Please note, we understand that organizing in a new terrain in the aftermath of this election can invite feelings of doubt and despair, and we acknowledge and share those concerns. That said, there aren’t any tips or to-dos that will completely guarantee your safety or the safety of your group members and volunteers. And the risk level of different actions can vary depending on your identity, location, political environment, etc. When you are planning an action, your responsibility is to take reasonable precautions and make sure that everyone has all the information they need to make the best decisions for themselves.
This guide is not exhaustive, and we encourage you to adapt these tips to your local needs. Please consult with legal experts and community leaders whenever possible.
Event Planning and Physical Safety
This section provides guidance on planning as safe and effective events as possible, including considerations for choosing locations, coordinating transportation, and publicizing details responsibly. Activists must also carefully consider the risks and benefits of engaging with local law enforcement. Depending on your group’s relationship with police and the nature of your event, this decision can affect safety for attendees and the tone of the gathering. If law enforcement is involved, we provide recommendations for appointing a police liaison and using conflict de-escalation strategies on the day of the event.
Before the Event
- Location and Time Planning: Choose times and locations that prioritize visibility and safety, with clear plans for entry and exit. Consider planning in open, public spaces where you can maintain visibility and control over your group’s surroundings.
- Transportation: Ensure organizers and attendees have a safe way to and from the event. Notify a trusted contact of your plans, and if you’ll be alone, coordinate with others to travel in groups when possible.
- Publicizing Events: Share event details selectively and consider avoiding identifying language or images on social media, especially in hostile areas.
Know Your Rights at Protests
Activists should be familiar with their legal rights to ensure safe participation in protests. This section outlines essential information about protester rights, when and where permits are required, and tips for engaging with law enforcement while maintaining safety. Activists should know their rights to assemble, document the events, and avoid self-incrimination. Preparing for encounters with police and understanding how to document any rights violations will support your group’s safety.
- Right to Assemble: Public spaces (streets, sidewalks, parks) are protected for public demonstrations. You can legally photograph or video anything in plain view, including police actions.
- Permits: You do not need a permit to protest on sidewalks or streets, provided you do not obstruct traffic. Large events or amplified sound may require permits—check local regulations.
- Non-engagement with Hostile Individuals: If approached by someone aggressive, encourage participants to avoid engaging and keep a safe distance. Notify an event organizer if necessary.
While attending events, it is important that you consider your impact on the safety of others around you. Here is additional guidance from Black Lives Matter:
- Ask before you livestream the event attendees on your personal social media pages – this material is more often being used to vilify protesters by policing agencies. Only livestream to document the police present at the event. If you livestream, consider doing so from a group account.
- Taking photos of the event? Make sure to blur identifying features of attendees before posting to social media.
- Protect and support high-risk protesters – ensure that you are keeping protesters of BIPOC and high-risk groups centered within the main body of the protest to protect them from the police or ICE.
Engaging with Law Enforcement
Activist groups have different approaches to notifying law enforcement about events. It is up to each group to assess their own community’s relationship with local law enforcement and decide whether or not to reach out in advance. Here are key factors to consider:
- Reasons to Notify Law Enforcement:
- Required by law or necessary for securing permits.
- Concerns about large crowds or known counter-protests.
- Established trust with local officers or officials who are supportive of de-escalation.
- Reasons Not to Notify Law Enforcement:
- Police history of bias or violence against certain groups.
- Concerns about police presence escalating tensions or targeting marginalized community members.
- No requirement for permits or expectation of conflict.
Regardless of whether you notify law enforcement ahead of time, assign a police liaison—a group member or respected community partner—who can speak with law enforcement on behalf of your group. This person should clarify your group’s nonviolent intentions, address any law enforcement concerns, and help maintain communication if tensions arise.
If Approached by Law Enforcement
Staying calm and knowing your rights can make a difference if approached by law enforcement. This section highlights strategies for managing these encounters, including how to document them if you believe your rights were violated. Keeping track of details, gathering witness contacts, and knowing what to say can help you address issues later.
