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Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US. If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.

You should assume that any digital evidence that you were at or near a protest could be used against you—that includes data from your phone as well as tracking tools like license plate scanners and face recognition.

For the best chance at anonymity, you should leave your phone at home. But if you can’t, keep it off as much as possible—or keep it in a Faraday bag that blocks all of its radio communications. You can also consider using a secondary phone or a burner.

You should use end-to-end encryption for messaging, and make sure your smartphone’s contents are encrypted, too. If you use biometric unlocking, turn that off temporarily so it’s harder for law enforcement to force you to unlock your phone.

Consider wearing a face mask and sunglasses to make it far more difficult for you to be identified by face recognition technology. Avoid colorful clothing and prominent logos, and cover up any identifiable tattoos.

Another factor to weigh is your mode of transportation. Driving a car to a protest can expose you to surveillance from automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs, which can be used to pinpoint a vehicle’s movements.

Be careful about what you post on social media, and be aware that if you take photos or videos, they could be used to expand law enforcement’s view of who attended it. Make sure you have permission to photograph or videotape any fellow protesters.