Forwarded from The Black Lives Revolution (BLM)
It seems a lot of people are concerned about their digital safety when it comes to protests. I'll try to cover what the cops can realistically do.
1. What are stingrays?
Stingrays are essentially fake cell towers. They're listening on any SMS, Voice Call, and Internet usage you have while connected to the stingray. Will you know you're connected to a stingray? Probably not. It's not impossible but it's difficult, and there is not easy way to just find out that works for everything.
2. What does "listening" to SMS/Voice Call/Internet usage mean?
With voice calls and SMS they can reconstruct exactly what you've said or typed. However, with Internet usage this gets a little bit more complex. They can see what data is going through their transport system (lets call this the transport layer), but the internet is built upon the assumption that the transport layer is compromised. This is why https and other forms of encryption exists.
If you're using iMessage (blue texts), Telegram, WhatsApp, etc etc your messages aren't immedietely available to law enforcement. If you're using Facetime, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc to make voice calls, your calls aren't immedietely available to law enforcement.
With some of these applications, your conversations will NEVER be available to law enforcement (assuming they're doing end to end encryption correctly.) For example, with Telegram Secret Chats, it's effectively impossible for the state to read your messages without getting access to your or the person you're talking withs phone.
Don't bypass any security warnings when you're out protesting, because that might mean they're trying to look into the decrypted data. But as a general rule, you're safe to be using the internet even if you're connected directly to the NSA (and guess what, most of us actually are, but these systems keep us safe).
3. Will a VPN help?
Kinda? A VPN will guarantee that you're not going to be able to use the internet if the police is actively trying to break the security protocols I mentioned above, but it might decrease the stability of your connection. You can try free VPN applications like 1.1.1.1 put out by cloudflare. Again, the VPN just masquerades a transport layer and the web is still going off the assumption that the transport layer is compromised.
4. Should I take my phone with me or not?
I would say yes. I'm convinced the government is making up these concerns about taking your phone with you to protests because they're amazing organizing & documenting tools. Think about it, if you're the state and you're going to start running people over with your cars, would you want people to easily be able to record it? How about people having access to a device that can immedietely tell them where cops are going or which street isn't safe. Do you think the state would want that?
Your phone is your best tool in protesting. Hold it close to you.
5. What precautions should I take if I am going to take the phone with me?
You should remove fingerprint/faceID based unlocking. Make sure your pin/password is non trivial (use something random that your parents cant guess) to get into your phone. Don't store any information that you don't need on your phone. If you're about to get arrested, toss your phone into the crowd, it's less dangerous in the hands of other protesters than in the hands of police.
Also, keep your phone updated with the latest updates.
6. What if they use my phone to find out I was breaking curfew?
Realistically? Assuming these protests die down and the police go on a revenge trip (which is really unlikely), they'd have a VERY difficult time making the charges stick. What if you lived in the area and your phone pinged the tower? What if you were passing by? What if the data is straight out fucking wrong?
They'd have a VERY difficult time trying to prove anything, and the charges for not listening to a curfew is likely to be extremely small "punishment."
I just don't see it as a viable option for the state. It doesn't really solve anything for them.
1. What are stingrays?
Stingrays are essentially fake cell towers. They're listening on any SMS, Voice Call, and Internet usage you have while connected to the stingray. Will you know you're connected to a stingray? Probably not. It's not impossible but it's difficult, and there is not easy way to just find out that works for everything.
2. What does "listening" to SMS/Voice Call/Internet usage mean?
With voice calls and SMS they can reconstruct exactly what you've said or typed. However, with Internet usage this gets a little bit more complex. They can see what data is going through their transport system (lets call this the transport layer), but the internet is built upon the assumption that the transport layer is compromised. This is why https and other forms of encryption exists.
If you're using iMessage (blue texts), Telegram, WhatsApp, etc etc your messages aren't immedietely available to law enforcement. If you're using Facetime, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc to make voice calls, your calls aren't immedietely available to law enforcement.
With some of these applications, your conversations will NEVER be available to law enforcement (assuming they're doing end to end encryption correctly.) For example, with Telegram Secret Chats, it's effectively impossible for the state to read your messages without getting access to your or the person you're talking withs phone.
Don't bypass any security warnings when you're out protesting, because that might mean they're trying to look into the decrypted data. But as a general rule, you're safe to be using the internet even if you're connected directly to the NSA (and guess what, most of us actually are, but these systems keep us safe).
3. Will a VPN help?
Kinda? A VPN will guarantee that you're not going to be able to use the internet if the police is actively trying to break the security protocols I mentioned above, but it might decrease the stability of your connection. You can try free VPN applications like 1.1.1.1 put out by cloudflare. Again, the VPN just masquerades a transport layer and the web is still going off the assumption that the transport layer is compromised.
4. Should I take my phone with me or not?
I would say yes. I'm convinced the government is making up these concerns about taking your phone with you to protests because they're amazing organizing & documenting tools. Think about it, if you're the state and you're going to start running people over with your cars, would you want people to easily be able to record it? How about people having access to a device that can immedietely tell them where cops are going or which street isn't safe. Do you think the state would want that?
