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for you Mobile phone It is one of the most powerful tools you can use to protest, but it can also be one of your greatest weaknesses. This year has seen mass demonstrations across the United States, particularly against aggressive immigration enforcement and the use of force by federal and local authorities – including the fatal shootings of Rene Judd and Alex Peretti in Minneapolis – as demonstrators used their phones to express their anger. Video recordingDocumenting violations and communicating with each other.
Phone data is increasingly being targeted and used by police and government agencies. Phones also track devices that can be intercepted to monitor locations, match identities, and monitor text messages ( The FBI has threatened to investigate encrypted Signal chatsalso). Although the safest step is to leave your phone at home, this isn’t always practical.
If you want to secure your phone data, limit your digital footprint, and protect your privacy while exercising your constitutional rights, here are some steps you can take.
If you’re planning to protest or act as a legal observer, here are some tips from… American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International.
Make sure strong encryption is enabled
Your phone contains all kinds of information about you: your contacts, work address, photos, social media accounts, emails, stored financial information, etc. If your phone is confiscated, lost, or stolen, you don’t want to make it easy for someone to get that data.
As a first step, make sure your device is securely encrypted. most iPhone and Android phones Automatically encrypt data when you set a passcode. Make sure it is a strong passcode (8-12 random characters).
On Android, go to Settings > Security & privacy > Unlock device > Screen lock (Or similar, depending on the device you have).
On iOS, go to Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) & Passcode And click Turn on the passcode.
You can double-check that encryption is enabled after setting the passcode. On iOS, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, Then scroll to the bottom, where you will see the words “Data protection is enabled.”
On Android, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > More security & privacy (or similar, depending on your device), and look for the “Encryption and Credentials” line or similar which should confirm data encryption.
Turn off location settings
Location services allow apps and services to obtain the phone’s location through GPS. Turning this off prevents access to this data. You’ll find it in Privacy & Security settings on iPhone and in Location settings on Android.
Turning off location on iPhone (left) and Android (right, Pixel 10 Pro shown here) ensures your phone and its apps don’t store location data.
Turning off location services also prevents location data from being saved in any photos you take. You can also manually prevent photos you’ve taken from including location information in their metadata, which is usually found in the Camera app or within your phone’s settings.
On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Location services > Camera To toggle site metadata on or off.
On most Android phonesYou can disable location data for photos directly in the Camera app. Open the camera, tap settings icon, And look for Save the site (Or a variation on that: Storing location data, Location tags), and turn it off.
Turn off the Swipe to Unlock and Touch to Unlock features
Biometrics makes it easier to unlock your phone and provides security during everyday use, but if your phone is confiscated by law enforcement, they may try to force you to unlock it using facial recognition or fingerprint readers.
This is an area of law that is still a work in progress, the Electronic Frontier Foundation states in its report A guide to attending protests“Using a saved passcode generally provides a stronger legal basis for responding to a court order for forced device unlock/decryption.”
Turn off biometric phone unlock methods such as facial and fingerprint recognition. iOS on the left, Android on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra on the right.
On your iPhone, go to Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) & Passcode And off Unlock iPhone.
On Android, look for fingerprint or face unlock options in Settings> Security and privacy or Screen lock Settings.
Quickly disable biometrics for now
What if you forget to disable biometrics and encounter someone trying to force you to use it? There’s a quick fix that forces you to use a passcode, even without resetting your phone (all phones require you to re-enter your passcode when they reboot).
On your Android device, press and hold the power button and the volume up or volume down button (depending on your device) and select closing. You may need to select whether the lock option appears. On a Samsung Galaxy phone, for example, in Lock screen and AOD > Secure lock settingsturn on Show the lock mode option.
On your iPhone, press and hold the Sleep/Wake buttons and Volume Up button for a second until you see the Power, Medical ID, and Emergency SOS options. Then press Cancels. The following unlock will require your passcode.
Remember that if you use this option, biometrics will only be disabled until the next time the phone is unlocked using a passcode. In a protest environment, it is best to disable biometrics as described above.
Turn off Bluetooth
Bluetooth, a short-range networking feature, is most commonly used to send music and podcasts to wireless headphones or communicate with smart devices like watches and fitness trackers. But it also accesses locators like Apple AirTags and checks for other nearby items.
Turn off cellular data when you are not using it
Your phone sends and receives a lot of data in the background — like checking for updates, sending and receiving text messages, and receiving app notifications — requiring it to maintain a constant conversation with nearby cell towers. This traffic can pinpoint your approximate location or show that you (or at least your phone) were present at a protest later. (Note that turning off cellular data will interfere with any encrypted connections you may be using.)
While you disable cellular data, you should also disable Wi-Fi. Connecting to Wi-Fi networks not only gives away your location, but also drains your battery, especially in densely populated areas where there are a lot of networks.
Leave your phone at home, or get a feature phone
If you leave your phone at home, you won’t need to worry about all these settings. Another option is to get Prepaid burner phone To only use it in protest and then turn it off before you go home (so it can’t be returned to you).
An inexpensive prepaid phone can keep you in touch with friends and family, without bringing all your sensitive information to the protest.
Don’t forget about other devices
Your phone may not be the only thing tracking you. Your smartwatch may connect to cellular networks or store location data, and portable trackers like Apple AirTags are designed to transmit their location via Bluetooth. Consider putting your watch on airplane mode and leaving your trackers at home.
Take photos and videos while your phone is locked
You’re probably using your camera a lot during a protest event, and in addition to disabling location services so GPS data isn’t saved in photos, it’s a good idea to use your camera without unlocking your phone. This way, the person who snatches the phone from you during registration will not have access to your data.
iPhone and Android phones include this feature to make it easier to take photos quickly. The camera is active, but other phone features remain unavailable. From the iOS Lock screen, tap and hold the camera icon or swipe in from the right edge of the screen. Your form may also include a Camera control button Or an option to activate the camera using the action button.
On your Android phone, find the camera icon on the lock screen. There may also be quick boot options, such as double pressing the power button.
And a final note about recording: Be careful about taking photos of protesters’ faces and sharing your photos later, since law enforcement uses facial recognition technology to identify people in photos that are uploaded or posted publicly.