PRIVACY AND SECURITY For people who use drugs, privacy and safety have always been a concern, as well as freedom from surveillance. In the digital age, this applies to online spaces too. The right to bodily autonomy is the right to make decisions about your body, health and life. With the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, many people are losing important reproductive healthcare rights right now. We know from the struggles of sex workers, that with more laws restricting what people can do with their bodies, there is more surveillance and less individual privacy. Here are some tips to keep your personal information safe and secure. Just like the kind of harm reduction we talk about with drug use, you don’t necessarily have to follow all of these steps, but using some of them can keep you better protected.
Phones
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Lock your devices with a pin/password. Don’t use your fingerprint or face, unless you are worried that someone close to you may be watching you input your password. SMS is the standard text message and is considered to be insecure. These texts can be intercepted by someone else in a variety of ways. This is why using an encrypted messaging app, like Signal, is important, especially if you have legal concerns, are on probation/parole or have open court cases.
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If you need a public profile for work, use a separate account for activism, politics, or sensitive activities.
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If you need a public phone number, set up Google Voice • Signal can be set up without using your personal phone number - there are directions online on how to create an account without revealing your personal phone number. Signal only needs access to a phone network when you first register. After that, it’s all done over the internet.
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If you need a public address, get a post office box
Dangerous Games
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Beware social media games that use your personal information
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Common themes like “Your Birth Month = Your YA Fantasy Name” give away your info
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Don’t give out your birthday, birth year, anniversary, pet name, first car,, mother’s maiden name, or anything else you might see on a security question to “prove” who you are
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You can still play! Just lie. There is no honor code in social media games
Computers
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Lock your computer with a pin/password (no fingerprint or face)
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Install Signal desktop
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Installing a secure password manager in your browser instead of writing them down where someone could find them
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Use a secure search engine, like Startpage, DuckDuckGo, or searX
Privacy Settings
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Make your social media private/friends only
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Never post your phone number, home address, or work address
While some protection is better than none, it’s important to remember that once information is out there, it’s much harder to erase. As important as it is to use the tips above, be mindful of the things you post or say online too, especially about illegal topics like drugs, and now, abortion. You don’t have to stay silent, but we all have to stay smart. By keeping your information secure, you can help keep yourself and your communities safer!