Security Tips & Resources

Here are a few tips & resources we've compiled that can help folks communicate and operate in a more secure manner.

This is not an exhaustive list!

Please note that while total security isn't really possible, it is possible to conduct activities in a more secure manner. Taking precautions such as the following will help you assert your expectation of privacy.

1. First, here's a good intro article we wrote about why security is important and how it is an issue of solidarity for our movement building.

2. For secure(r) communications, we recommend:

-Keep anything sensitive - and anything about plans - off email. In general, use good non-attachment philosophy and delete, delete, delete as a general practice! (ie Regularly purge email, texts, everything. Doing this as a regular practice will make it so there's nothing left to turn over to a court if it gets subpoenaed - remember to purge sent messages too!)

-Use Email Clients: Using an opensource email client such as Thunderbird to download your email is better than keeping all your email online such as on gmail or yahoo (not to mention they are both notorious for scanning and basically owning all your data). You should enable SSL or TSL security authentication.

-Hushmail is generally considered a fairly good secure email option: anyone can set up a free hushmail.com account. You have to log in at least once every 3 weeks in order to keep it active.  While this is better than regular unencrypted email, you should still practice good purging habits and always consider that nothing you send through here is ever totally secure; it's just better.  It is still hosted by a third party that you do not know.

-Instead of email, use IM (instant messaging) as much as possible, through Pidgin with the "Off The Record" plugin. Make sure to enable the functions that do not save archived conversations. OTR allows you to authenticate who you're chatting with in a few different ways, and then encrypts the messages that you send live.

-A helpful work-planning and info-sharing tool is Basecamp.
In very small print below the big boxes you'll see that they actually offer a free plan, which can hold one 'project'.  This is a great space for people to manage tasks, etc. and use writeboards (like wikis) to keep track of plans, notes, etc. rather than emailing them back and forth.  Make sure to enable the SSL-Security function in the account settings!

-In the security hierarchy scheme of things, landlines are generally considered 'better' than cellphones.

-Use opensource software such as Openoffice.org for documents, spreadsheets, etc. rather than Microsoft Word.

3. For slightly more advanced/intensive security precautions, you may want to look into:

-Computer Operating Systems:
Macs are generally considered more secure than Windows (windows are easier to hack), but both are corporate and log your data. Lynux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu are better (note: this is easier to run on a PC than on a mac).

-TOR is a tool that protects anonymity and privacy in all online activities.

-Email Encryption: you can encrypt your email through PGP or PHP or GPG which uses private shared key-rings to authenticate who is receiving your messages, and your message then travels to the recipient in an encrypted (or 'scrambled') way, so that no one else can see it (unencrypted email basically travels like a postcard and many people along the way see it).  A good encryption resource to start is Enigmail.

4. Know Your Rights
Midnight Special Law Collective runs great trainings on security and know your rights legal issues.  Here are some great resources from them on their website.