USA TODAY International Edition
Get your technology ready before protesting
I have covered more than 100 protests in my tenure as a general assignment news reporter, before turning my focus to tech. Most were peaceful, but I’ve been caught in the midst of the melee, too – pelted with rocks, tear- gassed and attacked by extremists co- opting nonviolent marches to create chaos.
What I learned early on, long before the days of smartphones and social media, is that keeping track of what’s going on – even along the same city block – can be next to impossible.
The fact that virtually every single one of us now has a video camera and connection to one another by way of that smartphone in our pockets helps. But it could also hurt. Facial recognition is now a key investigative tool for police departments.
If you want to join a protest and stay out of harm’s way – remember we’re still in the middle of a pandemic – there are several ways tech can help. On that pandemic note, though, don’t forget to wear a mask, try to practice social distancing and bring hand sanitizer.
Use local resources
Remember that teen in Washington who launched an early COVID- 19 tracking database and site? Now he and his team ( all under 18) have built a website to track protests in all 50 states and Washington, D. C., called 2020Protests. When you open the site, click on your state, city, or town to see the most recent gathering locations or spot the next general area where an event’s planned.
The other app everyone’s using is Citizen ( iOS, Android), which we first covered back in 2017. The hybrid police scanner + social- media- for- crime app has its share of pros and cons, but it has become a good place to keep track of protests – or of any potential fallout.
The app opens to your neighborhood and lets you zoom in or out to locate colored squares showing activity clusters. Citizen uses scanners to track first responders’ public radio channels, then digitizes and transcribes the audio, picks out keywords and turns them into incidents on the map. People also edit the site to keep what’s listed accurate. You can add your own videos, comments and emoji reactions.
Other resources
Twitter: Search “George Floyd protests ( your location) today” or “anti- police brutality protests ( your location) today.” Replace “today” with “tomorrow” or “this week” for further information and click the “Near you” tab under Search filters.
Facebook’s Event tab: There are different ways to access the Events tab on your Facebook page. The quickest way that I’ve found to do it is by starting at my Home page, clicking Events on the left side of the page, under Explore. After that, type in key terms such as “protest” or “march,” and make sure the location is set to the area closest to you.
Take your phone, but do this first
There’s conflicting advice on whether to even bring your smartphone to a protest, but when I joined a peaceful, student- led march this past week with my husband and 19- year- old daughter, I
wanted my phone nearby.
You could buy a burner phone, or keep your phone in airplane mode ( which still lets you shoot video on the fly), and try a few of these suggestions:
Use a secure messaging app
❚ iMessage uses end- to- end encryption by default, but only when you’re talking to other iPhone users. Try a third- party messaging app like Signal. It’s a secure, end- to- end encrypted messaging service that offers the option to delete messages after you’ve sent them. You can also set messages to expire. This way, there’s little trace of your previous conversations in the app. Signal also just launched a new tool to automatically blur out faces.
❚ Other apps like Wickr and Wire offer similar features; just make sure everyone you need to contact uses the same app. Facebook’s WhatsApp also uses end- to- end encryption, but the fact it’s linked to Facebook is a nonstarter for some people.
❚ An app called Briar can even function offline using the Wi- Fi or Bluetooth radios on your device.
Remove location data
Privacy experts say it’s always best to assume someone, somewhere tracks your every move, that you’re under constant surveillance, and to act accordingly. But your phone could also get lost or stolen, or law enforcement might take it away. To lock it down, use a secure sixdigit or longer passcode and log out of any apps you don’t need. You can also turn off your Wi- Fi radio, disable Bluetooth and disable location services through your Settings.
Blur faces and remove metadata
Some people ask that people blur their faces and remove other identifying data from photos and videos for fear of retaliation. The easiest way to do that is with a new tool called Image Scrubber. As the site states, “It will remove identifying metadata ( Exif data) from photographs, and also allow you to selectively blur parts of the image.”
The way it works: Open the app, upload a photo, click “Scrub Exif Data” at the bottom of the screen, then save the image. A tool to blur out parts of the photo automatically pops up next. Click or drag it across parts you want to blur, save again, and you’re done.
Removing location data in your phone settings is easy on an iPhone but can be more complicated depending on which Android device you use.
❚ On iOS: Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and toggle off. When Location Services are off, apps can’t use your location in the foreground or background.
❚ On Android: It’s more complicated depending on your phone. On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Gallery App > Swipe up on an image to reveal its details, > tap “Edit,” remove the location.
Don’t count on cell service
The reality is that cell service can be spotty at best in large crowds. Make arrangements in advance with your friends to meet at specific places at specific times if you get separated.
Know your rights
In the United States, it is within your rights to demonstrate in public. That includes the basic act of assembling and protesting action by the government. But the First Amendment to the Constitution does not protect protesters against unlawful activity, which includes destroying property or assaulting other people.