ACTIVIST TOOLS
PRIVACY TOOLS
Mass surveillance is illegitimate. Take the steps needed to take your freedoms back and expect that governments and corporations follow in those footsteps. Take all the steps needed to stop all mass government surveillance.
Your Phone
These apps are the easiest ways to protect yourself and make mass surveillance more difficult.
Signal Messenger
- Speak Freely
Say “hello” to a different messaging experience. An unexpected focus on privacy, combined with all of the features you expect
- Share Without Insecurity
State-of-the-art end-to-end encryption (powered by the open source Signal Protocol) keeps your conversations secure. We can’t read your messages or listen to your calls, and no one else can either. Privacy isn’t an optional mode — it’s just the way that Signal works. Every message, every call, every time.
More for Android
- Encrypt your phone and choose a 10 digit PIN, too, for very strong protection if your phone is lost, stolen, or seized.
- Firefox syncs your passwords securely, and lets you install privacy-protecting extensions like Adblock Plus, Noscript, and HTTPS Everywhere.
- Don’t trust carriers. Buy your Android phone directly from Google, or if you’re tech savvy, install Cyanogen.
- Orbot and Orweb let you browse the web privately and anonymously with Tor.
- For savvy users, K-9 and APG let you send encrypted emails.
More for iPhone
- According to Apple’s Legal Process Guidelines, Facetime calls and iMessages are end-to-end encrypted. This is significant, but Textsecure and Redphone are more secure and trustworthy
- Use a PIN on your iPhone for better legal protection against searches, and some protection against thieves.
Unique Passwords
Are you using the same password everywhere? If so, change it, starting with your email account. Use a tool like Firefox Lockwise, MasterPassword or write it down and store it in a secure location.
Apple & Mac
Securing your chats is easy. So is private, anonymous browsing. Try both.
Tor prevents people from learning your location or browsing habits.
More for Mac
- Filevault is built-in, and protects you if your Mac is lost, stolen, or seized. Turn on Filevault.
- GPG tools lets you encrypt emails using Apple’s Mail.app
Windows
Secure chats is pretty easy on Windows. Private, anonymous browsing is easier. Try both
More for Windows
- Firefox syncs your passwords securely, and lets you install privacy-protecting extensions like Adblock Plus, Noscript, and HTTPS Everywhere.
- For savvy users, Thunderbird and Enigmail let you encrypt your emails.
GNU/Linux
GNU/Linux users probably have these tools already. If not, install them with your package manager!
More for GNU/Linux
- Firefox syncs your passwords securely, and lets you install privacy-protecting extensions like Adblock Plus, Noscript, and HTTPS Everywhere.
- For savvy users, Thunderbird and Enigmail let you encrypt your emails.
- Tails is a USB-bootable operating system for privacy and anonymity. Try it!
- Many GNU/Linux distributions provide support for Full Disk Encryption. Instructions for Ubuntu.
- GNU/Linux users, install all these tools from your favorite package manager.
Other Privacy Resources:
EFF’s Introduction to Threat Modeling: https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/introduction-threat-modeling
FIREFOX:
Firefox: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/
Firefox privacy settings: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/products/firefox/privacy-and-security
BEHAVIORAL ANALYTICS:
uBlock Origin: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/
NoScript: http://noscript.net/ OR
Privacy Badger: https://www.eff.org/privacybadger
HTTPS:
HTTPS Everywhere: https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Test the TLS/SSL security of a website or browser and learn more about implementing TLS/SSL: https://www.ssllabs.com/
EFF’s Let’s Encrypt: https://letsencrypt.org/
What Every Librarian Needs to Know About HTTPS:https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/05/what-every-librarian-needs-know-about-https
Tor and HTTPS: https://www.eff.org/pages/tor-and-https
SAFE SEARCHING:
DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com/
DuckDuckGo extension for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/duckduckgo-for-firefox/
Disconnect Search: https://disconnect.me/search
PASSWORDS:
KeePassX: https://www.keepassx.org/
Diceware word list: http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.wordlist.asc
Yubikey: https://www.yubico.com/
Setting up Yubikey in static password mode: https://www.yubico.com/products/services-software/personalization-tools/
VIRUSES & MALWARE:
ClamAV: http://www.clamav.net/index.html
Malwarebytes: http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Detekt: https://resistsurveillance.org/
OS X native malware protection: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491 and http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201940
MOBILE:
Replicant: http://www.replicant.us/
Cyanogenmod:
The Guardian Project: https://guardianproject.info/
Encrypt your phone: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-encrypt-data-on-your-smartphone/
Signal/RedPhone/TextSecure: https://whispersystems.org/
Snoopsnitch: https://opensource.srlabs.de/projects/snoopsnitch
EMAIL:
Email Self-Defense from FSF: https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/en/
Check the security of your email server: http://starttls.info/
VPNs:
Riseup’s VPN: https://help.riseup.net/en/vpn
OpenVPN: http://openvpn.net/
A list of possibly good VPNs: http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/
TERMS OF SERVICE:
Terms of Service; Didn’t Read: http://tosdr.org/downloads.html
CANARIES AND TRANSPARENCY REPORTS:
Canary Watch: https://canarywatch.org/
EFF’s “Who’s Got Your Back”: https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-government-data-requests-2015
EXTRA CREDIT:
PRISM BREAK: http://prism-break.org/en/
Surveillance Self-Defense: https://ssd.eff.org/
Cryptoparty: http://www.cryptoparty.in/
Important Notes
Re: Pidgin and Adium, if you believe you may be the specific target of surveillance, these aren’t the tools for you. Pidgin has had a large number of remotely exploitable vulnerabilites recently, and auditors looking at the code believe there are likely to be many more. Still, these tools are effective against passive mass surveillance, and they’re unusually easy to use.
