The shock win of President-elect Donald Trump seems to be settling in at last. He’s going to be President. Such a realization is painful, yes, but it brings with it determination, too. The determination to stand up to him, the resolve to stand together, to get through this. The fight has only just begun and of all the tools Trump has at his disposal, state surveillance is of the most immediate concern.
The renewal of the Patriot Act allowed for the continuation of government snooping and thanks to Edward Snowden’s leaks we now have a clear picture of its extent. It’s massive.
Metadata gathered from phone calls, web browsers, texts, Facebook, and just about any other communication device is endemic.
Big Brother Is Watching
Perhaps we should have fought harder against this. Even those who believe that President Obama is a benign figure who can do no wrong should have paused to consider the consequences of mass state surveillance. We should have realized that sooner or later someone with less restraint would take over the executive. It’s too late now.
It’s too late to delete those never-trump tweets. That hilarious meme about the size of President-elect Donald Trump’s hands that you shared? It’s still out there. And the soon to be commander in grief is going to have access to it all.
Like it or not the White House, the power of the CIA, the FBI, NSA, and other agencies have been handed to a revenge-obsessed, misogynistic, racist with an ego the size of Olympus Mons.
We’re not defenseless, though. The powers he wields will be vast but still, measures can be taken to mitigate risk.
Tales From The Encryption
The recent attempts to force Apple to provide the FBI with a skeleton key for the inner workings of its phones ended in something of a cease-fire. Still, the most basic level of security you can engage in is probably one that should already be in place. The information on your phone is probably already encrypted but such encryption is useless unless you use a strong pass-code. According to press freedom advocate site The Intercept, a passcode should be:
“… At least 6 digits, and it should be 11 digits if you think an agency like the FBI may invest resources into breaking into it. As inconvenient as it is, don’t use Apple’s fingerprint technology Touch ID to unlock your phone; law enforcement can force you to use your finger, but they can’t force you to give up your passcode.”
Encryption does not end there. The NSA is capable of physically listening into conversations you have over the phone. They can read your emails, they can read your texts, and they can access social media posts, often in real-time. Whilst existing in a state of permanent paranoia is to be discouraged the simple precaution of using a communication tool that offers end to end decryption — at least for those times when you are organizing peaceful protests — makes sense.
For the less tech-savvy among us, it might be helpful to know that some messaging services use such decryption by default. The most commonly used is WhatsApp, but others such as Signal or Semaphor offer similar functions. Users do not have to do anything special to ensure the privacy of their messages — it’s built-in to the software — and whilst it’s not full-proof, it is likely to deter any casual surveillance checks.
Phone Home
We live in a world where our cell phone is an extension of ourselves; the thought of leaving the house without it is a little more than we can stomach. However, there are many features of a phone that can be utilized by law enforcement once it has been hacked and that includes the camera and any recording software installed on it. Worse, they can be used as tracking devices. For those of us intent on actively protesting whatever garbage Trump has in store for America, leaving the phone behind for meetings is probably a good idea. Detailed technical and legal advice for protecting your phone while protesting, and what to do if you get arrested at a protest can be found here.
The Next Level
Many types of activism require yet more layers of security. In addition to the planning of nonviolent action against Trump there exists a number of other possibilities. Some might find themselves handling leaked documents. Others might be gathering evidence for a lawsuit or whistle-blower action. If you do find yourself on an agency’s radar then switching to Qubes might be a good idea.
According to The Intercept, this open source operating system is not:
“… The simplest to switch to if you’re coming from Windows or a Mac, but if you have secrets to protect it’s absolutely worth it. With Qubes, you can compartmentalize your computer to work exactly as you want, so that if one part of it gets hacked, the rest of it remains secure.”
Features offered by the system include the creation of special ‘vaults’ on your computer. These areas are isolated from all other files and never have access to the internet.
Regardless of what methods you employ to protect sensitive data remember that any response must be measured. Sensible, prudent precautions are one thing. A descent into paranoia and fear, quite another. This is still the United States and as Trump is about to discover there are limits to the powers of office. There are also responsibilities that he cannot shirk; he’s going to hate that.
Oh, and don’t worry. This article is set to self destruct.
You might want to stand back.
Featured Image by Joe Brusky via Flickr under a CC BY-NC 2.0 license
