A consortium of groups brought together under the umbrella of the 50501 movement are organizing the second in a series of simultaneous mass protests across the United States on Saturday 18 October.
Reader Question: Should I take my phone to a No Kings protest?
Short Answer: This is complicated. It depends on your threat model AND your intention.
Long Answer: You must assume that if you take your phone to a No Kings protest, your phone will be subject to active surveillance by “cell site simulators” and other related technology. We don’t need to look any further than the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Portland to see a recent example (caution: auto-playing video). Even without cell site simulator technology, it is relatively trivial for the federal government to leverage the cell phone provider networks themselves to obtain lists of phones in a particular area at a particular time. So when you take your phone to a protest, it is best to assume that your presence at that protest is known. With the current US administration’s stated focus on “antifa,” combined with their claims that “antifa” and the “terrorist wing of the Democratic party” are to blame for the the No Kings protests, it is best to assume that you will be added to a list of protest attendees.
Here’s where your personal threat model needs to come into play. If you are privileged enough that you believe that you can “afford” to be on such a list, indeed if you believe that you can make an important statement by INTENTIONALLY being on such a list, then it’s reasonable to take your phone to a No Kings protest. Public protest is legally protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Intentionally stating “I am exercising my right to free speech in our democracy” is an important form of free speech. However: if you are a member of one of the marginalized communities experiencing increased persecution, I encourage you to think twice about taking your phone to a protest. In fact, even if you aren’t a member of such a targeted group but you are in regular contact with anyone who is, I also encourage you to think twice about bringing your phone. “Network analysis” is a standard investigative and “targeting” technique where a device’s communications and proximity to other devices are as interesting as the original device itself. With the increasing use of powerful network analysis tools (think Palantir), the presence of your phone at a protest may put your community at risk.
You have to make your own assessment as to what risk you are willing to accept, and what risk you’re willing to put on your connections. If you believe that the risks of being on “A List” are too high for you or your people, please leave your phone at home (or at least turn your phone completely off well away from any protest). If you must take your phone, be sure to follow the advice at Activist Checklists, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or our own Electronic Device Safety for Protestors.
As always, thanks for subscribing and please send me your questions and comments! We’re all in this together.
We take care of us, we keep our community safe, we look out for each other. Go do good work!
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