Technology

That and cell towers….

But a cheap burner. Don’t activate it. Keep it in a faraday pouch. In an emergency remove from faraday pouch and call 911. You can do that on phones you don’t activate.

But everything else, like you said, document with a digital camera.

I use my android phons without a google acccount without having a custom rom, it is usable just that most people are too ignorant and clueless

GrapheneOS or KaiOS?

I really really hope that this takes off.

Someone's gotta record the fascism.

Yeah. I see so many protesters with their face not covered. Cover your face!!!

Also, dress like them. You want to create as much confusion as possible.

Yes a burner that you don’t activate. Keep it in a faraday bag. In an emergency you can take it out and call 911.

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

don't leave out the fact that they'll just shoot you in the face for no reason, and then get "absolute immunity"

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.

leave your primary phone ON at home.

there are less antagonistic looking ways to mask yourself, such as cute inflatable animal suits.

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.