Thread by @jillruthcarlson

There are a lot of people putting their voices out there and their bodies on the line right now.

I am certainly no expert, but my line of work has provided me with basic knowledge about personal security. Some thoughts & an invitation to others to share more in a thread below.

Most of my experience is in the digital world, for those who may be targeted online, but would love for others to share more about how to stay safe IRL (at protests, etc.)

Firstly, use a password manager. @1Password and @LastPass both work well. Generate unique passwords for everything you use.

If this feels overwhelming, start with the big stuff (email, anything related to finances, medical) and go through and change all of those. (1)

You will want to make your single password for your password manager long, complicated, but crucially memorable. You could use a sentence with numbers and symbols added. You could use a long series of initials and dates that have meaning to you. You get the idea. (1)

Don't write it in a word doc or email yourself with it.

If you must, write it down with pen and paper and store it somewhere secure. If you don't have somewhere secure, store it somewhere no one will think to look and where you won't lose it like the pages of a book. (1)

Secondly, turn on two-factor authentication. This means that in addition to a password, the login will ask you for a second way to confirm it is you. (2)

Most people use text message as the second factor. It's convenient. But it's also not secure. If at all possible, do not use text message. Download the Google Authenticator app and use that. I know it's less convenient but it is worth it to not have your email get hacked. (2)

Turn off Face ID and Touch ID on your phone, particularly if you are headed to a protest. Again, I know it's convenient, but it can also be used against you. Just set up a (unique!) passcode for your phone instead -- ideally one that uses numbers and letters. (3)

Next: please don't connect to public wifi when you are out and about. If you are out protesting, consider turning off wifi and bluetooth altogether on your phone and just rely on data. (4)

Check what apps are tracking and sharing your location data. On iPhone, if you go into Settings > Privacy > Location Services, you can see this app by app. It's totally up to you what you are comfortable with but it's good to be aware of. (5)

Even if you're okay with some apps having access to location, think through what they may be sharing and if it's being shared publicly. Did Twitter just tag your location as you tweeted from a protest? Is Strava showing the world where & when you start your runs every day? (5)

Check your credit score every once in a while. This is one of the easiest ways to detect identity theft if you get targeted in that way. (6)

Carry cash with you. This is just good practice in general, but you may find yourself in situations where you don't want to swipe that card. (7)

Phone number hijacking (or SIM swapping) is a way to take control of your cell phone number. (This is why you shouldn't use this for two factor.) You may consider getting a second phone line with a number you do not give out broadly. (8)

There's lots more I'm missing here and I'll add to this as I think of them.

Some resources:
nytimes.com/programs/digit…
computerworld.com/article/250806…
nytimes.com/2019/03/12/tec…

Many have suggested this and I should have included it. Download @signalapp and use it for any sensitive conversations. You can also use its disappearing messages functionality. (9)

If you don't use Signal, I tend to trust iMessage over WhatsApp / Messenger. Telegram is also an option. (9)