Your phone is your best tool in protesting. Hold it close to you.
5. What precautions should I take if I am going to take the phone with me?
You should remove fingerprint/faceID based unlocking. Make sure your pin/password is non trivial (use something random that your parents cant guess) to get into your phone. Don't store any information that you don't need on your phone. If you're about to get arrested, toss your phone into the crowd, it's less dangerous in the hands of other protesters than in the hands of police.
Also, keep your phone updated with the latest updates.
6. What if they use my phone to find out I was breaking curfew?
Realistically? Assuming these protests die down and the police go on a revenge trip (which is really unlikely), they'd have a VERY difficult time making the charges stick. What if you lived in the area and your phone pinged the tower? What if you were passing by? What if the data is straight out fucking wrong?
They'd have a VERY difficult time trying to prove anything, and the charges for not listening to a curfew is likely to be extremely small "punishment."
I just don't see it as a viable option for the state. It doesn't really solve anything for them.
Forwarded from Ohio RUST
Protest group returned to wade lagoon.
#Cleveland Small group from wade lagoon left, appx 50 standing in front of fire station 10 on Chester between 101st and 105th. Minimal interaction with police but appx 100 cops and NG present
Forwarded from @clevelandRUST
Forwarded from @clevelandRUST
That is correct. Joe Biden will not defund police. We are disenfranchised by both of them. We have not been heard in this debate.
Antifa is not an organization. It is an ideology. Idk who antifa is. But Black Lives Matter stands up against fascism.
#Philly Trump: "Bad things happen in Philadelphia."
You wanna pick this fight and insult us? If you think bad things happen here, then dont bother ever coming back to Philly. You are not welcome here ever.
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
You wanna pick this fight and insult us? If you think bad things happen here, then dont bother ever coming back to Philly. You are not welcome here ever.
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
#Philly https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/trump-poll-watchers-philadelphia-early-voting-20200929.html
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
https://www.inquirer.com
‘Bad things happen in Philadelphia.’ Trump renews false claim about poll watchers
Trump closed out the first debate by repeating his false claim that poll watchers had been blocked from observing the first day of in-person early voting in Philly.
#Philly If you think Philadelphia is bad Donald Trump, then take our name off your Pine Hill golf course!
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
#Philly Literally bragging. They knew what Trump meant by "stand back and stand by"...
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
#Louisville https://news.yahoo.com/breonna-taylor-case-grand-juror-152501558.html
Forwarded from @LouisvilleRUST
Forwarded from @LouisvilleRUST
Yahoo
Breonna Taylor case grand juror: We weren’t given the option of indicting the two cops who shot her
Grand juror said AG Daniel Cameron misrepresented the deliberations. Cameron agreed to release grand jury recording
#Philly There are bad things that happen in Philadelphia. Let's talk about them. There are approximately 17000 people who seek services with the city related to being homeless and a lack of services for them. Property developers steal $70 million a year in taxes from our schools. One of our universities created the clown in the office. But I will not let some New York Bourgious Fuck insult my community. Only folks from Philly get to say this!
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
#Philly Trump did say today on air "Proud Boys stand back and stand by."
He didnt clearly state stand down. He said stand by like he is inciting something. This invokes fear in so many people. When we think of Kenosha, Austin with shootings, when we think of the other day in Buffalo and Denver with the cars running people over. We hear the president tell these people stand by? For what? What are the proud boys supposed to stand by for? They come to cities with cockroach spray, bats and guns to incite violence. He told a paramilitary organization to stand by like he will need them. This is deputizing them.
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
He didnt clearly state stand down. He said stand by like he is inciting something. This invokes fear in so many people. When we think of Kenosha, Austin with shootings, when we think of the other day in Buffalo and Denver with the cars running people over. We hear the president tell these people stand by? For what? What are the proud boys supposed to stand by for? They come to cities with cockroach spray, bats and guns to incite violence. He told a paramilitary organization to stand by like he will need them. This is deputizing them.
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
#Philly Oh yeah we before we forget the Green Party's Howie Hawkins was kicked off the ballot in Pennsylvania by the Democratic supreme court. The party even delayed printing and mailing the ballot multiple days to make that happen. So what third party option do we even have? Biden is going against us and called for increased funding of police today. This is why we must be doing the work in our streets every day building mutual aid projects for our neighbors. Help the encampments, get street medic training, revolutionize cop watch. What ever it is we need to do it for everyone. Democracy and elections have failed us. So there is only more work on the ground for us to meet the needs of our communities.
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
#Philly If you see the far right at your polling place, film and send it to @RUSTContactBot We are taking in intel on those harassing voters
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from @OTGdispatch
Forwarded from SOS 🆘
Every city needs a broad coalition ready for November 4th. Game plan for a sustained struggle. Contingency plans. As many orgs as possible. As many people as possible.
Forwarded from SOS 🆘
Friendly reminder than no one is coming to save us. Yes we need to work with existing orgs, but we also need to make shit happen ourselves. We must all lead, and we must all follow the lead of our friends as well in the form of action.