Government Surveillance is Going to Get Worse

How to Protect Yourself

Since the Patriot Act, the government has been increasing surveillance on Americans, and you can expect this to end up turbocharged under the new regime. A lot of people have thought, “It doesn’t affect me, I don’t do anything wrong, so what do I care?”

You need to care now¹.

Some basic information regarding commercial surveillance tools, from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (part of DNI), can be found here.

Below is a sampling of SOME of the things you can do. How much you need to do relates to what you are willing to do after the inauguration. There are some people who will work to prevent raids and deportations, and these people need to be especially careful. Others will work with pregnant people. And then there are journalists.

There are two ways to protect from surveillance. The first relates to laws in place that offer some modicum of protection. Anticipate that they won’t exist for long. The other relates to technological protection - don’t expect too much from Silicon Valley. Therefore, what YOU do with the tech you use, and other actions you take, will be what’s left.

Fax Machines and Shredders

My personal opinion is that we should all get fax machines and micro-cut shredders. This only works if enough people do it. It makes it safe to organize activities because while the government will surely know THAT someone sent or received a fax, using that shredder will ensure they cannot find out WHAT was transmitted.

Yeah, it’s an old technology, but fax machines are still available because the healthcare industry still relies on them. And remember, faxing was what was used in Europe in the run up to the fall of the wall in 1989.

And yes, you’d need a VoIP phone line for your fax machine - trust me, whoever provides your internet would gladly give you a phone number. This would likely cost about $20/month.

Cell Phones

Everyone has a cell phone. Most people have smartphones. There are four things to consider:

• Call/Message Encryption

• Device Encryption

• Location Services

• Apps

Call/Message Encryption

Assume that anything you say or text is available to be surveilled. End-to-end encryption is available via Signal (#1 choice) and Apple’s iMessage and Facetime. For the Apple encryption, everyone needs to be on an Apple device.

“They” say that WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, but it’s a Meta product, so I don’t personally trust WhatsApp for secure transmission. I believe Mark Zuckerberg will cave in a way that Tim Cook never would.

Nothing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok is safe. Consider it like choosing “Reply All” to a corporate email.

Device Encryption

All the new Apple and Android smartphones do full disk encryption by default. HOWEVER - if you’re using your face to open your phone, any cop can hold you down, and another can just hold up your phone to your face and they’re in. Same with any other biomarker.

Therefore, use a password. The longer your password, the harder it is to crack. Yeah, you have to put it in every time, but for security’s sake it’s worth it.

Another option is to use your face, and temporarily disable biometric features, using the method that’s right for your phone. Set this up if you insist on using your face, before you cross a border, go to a protest, or place yourself in any situation where the cops might want to get into your phone. To be extra safe, turn your phone OFF before you go. It makes things harder on the people who will try to overcome your encryption.

Location Services

Your smartphone knows where you are at all times. In addition, so does your computer, your connected watch/fitness tracker, anything you put an Air Tag on, and your car.

You can limit location information by using the security settings on your phone and computer. There’s nothing you can really do about your watch/fitness tracker, Air Tagged items nor your car, if your car is new, or you have certain relationships with your insurance company. Car information here.

The safest thing you can do with your items is to leave them at home if you are going somewhere that you don’t want the government to know about. If you must carry devices, you can put them in Faraday bags.

This brings up the question of whether you need a burner phone. These are a good idea if you are going to be working with anything related to undocumented immigrants or pregnant people. HOWEVER — THEY must also have burner phones, AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THEIR BURNER PHONE HOME.

If you are going to buy a burner phone, watch a few episodes of crime drama. And then - to buy the phone, take a taxi or public transportation to some place out of your area. If you have your phone with you, put it in a Faraday bag, or leave it at home. Wear a disguise and endeavor to avoid cameras. Pay in cash. Decide where you’ll leave your burner phone - consider renting a mailbox at the Post Office.

Apps

Look at each app. Ask yourself: do I really need this? If not, delete it. If you need it, turn off location services, or potentially change the setting to “only when the app is in use” (like for GPS). Delete history when you can.

Computers and Storage

If you use Windows Pro, you can use Bitlocker, which will encrypt your device. If you are using Windows Home, there are third-party encryption tools you can download. Macbooks also have full disk encryption. If you have Windows Pro or a Macbook, remember to turn the encryption ON (the default setting is OFF).

Consider the data on your computer. We all used to have large hard drives, but now, a lot of things are stored in the cloud. The cloud is about as safe as taking your Social Security Number and posting it everywhere.

There are ways to encrypt various cloud storage accounts. Apple’s iCloud allows for “Advanced Data Protection”, and you can set that for both computer and iPhone backups. (It’s in the settings.) For OneDrive, you’ll need a third-party encryption app. OneDrive’s only “safety” feature is MFA.

My plan is a little different. I’m going back to what we used to do BEFORE there was a cloud. While I have several Apple devices, one of my laptops is Windows (Home) based. I have a ton of music in the cloud, and I don’t care who knows what kinds of music I like to listen to. But I DO care who can see my documents and my photos. Therefore, I’m buying a 3 TB hard drive, moving everything I don’t want seen from OneDrive to the hard drive. The computer automatically sends things to OneDrive, and thus, in the same way that I used to back up weekly, I’ll move and delete every weekend. Yeah, it’s work. But safety first, kids.

Being Online

If you can see something, like a website, they can see you. Consider using a privacy-based browser. Good list here. Also consider using a VPN. Good information here.

Money

Your credit card data is tracked moment by moment. This is a good thing, as you know if you have ever gotten a text from your credit card company asking, “Is this you?” for a potential purchase to which you have no relationship.

Consider using cash not just for burner phones, but for anything you don’t want anyone to know you have².

People talk about crypto as a form of currency. I don’t know anything about crypto, and I don’t want to know anything about it, so I don’t have anything to say about it.

History

No matter what you do from this day forward, you’re already “out there”. Likely, through no fault of your own, your personal data has been exposed through some major data breach or other.

You can scrub your way off the internet. It’s a long, laborious process. This won’t work for anything on the dark web, but that’s not government surveillance, those are the criminals who want to impersonate you and steal your money. Damn criminals. This article is a good start, if you want to do some cleaning. You may choose to remove none, some, or all your data. Realize that you’re still exposed because of things you do that are unavoidable. For example, if you need to see a doctor, they have records, likely in a portal, your insurance company has information, and potentially third-party vendors if you need a procedure approved. Thus, more “you” is in the cloud.

Therefore, in 2024 America, you can’t be completely invisible unless you scrub everything, live off the grid, never get a job (the IRS will know you), and basically never interact with anyone for any reason. That’s unworkable for probably all of us. But you can scrub some of your old data, and that will work.

Wrapping Up

We’re surveilled on a regular basis. There are cameras everywhere. Do you have a Ring doorbell? While the police can no longer ask you for your footage, they can get it with a warrant, and Ring will continue to provide data to law enforcement in “exigent or emergency” circumstances. Details. So while you’re using Ring to be able to see who’s at your door while you’re at work, or to get video about porch pirates, if you have relationships with people who don’t want to be seen, you might consider going back to a regular doorbell.

This is just a high-level review of some things you should be aware of as we transition to the new regime.

Stay safe, folks.

1. Yes, this sucks. And I hate writing it as much as you hate reading it.

2. This includes Plan B, if you’re planning on stocking up in case anyone you know needs it.