DLM: Safety

Resources on Safety & Security

Table of Contents

Operational Security
- Community Care as a Pillar of Operational Security
Digital Security
- Mobile Phone Security
- Recommended Apps and Services
Against Doxxing and Surveillance
Medical
Gearing Up
Legal

See also: Tactics, Community, Know Your Enemy

Operational

Front Line Defenders' Tools for Human Rights Defenders, specifically their Workbook on Security
on security culture
- "What is Security Culture?" by CrimeThinc
  - or read on The Anarchist Library or CrimethInc.com
  - a must-read!
- Security Culture: A Handbook for Activists from War Zone Distro
- security culture case studies
  - PopSec: Andor by Håkan Geijer
  - POPSEC: Inglourious Basterds by Elle Armageddon

Community Care as a Pillar of Operational Security

Why Misogynists Make Great Informants by Courtney Desiree Morris
Stop Huntin' Sheep: A Guide to Creating Safer Networks from Sirens of a Violent Storm
Confidence. Courage. Connection. Trust. from North Shore Counter-Info
What's the Non-Profit Industrial Complex and why should I care? [Formatted for Printing & Folding Into Zines]
Security Without Hierarchy from Scrappy Capy Distro
Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex [Formatted for Printing & Folding Into Zines]
Affinity Fraud and Exploitable Empathy by Håkan Geijer
Red Flags: Before You Join That Org… from Unsalted Counter Info
Documentation of corruption, institutional bigotry, and high-control group (cult-like) behavior in the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)
The Making of “Outside Agitators”

Digital

Security Resource Library from Riseup Collective
Digital Security Helpline from Access Now
Surveillance Self-Defense from Electronic Frontier Foundation
Digital Security Guides & Training from Freedom of the Press Foundation
Tools & Resources from Citizen Lab
Security-In-A-Box from Front Line Defenders
Digital First Aid Kit
miscellaneous
- End-to-End Encryption 101 by Elle Armageddon
- "Threat Library" by the No Trace Project
  - note: advanced resource
- How to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud

On Mobile Phone Security

"Mobile Phone Security for Activists and Agitators" by Håkan Geijer
specifically on burner phones
- Burner Phone Best Practices by Elle Armageddon
- How (and Why) to Use a Burner Phone from Berkman School of Anarchy
How Do I Prepare My Phone for a Protest? by Dan Phiffer, Tomas Apodaca, Miles Hilton, and Maddy Varner for The Markup on May 4 2024

Recommended Apps and Services

all recommended tools are free and open source unless otherwise noted.

Delete Me - a paid service to scrub your personal information from search engines and data brokers
Signal - end-to-end encrypted messaging and calling platform
- for advice on best practices with Signal, see the following articles:
  - Locking Down Signal by Martin Shelton for Freedom of the Press Foundation on February 22 2024
- for a technical report on why Signal is the best choice of messaging app for digital privacy, see What is Secure? An Analysis of Popular Messaging Apps from Tech Policy Press in June 2023
CryptPad - encrypted filesharing service. good alternative to Google Drive for collaborative file editing. paid service upgrades available. excellent security options with per-file granularity available.
1Password - paid closed-source password management service.
Riseup Pad - ephemeral encrypted filesharing service
Jitsi - end-to-end encrypted video conferencing platform. paid service upgrades available.
Malwarebytes - antivirus software for most phones and computers. not open source. paid service upgrades available.

Against Doxxing and Surveillance

Gearing Up

TLDR: All PPE must be well-fitted to be effective. Goggles should be rated ANSI Z87.1. Respirators should be rated for P100 and OV (organic vapors). Get a helmet with a chin strap or other method to keep it from falling off, and know the pros and cons of suspension helmeys vs. crash helmets vs. padded helmets. Wear skater's knee and elbow pads to protect yourself from falls and impacts.