Cryptocat is not a magic bullet. Even though Cryptocat provides useful encryption, you should never trust any piece of software with your life, and Cryptocat is no exception. Cryptocat does not mask your IP address or hide your identity, and, like all software, cannot fully protect against a targeted attack on your person or electronics.
This page was made in consultation with technologists and activists at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and their contribution was invaluable.
BOYCOTT TOOLS
Have you ever wondered whether the money you spend ends up funding causes you oppose? Use these tools to help you avoid the products and corporations you don’t want to support – while still getting the items that you need!
Buycott
A buycott is the opposite of a boycott. Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so that it reflects your principles.
When you use Buycott to scan a product, it will look up the product, determine what brand it belongs to, and figure out what company owns that brand (and who owns that company, ad infinitum). It will then cross-check the product owners against the companies and brands included in the campaigns you’ve joined, in order to tell you if the scanned product conflicts with one of your campaigns.
DOWNLOAD: Android
DOWNLOAD: iOS
ipiit
ipiit, The Food Ambassador now with GMO feature! ipiit will guide you in the jungle of food products. ipiit is a free service and it will provide you with the right product information according to your (preferences) needs and interests. It’s important to note that ipiit is still in its earliest stages and we are working hard to build a great service and to add more preference choices and features in to the service.
We have 210 000+ US food products in our constantly growing product database.
With ipiit, you can:
- Scan the barcode on US food products and find information about them
- Create personalized preferences
- Compare products
- Find better alternative products and make purchasing decisions based on what’s important to you
- Rate your food products and let the community know which products you like or dislike
- See ratings from your friends and other food ambassadors
- Contribute your ideas and voice your feedback to help improve ipiit, the food ambassador
We will ask you to create an ipiit account – why? This way you will be able to save your preferences, favorite products and access your information from anywhere. ipiit will NOT share your email.
DOWNLOAD: Android
DOWNLOAD: iOS
Cruelty-Free
★ See company logos and descriptions
★ Use direct links to company websites
★ Continually updated
VegGuide.org
VegGuide.org is a world wide, community-maintained guide to veg-friendly restaurants and shopping. VegGuide.org is a project of Compassionate Action for Animals, a Twin Cities, Minnesota animal rights organization, in partnership with Compassion Over Killing, Farm Sanctuary, Mercy for Animals, The Humane League, and Vegan Outreach.
The site was designed (such as it is) by Dave Rolsky. Dave also did the programming for the site, so you can blame him for all the bugs you find.
TRANSPARENCY TOOLS
It’s been said that the camera is the new gun. Well, a smartphone without a streaming app is akin to a firearm without ammo. Use these tools to monitor public officials or provide journalistic coverage during an action!
Bambuser
Broadcast low-latency live video and audio to the web using 3G or WiFi! View incoming chat messages, broadcast in public or in private, geotag your broadcasts and share to many social networks.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Cop Block
Access the latest Cop Block articles and podcasts at the click of a button. Easy interface makes sharing content easy. Thanks to everyone that helped build these and get them on the market! If you are a developer that can help add some features and improve these apps, please contact us! More here.
FastCase
For the most part, police powers have been federally defined; but there are legal and procedural quirks that vary from state to state, and FastCase is an excellent resource for both state and federal case law. FastCase goes way beyond the scope of a traffic stop or warrantless search—it lays out precedent for landmark decisions in almost every imaginable category—but that’s where the searchable database become helpful.
Cost: 24-hr trial, then subscription fees.
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://fastcase.com
Fi-Vo Film
Use Fi-Vo Film to instantly and securely record police misconduct any time you witness it. As you record, your video instantly saves to your phone and uploads to your free Dropbox account.
Cost: 1.99FRNs
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More http://fivofilm.com
GotYa!
GotYa! takes a silent snapshot through the front facing camera of the criminal who is attempting to use your device, whenever the screen lock is entered incorrectly. After taking the picture, it acquires the location of your device and forms a Google maps link, and then send it with the time stamped picture to your email or Facebook!
