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Going to a Protest? Don't Bring Your Phone Without Doing This First (www.pcmag.com)
submitted 1 month ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/technology@lemmy.world
108 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The right to assemble and protest is enshrined in American law, but it can still be dangerous to hit the streets to make your voice heard. Your devices are a treasure trove of information about you, and you may not always know who's collecting that data. Take a few minutes before you go to assess your digital and physical safety. Even if you have nothing to hide, you don't want to accidentally give law enforcement officials any information you didn't intend to share. Follow these tips to lock down your phone before a protest or other peaceful assembly.

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[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Cell service is always turned on on a phone, even with no SIM card and the phone in airplane mode, and for most phones, even when the phone is “off”. They still ping the local towers semi regularly; they just don’t ramp up transmission power ir try to establish a full connection.

Anyone got a list of Bluetooth devices without a cell antenna where the BT MAC is regularly scrambled?

[-] FlexibleToast@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Does it matter if that cell service isn't connected to a name?

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago

No, because it will spend most of its time after leaving the store in your home.

[-] FlexibleToast@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

First, don't buy it from a store. Second, turn that sucker off before you go home.

this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2026
444 points (100.0% liked)

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