Privacy and Security
Privacy, safety, and freedom from surveillance have always been concerns for people who use drugs. In the digital age, this also applies to online spaces.
Harm reduction is a movement that is rooted in the right to make your own decisions about your body, health, and life. It is related to other movements for bodily autonomy, like reproductive justice and sex work. With the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, new restrictions on websites used for sex work, and increased scrutiny on harm reduction programs, comes increased surveillance and less individual privacy.
NEXT Distro is committed to maintaining your privacy, which is why we use the handle system and offer options for encrypted communication, like Signal and Protonmail. NEXT will never share your personal information with law enforcement or public health officials, but not everyone you interact with will take your privacy seriously. We’ve included some tips here for keeping your information safe and secure. Just like when it comes to harm reduction when using drugs, you don’t necessarily have to follow all of these steps, but using even just some of them will help keep you protected.
Passwords
• Lock your phones and computers with PINs or passwords. Don’t use your fingerprint or your face, unless you have a specific concern that someone close to you may be watching you input your password.
• Use a password manager on your web browser or your phone instead of writing them down where someone could find them. Some free password managers are Bitwarden, Log Me Once, and Proton Pass.
• At NEXT, we use a paid service called 1Password.
• Don’t use the same password for everything. If you find that a password that you use included in a data leak, be sure to change it wherever you use it.
Privacy Settings
• Make your social media accounts private and never post your phone number or home or work address.
• If you need a public profile for work, use a separate account for activism, politics, and personal activities.
• If you need a public phone number, use an internet phone
service like Google Voice, Text Now, or Open Phone. You can also use Signal without revealing your personal phone number by creating a username.
• If you need to list a public mailing address, get a post office box.
Encrypted Messaging
• End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a method of secure communication that prevents third parties from accessing data while it’s being transferred from one device to another. This means your cell phone company, internet service provider, or the developers of the app you are using cannot access your data. Signal, ProtonMail, and WhatsApp are popular encrypted messaging systems. If you use one of these services to write to NEXT, your messages will be more secure. Messages sent from sites like Yahoo or Gmail to our ProtonMail account are not encrypted.
• SMS, or standard text messages, are considered insecure and can be intercepted in a variety of ways. Encrypted messages are especially important if you have legal concerns, are on probation or parole, or have an open court case.
• You can install apps like Signal or WhatsApp on both your phone and your computer.
• Consider using secure search engines like Statepage, DuckDuckGo, or SearX, and secure browsers like Tor or Firefox. Programs like these can be set up to not track or retain your browsing history or search data.
Don’t Snitch on Yourself!
• Beware of social media games that are trying to gather your personal information, like “Match your Birth Month to your YA Fantasy Name.” These games are trying to gather information like your birthday, birthday year, anniversary, mother’s maiden name, or the model of your first car — common answers to security questions on online accounts.
• You can still play these games! Just lie — there’s no honor code in social media games.
It’s important to remember that once your information is out there, it’s much harder to erase! And while it’s important to use the tips above, even private spaces can come with some risk. Be sure you are talking to trusted people when discussing topics with possible legal implications like drugs, sex work, or 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.