risk for one person might be unacceptable for another. It is essential to honestly assess your own situation and make informed decisions about your participation and the precautions you take.
For people of every risk level, however, implementing thoughtful privacy and security measures can make a significant difference. These steps are not foolproof guarantees of anonymity or immunity from surveillance, but they raise the bar, making it more difficult and resource-intensive for authorities to track and identify you.
Fight for the Future's Greer offers a final, empowering perspective: “Part of the goal of governments extending and implementing mass surveillance programs is to scare people and make people think twice before they speak up.” The knowledge that you might be monitored can be chilling, leading to self-censorship and discouraging participation in legitimate political activity. “I think that we should be very careful in this moment not to fall into that trap,” she urges.
By taking proactive steps to protect your digital privacy, you can reduce your vulnerability and feel more secure in exercising your right to protest. This includes understanding the risks associated with your phone and online presence, taking measures to obscure your identity from visual tracking, and using secure communication methods. While no security measure is perfect, a layered approach significantly enhances your protection. Empowering yourself with knowledge and implementing these practical tips can help ensure that the tools of surveillance do not silence your voice.
.Remember that digital security is just one aspect of protest safety. It's also important to be prepared for physical risks and know your rights if you interact with law enforcement. Resources like guides on what to bring to a protest and information about police conduct during demonstrations can provide a more complete picture of how to stay safe and prepared.
In an era where technology increasingly intersects with civil liberties, informed participation is the most powerful form of resistance against pervasive surveillance. By understanding the risks and taking appropriate precautions, you can help protect yourself and your fellow protesters while standing up for your beliefs.