Secure your phone before you protest!
In light of current events, this post is to protect the information on your phone if things escalate at a peaceful protest.
Before I go on, I am not a lawyer, and I would highly suggest you read up on your right to privacy.
Why should you protect and secure your smartphone?
The current climate as it is in America, if you go out to protest, and you are filming law enforcement, there is a chance that they will try to take your phone and force you to unlock it without a warrant and use that information against you. Unfortunately, if you have your fingerprint scanner or face recognition activated on your phone, law enforcement is allowed to use your fingerprint or face to unlock your phone.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/george-floyd-police-brutality-protests-government
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6935297-LEOPOLD-DEA-Memo-George-Floyd-Protests.html
These tips will not only protect your privacy but will also help with general smartphone security.
Securing your phone!!
1. Disable all biometric unlock for your phone. As mentioned before, the law doesn't protect you from the Police forcefully using your fingerprint or face to unlock your phone. Also, hackers have found ways to bypass the fingerprint scanner.
If you do a quick search, several sites show how to bypass the fingerprint scanner. Apple switched to the face scanner in hopes of better security, but that too was shown to be insecure.
Using passcode and patterns, however, are harder break into, and would require direct access to the phone to break the encryption, even then some phones by default wipe a phone after several failed attempts.
Passwords/passcodes both fall under the 5th amendment, so you are not legally obliged to tell law enforcement your pin or pattern. Also, Make sure that your phone is set to auto-lock after a few minutes.
2. Disable lock screen notifications. This tip is self-explanatory. You do not want your messages that may be private to viewed without your authorization, so it is best to turn this off.
3. Turn on Airplane mode. Airplane mode turns off all of your phone's radio signals like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC. Making you harder to track by law enforcement.
There is a tool called a StingRay that law enforcement uses to track the cell phone signals of suspected criminals, and now they are using it against black lives matter protesters. So it is a good idea to use airplane mode while you are out protesting.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/27/aclu-ice-stingray-documents/
4. Use Signal as your messaging app. Signal is an open-sourced messaging app that has end to end encryption.
End to end encryption at a high level means that only the two users that are communicating can read the messages that they are sending to one another. This also prevents potential eavesdroppers like your telecom / Internet provider from reading your messages.
With Signal, you can also permanently delete your messages from your history.
Signal: https://www.signal.org/
Andriod: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms&hl=en
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669
5. If you are worried that if you go to a protest that your phone will get taken, use a burner phone and leave your main phone at home. You can use a cheap flip phone with a pre-paid sim card for this.
Please DO NOT turn it on while at home, that will negate the purpose of having a burner phone, because once you turn this phone on, your location will be tracked by the nearest cell tower.
In America, we do have the right to peaceful protest. These steps will help make sure that your phone is not unjustly used against you by law enforcement. Please know the law, and keep yourself safe.