- Stay Calm and Composed: Keep your hands visible and avoid arguing or resisting police. Ask if you are free to leave; if so, walk away calmly.
- Documenting Violations: If you believe your rights were violated, record the details (officer badge numbers, witnesses, any injuries) and report them later to a civilian oversight body.
Dealing with Orders to Disperse
Law enforcement should only issue dispersal orders when absolutely necessary. When this happens, it’s critical to remain calm, comply with instructions, and avoid escalating the situation.
- Comply Calmly: Law enforcement must provide a clear dispersal order, time to leave, and a safe exit route before arrests. Always follow dispersal instructions calmly to avoid escalation.
De-escalation Tips for the Day of the Event
- Remain Calm and Be Observant: Encourage participants to stay aware of their surroundings and avoid direct engagement with hostile individuals.
- Maintain a Supportive Stance: Use calm, open body language. Maintain personal space and use neutral facial expressions and gestures.
Active Listening: Sometimes, letting a person vent can defuse a situation. Keep the focus on shared concerns rather than disagreements.
Digital Security and Online Privacy
Digital security is crucial as activists increasingly rely on online platforms to communicate, organize, and advocate. This section offers essential tips for protecting your accounts, securing sensitive information, and practicing safe browsing habits. By being mindful of what you share and taking proactive measures like enabling two-factor authentication, you can help prevent unauthorized access to your personal and group accounts. Implementing these practices reduces the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks targeting your group’s activities.
Digital Security Basics
You can find step-by-step instructions for each of these suggestions.
- Use Signal to communicate about plans. Enable disappearing messages by default for all new threads. Make sure you configure Signal to be as secure as possible.
- Use a privacy-focused browser like Brave or Firefox
- Passwords and Authentication: Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication on all accounts, especially for email, social media, and banking. Avoid reusing passwords, and use a password manager to help manage and protect your credentials.
- Install the latest software updates on your phone and laptop.
- Switch from Google Search to Brave Search or DuckDuckGo.
- Use a privacy-focused map/navigation app like Apple Maps or Magic Earth instead of Google Maps
- Revoke location permissions for all apps that don’t need it.
- Consider using Proton Docs instead of Google Docs for your organizing
- Consider using an activist-approved VPN to make your web browsing slightly hard to track.
Protest Digital Security
Law enforcement often uses protests to surveil activists or confiscate and search phones for sensitive information.
Check out this detailed protest digital security checklist for more instructions.
Basic steps:
- Fully power off your phone if your risk of arrest is going up. It is much harder
- Disable face/fingerprint unlock (biometrics) since you can be compelled to unlock your phone with your face/fingerprint in some jurisdictions, but you can never be compelled to reveal your passcode.
- Set a strong 8+ digit passcode on your phone. Make sure it is randomly generated, not something you thought of yourself like an important date.
- Consider bringing a secondary phone (“burner”) to the protest if your main phone has a lot of sensitive information.
Doxxing, Harassment, and Online Threats
Doxxing and harassment are increasingly common risks for activists, and it’s essential to know how to protect against these threats. This section offers steps for limiting your online visibility, such as conducting “opposition research” on public-facing group members to identify vulnerabilities, and provides guidance on managing and documenting harassment if it occurs. If you or your group members experience doxxing or threats, being prepared with documentation can aid in reporting and legal actions.
Preventative Measures
Taking proactive steps to reduce the amount of personal information available about you online can prevent potential harassment. It is important to assess your public profile, remove sensitive details, and limit interactions with those who may pose a risk.
For detailed doxxing defense, use this checklist.
- Google yourself and your and your group: Periodically check what information is publicly available about your group leaders or public-facing activists. This helps understand your potential vulnerabilities.
