Rebels should consider taking positive steps to
thwart monitoring
Author: Joe Rebel
New technology applied by the fascist occupational
government seeks to maintain awareness of all political activity within the
occupied territories of the United States. The Resistance suggests that
rebels take positive steps to thwart automatic government surveillance.
The Information Awareness Office employs
technologies seeking to link information across databases. Only methodical
application of our suggested techniques will improve your anonymity. If
knowledge is power then the converse is true: ignorance is weakness. The
goal in all confrontation is to weaken the opponent. By denying the
opponent knowledge, this goal is advanced.
Steps you should employ to confuse the opponent:
 | Invent a separate identity for each resistance
group in which you participate. Unless you are questioned, supplying
an invented name should be adequate. You can be honest with your
comrades and inform them that you are using a fake identity. Explain
to them that they should do the same. Maintaining a separate identity
for each group of which you are a member will make it difficult for infiltrators
and spies to cross reference your identity across groups. |
 | Choose an identity that uses common names.
This will make attempts to libel your identity more difficult. For
example, if you use common names, an Internet search will bring up too many
pages to narrow down published information associated with your chosen
identity. COINTELPRO-like operations currently in play are using the
Internet to libel activists. Before using a new identity, do a search
on Google, using the chosen name. If it brings up a large number of
links, then the chosen name passes the common-name test. If few links
are found, the name is uncommon and subject to effective Internet
libel. Such uncommon names should not be used. |
 | Organize geographically. Plan meeting times
and dates and stick to them. Post meeting times in a public
place. This will help you avoid the need for telephone and online
communication of meeting times, dates, and locations. This may help
you to avoid maintaining telephone number lists as well. If privacy is
needed, construct a method for obscuring the actually intent of the public
announcement such that only members of your group will understand the
correct interpretation of the announcement. |
 | Stop purchasing items with credit cards and debit
cards. Use cash whenever possible. Do not use supermarket
discount cards unless you obtain one using a false name and address.
If possible, obtain multiple supermarket discount cards for each supermarket
under different identities and select a card randomly for each purchase
event. |
 | While hiding one's face may seem cowardly to
some, there is a good reason for doing so. Police and military have
been photographing demonstrators. The Information Awareness Office is
developing technology to identify individuals at a distance. We
suggest using a bandana or cloth to cover your face when
demonstrating. You should cover your nose and mouth. Face
recognition technology depends greatly upon the portion of the face
extending from the mouth up to the eyes. Covering your mouth and nose
will help to defeat these mechanisms. Covering the eyes is less
important. |
 | When photographers take your picture during a
demonstration, do not assume that they are members of the press.
Recent protests have included extensive photography of protestors where
"journalists" have asked for protestors names. Later scrutiny
of the press has revealed that more often than not, no pictures of the
demonstrators appear. This leads to the obvious question: are these
really members of the press taking our photographs? Given that the
corporate press has not covered anti-war activities in recent years to any
measurable extent, we should not sacrifice our anonymity for a false sense
of publicity. If you choose to give a name to a photographer, give
only a false identity. |
 | Start using encryption for email
communications. We suggest finding a free version of PGP.
Massive use of encryption will make ubiquitous monitoring of electronic mail
very difficult. One of our goals should be to increase the cost of
fascism. Taking such steps will increase the cost of government
programs to spy on the Resistance. |
This Communiqué has been a service of the
Resistance...