Cost: 1.99FRNs
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://igotya.com
I’m Getting Arrested
Alert your lawyer, loved ones, etc … that you are being arrested with a click. I’m Getting Arrested enables anyone, with one click, to broadcast a custom message to SMS numbers in the event they are arrested.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Instant Incognito
Capture audio to your Winows Phone in normal or incognito (stealth) mode.
Cost: Free
Download: Windows Phone
More: via WMPowerUser.com
Justin.TV
Broadcast LIVE video over 3G or WiFi. Easily share your broadcast on Twitter and Facebook so friends and family can watch. Easy sharing on Twitter, Facebook, and more. Videos are automatically saved to the web on Justin.tv.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://justin.tv
LiveStream
Watch live events from livestream.com… right on your mobile device.
Download: iOS
More: http://livestream.com
Open Watch
OpenWatch recorder can secretly record audio and video, and upload it to the OpenWatch server along with geolocation data.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: https://openwatch.net
Peacekeeper
Peacekeeper is an organization that builds and advocates voluntary systems of emergency protection. It is based on the belief that private individuals are the most superior means of protection within their communities.
Cost: Beta is Free, Annual is 30FRNs
Download: Android (expected release late May 2014)
Download: iOS (beta)
More: http://peacekeeper.org
PocketJustice
After you’ve memorized the Bill of Rights, it’s time to move up to Supreme Court precedent, where the nitty-gritty of police powers are found. Most of you have probably seenthis video of a legal student defending his Second Amendment rights in Portland, ME; you’ll notice that his ammunition is Supreme Court precedent, not just the text of the Bill of Rights. PocketJustice offers searchable transcripts of over 100 Supreme Court cases, as well as some audio of the oral arguments (good for brushing up in the car or on the metro). Most of the landmark police-powers cases are covered here, but it’s not so dense as to be overwhelming. If you want to go deeper, you can download the Pro version, which has transcripts for over 600 cases, and 300+ additional hours of Supreme Court audio. For people who want a basic understanding of their rights without a law degree, this is a great tool.
Cost: 4.99FNRs for Pro
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://pocketjustice.com
Police Scanner 5-0
Police Scanner 5-0 brings you more than 2,500 police, fire, rescue and other radio feeds over 3G or WiFi. You can search for channels in the U.S. and other countries by country, state or province and county. Find channels close to your location based on GPS or 3G/WiFi triangulation. This app can be very useful when out Copblocking.
Cost: Free version with short ads or 1.99FRNs w/o ads.
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Police Scanner 5-0
Police Scanner 5-0 brings you more than 2,500 police, fire, rescue and other radio feeds over 3G or WiFi. You can search for channels in the U.S. and other countries by country, state or province and county. Find channels close to your location based on GPS or 3G/WiFi triangulation. This app can be very useful when out Copblocking.
Cost: Free version with short ads or 1.99FRNs w/o ads.
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Police Tape
Citizens can hold police accountable in the palms of their hands with “Police Tape,” a smartphone application from the ACLU of New Jersey that allows people to securely and discreetly record and store interactions with police, as well as provide legal information about citizens’ rights when interacting with the police. Related video: How Does it Work?
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://aclu-nj.org/yourrights/the-app-place
Secret Camera Recorder
Secret Video Recorder is the ONLY hidden camera app in the market that does background recording so you can use your phone as normal and NO ONE can tell you are recording video.
Cost: 5.99FRNs
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Stop-and-Frisk
An easy way to hold the NYPD accountable for its actions. It has three primary functions: Record: This allows the user to film an incident with audio by simply pushing a trigger on the phone’s frame. Shaking the phone stops the filming. Listen: This function alerts the user when people in their vicinity are being stopped by the police. Report: This prompts the survey, allowing users to report a police interaction they saw or experienced, even if they didn’t film it.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://nyclu.org/app
Trapster
Trapster alerts you to police speed traps and other roadway hazards. Users submit speed traps, enforcement cameras, and road hazards, that then alert all Trapster users in the area. A high-tech version of flashing your headlights to alert drivers of potential road hazards.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
Dowload: Windows Phone
Download: Blackberry
Download: Garmin & TomTom
More: https://trapster.com
UStream
Go live and watch live video on your phone or tablet – anytime, anywhere! Broadcast live to any number of viewers using the camera of your device.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://ustream.tv
Vimeo
You can upload, manage and watch your videos right from your mobile phone or tablet, with great tools to share publicly or privately.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: http://vimeo.com
Waze
Waze is a fun, community-based mapping, traffic & navigation app, 40 million strong. Join forces with other drivers nearby to outsmart traffic, save time & gas money, and improve everyone’s daily commute. In addition to solid map, users can report police locations – this crowdsourcing functionality keeps us all safer.
Cost: Free
Download: Android
Download: iOS
More: https://waze.com