Just don't bring it. Bring a digital pocket camera instead to document stuff.
Nowadays, you can't use a mobile phone without signing in to some Google service or Apple. It's mandatory. Giving them access to every data you own.
this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2026
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GrapheneOS or KaiOS?
With the SIM completely turned off, maybe. But it's still a bad idea.
I would like to bring the attention to LoRa.
Meshtastic is a good example of leveraging LoRa.
Faraday bag all electronic items; phone, smartwatch; hell, I’d even bag my car keys. Cover your face, especially the eye area. Make your voice heard, but don’t be a data point.
Going to a Protest? Don't Bring Your Phone
FTFY
Someone's gotta record the fascism.
Then use.... a camera??
cameras exist.
Pretty easy to take video on an old phone without a SIM, or with a cheapo burner sim.
Are there "burner sims" you can get nowadays that don't require online activation (i.e. they can easily trace the sim back to you)?
Phreeli, if you pay using crypto that can keep you anonymous
Someone will (and probably better). There are more cameras at protests than ever in history. What’s missing is mass action by complacent people.
Also calling help if/when they shoot you might be helpful.
I bring my phone, and my wallet, and my keys, and a $7,000 camera, and my lawyer's phone number in my head.
they can suck my balls
always film cops
Don't bring your phone period. Any and all devices can be broken into by law enforcement. Buy a burner with cash if you need some kind of communication.
Its not the device cracking that's the problem; its the "your device was identified at the protest we have labeled a riot and has been tracked to your home, which we will now raid in the middle of the night".
And bring a separate video camera
No, , this isn't the 90s. You want a many copies as possible immediately, later might not happen.
IMO just having your personal device on you in the presence of a protest puts you in danger. They have ample tools to track cellular devices that basically cannot be guarded against without disabling the function altogether, such as with a Faraday bag. They will catch and log that you were at a protest, and use that against you later.
don't leave out the fact that they'll just shoot you in the face for no reason, and then get "absolute immunity"
And then go on TV and call you a terrorist 15 minutes later.
Shut off and leave your phone at home, buy a pay-as-you-go to bring with you for emergency contact/coordination
Shut off and leave your phone at home, buy a pay-as-you-go to bring with you for emergency contact ~~/coordination~~
Leave the pay-as-you-go phone powered off too, and only power it up if you actually have to use it. If you have to use it once, you need to get a replacement for a future event.
I'm thinking perhaps something like Meshtastic transmitters and receivers should be used for coordination instead.
Meshtastic is exactly what needs to be implemented
I ran across that instance the other day and immediately thought about coordination.
It's like sneaker net for piracy.
Fuck yeah, hack the planet
Meshtastic is just as susceptible to listening and isn’t perfect at encryption or anonymity but should be another tool to consider when cellphone towers are down or otherwise unusable.
It's alright for non-critical stuff. Ok for getting help, not the best for coordinating action.
Reticulum is an alternative network/protocol that focuses more on security and interconnection of different networks
leave your primary phone ON at home.
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If it makes you feel better, go nuts.
But they have Face ID, gait ID, they have the signal from your cellular-equipped car, on and on. Even if your phone is “off” it’s transmitting an ID for antitheft purposes. Your smartwatch is leaking your location, and your smart tags.
Leave the car at home? They can track your public transit card via the credit card you used to fill it.
Stay home and post online? Palantir has Reddit posts from deleted accounts they will dig up to torpedo your future political ambitions as they did with Graham Platner.
We are all on the regime’s naughty list. Might as well make the most of it and demonstrate peacefully. And without a mask so you don’t look like an agent provocateur.
It’s Spartacus time.
there are less antagonistic looking ways to mask yourself, such as cute inflatable animal suits.
Good look running when you need to in that, the way it's looking lately, the need will be there.
100%. Love the frog suits.
Even if your phone is “off” it’s transmitting an ID for antitheft purposes.
Faraday bags!
Would an old school walkie talkie be a better solution? You want to be able to communicate within a group in case shit happen
I think FRS is the only thing legally available without a license. You can buy GMRS radios on Amazon that will communicate with FRS radios on all of the FRS channels, see here:
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart
However, these radios are VERY limited in an urban area with lots of concrete towers. In my experience the GMRS radios on "high power" really only go one little valley over out in the woods. In the city you might get two or three blocks because of all the concrete. You are required to have a license to use GMRS and identify your station every 15 minutes but almost nobody does it. Hell, I listen to the local walmart using GMRS and you're not even supposed to use it for commercial purposes.
Maybe Meshtastic? That's a radio I haven't messed with and I don't know about it's performance in an urban environment.
Ear piece highly recommended. The audio is not like a phone call and in a loud environment you will not be able to copy. Practice beforehand because radio is not like a phone call, you need to have some experience.
That depends what you're trying to solve. For a lot of people, they're still gonna need their phone. I don't think "Just use a walkie talkie bro" would read as very helpful advice to the average person.
If, however, you are the sort of person organizing a protest or other similar activity, yes, absolutely, walkie tallies are great. A lot of people who do serious political activism talk about how radio is still the most resilient communication method. Not fool-proof, you definitely need to study up on the limitations, but an invaluable tool to be aware of.
If you are going to a protest as a group, and you have the resources to invest a few hundred bucks, getting a set of walkie-talkies for the group plus a dedicated burner one responsible person to carry (maybe someone who will be in radio range but clear of the actual happenings) is also a solid strategy, but we also shouldn't be acting like "Going as a group" and "spending a few hundred dollars" are prerequisites for being politically active. There need to be solutions for everyone.
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What's the plan for having your phone at home? They're going door to door and shooting innocent white American citizens.
What's the plan for having your phone at home?
#00 inserts for my pump action wireless hole punch.
No no, you'll need slugs if you want to hole-punch any body armor.
Not that I would know what you aim on using your wireless hole-punch for.
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