How to do it:

Your security steps depend on your situation. Crossing a U.S. border (or sometimes being within proximity of one) reduce your legal protections. If you do not want to hand over an unlocked phone, consider buying a cheap travel phone. They can hold on to a phone you won’t unlock for an extended period. Within our borders courts have ruled police can open phones that use facial or thumbprint access by force. The first thing you should do is remove that access and set a passcode instead.

We have reached the point where they appear to be tracking people based on protest attendance. If you attend very large events like No Kings, it’s likely that volume will obscure your footprint, but if you attend protests at ICE facilities, or you are at higher-risk (such as being a legal immigrant) consider leaving your phone (and cell-enabled watch) at home.

Next steps include using a safer messaging app like Signal, and learning about your phone’s security settings. Here are resources to get you started:

• Protest security for your phone: https://ssd.eff.org/module/attending-protest
• iPhone privacy: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-get-to-know-iphone-privacy-and-security-settings
• Android privacy: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-get-to-know-android-privacy-and-security-settings
• Guide to Signal: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-use-signal
• Border crossing (varies): https://www.eff.org/issues/border-searches