Prepare your phone for a protest
A phone at a protest is a tracking and recording device. Reduce what it can expose if lost, seized, or monitored.
Attend a protest with a device that reveals as little as possible about you and your contacts.
Use a secondary phone, lock it down, leave sensitive data at home, and enable remote wipe.
Recommended path
Best first move: Use a secondary phone, lock it down, leave sensitive data at home, and enable remote wipe.
- 1
Decide if you even need a phone
A cheap secondary phone or no phone at all is safest for high-risk events.
- 2
Lock the lock screen
Strong PIN or passphrase, disable biometrics, require password on boot.
- 3
Strip the device
Remove unnecessary accounts, photos, chats, and location history.
- 4
Set up emergency contacts off-device
Memorize a legal contact number and write it on your body.
- 5
Plan for seizure
Enable remote wipe, encrypted backups at home, and a duress PIN if your OS supports it.
Best tools for this
Hardened Android for Pixel phones.
Sandboxed Google apps, stronger permissions, verified boot.
De-Googled Android with easy microG.
Privacy-focused OS with built-in Tor and VPN support.
Private calls and messages for people you know.
Open source, strong encryption, non-profit funded. Phone number is the only identifier and can be locked down.
Warnings
Biometrics can be forced
In many jurisdictions you can be compelled to unlock with a fingerprint but not always a password.
Airplane mode is not enough
Phones still log location and can be tracked; powered off is safer.
Limitations
Prepared phones still have batteries
A powered-off phone with a removable battery is ideal; modern phones rarely allow this.
Crowds and networks are unpredictable
Stingrays, IMSI catchers, and network outages can all affect safety.
Related use cases
Related Explorer projects
Web3Privacy ExplorerAn end-to-end encrypted messenger that minimizes sensitive metadata, designed and built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from any form of surveillance
Status is a secure messaging app and crypto wallet built with state of the art technology
a free/libre, end-to-end encrypted, and private communication platform
Open-source, non-custodial Bitcoin Wallet for desktop
A modern bitcoin wallet hand forged to keep your transactions private your identity masked and your funds secured
One of the most privacy-focused VPN providers (check their Privacy Policy and history)
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