- Remove yourself form “people search” sites using EasyOptOuts: EasyOptOuts is a subscription-based service that helps you remove personal information from “people search” sites (aka: data brokers). It is cheaper (only $20/year) than popular services like DeleteMe and more effective. This service regularly searches and deletes your information from databases that may otherwise make your details accessible to unwanted parties. Although there is a cost, this can be a valuable service for those who want to reduce their digital footprint.
- Lock down your social media settings: You can manually go through your social media accounts to lock down the settings, but you may want to consider using Block Party, which helps automate the process of changing all your settings. (Coupon code JOINTHEPARTY will save you 50% if you want to try the paid version.)
- Google’s “Results About You” Tool: Google allows users to manage personal information that appears in search results. You can use Google’s Results About You tool to request the removal of your personal data, such as addresses and phone numbers, from search results. This tool is essential for activists wanting to limit what information is easily accessible about them online.
- Avoid sharing your email and phone number: Avoid sharing personal details like addresses or phone numbers online. Adjust privacy settings, especially on high-visibility accounts. Register for services using an email alias or a secondary phone number when possible.
If You Are Doxxed or Harassed
If you experience doxxing or online harassment, it’s crucial to stay calm, document the incidents, and seek support if needed. This section details how to gather evidence and respond effectively, whether by blocking harassers, reporting incidents, or seeking legal advice.
- Document Incidents: Keep detailed records of online harassment, including screenshots, dates, and the names of those involved. This information is valuable for any potential legal action.
- Use Blocking and Reporting Tools: Most social platforms allow you to block and report harassers. Don’t hesitate to do so for anyone attempting to intimidate or threaten you.
- Legal Recourse: Many states have anti-doxxing laws that criminalize sharing personal information maliciously. Contact a legal aid service or state legal advisor for advice specific to your area.
Phishing and Malware Protection
Phishing and malware attacks can compromise your security by tricking you into sharing sensitive information. To counteract these risks, stay vigilant about email links, avoid sharing passwords through unsecured channels, and use trusted software to protect your devices. You can take basic steps to guard against phishing and malware to protect your data and online identity.
- Avoid Suspicious Links and Attachments: Phishing attempts often create urgency; only click links if you are certain of the sender’s authenticity.
Recognize Fake Security Alerts: If prompted to re-enter passwords or credentials, ensure you’re on the official site. Use trusted sites to check the strength and security of your passwords.
Securing Sensitive Communications
In some cases, activists may need to share sensitive information within their teams. Encrypted communication platforms offer a secure way to protect these details from surveillance. There are several platforms and practices that help you control the privacy of your communications.
- Use Encrypted Platforms: For planning sensitive actions, use encrypted communication apps like Signal, which provides end-to-end encryption.
- Limit Online Storage of Sensitive Materials: Where possible, keep critical information offline.
If online storage is needed, use a provider that uses end-to-end encryption as well as encryption at rest. Proton Drive is an example.
Additional Resources for Activist Safety and Security
Activist Checklist: Easy-to-follow digital security and physical safety guides for activists and organizers.
https://activistchecklist.org/
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Offers comprehensive guides on digital self-defense, secure communications, and privacy practices.
https://ssd.eff.org/
Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline: Provides real-time assistance for civil society groups, activists, and journalists facing digital security issues.
https://www.accessnow.org/help/
Security in-a-Box: A toolkit developed by Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective, offering digital security tools and tactics for human rights defenders.
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/resource-publication/security-box
Amnesty International’s Digital Security Resource Hub: Curated resources to help activists build and protect their digital resilience.
https://securitylab.amnesty.org/digital-resources/
Civil Liberties Defense Center’s Digital Security Program: Provides guidance on protecting against digital attacks and maintaining online privacy.
https://cldc.org/security/
Greenpeace’s Protest Safety Tips Toolkit: Provides guidance on de-escalation strategies and staying safe during public protests. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/toolkits/protest-safety-tips-from-greenpeace/