this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2025
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Privacy
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A cheap af old Android setup as new, with a new/no account, and no sim would probably be better for the majority. A Go pro + sd card are $100+, while a used android can be had for $50. Half the protesters probably already have one sitting in a drawer.
If it's kept in airplane mode and only used for the most basic shit like offline maps, recording audio or video, notes, etc, I don't see how it'd be much of a threat. Ideally you'd want to only connect it to coffee shop wifi and restore it to an old backup after every protest (if you can do offline), but if it's never used for PII, contacts/comms, or any internet services, they can't get much from it.
At the end of the day, if they really want to identify protesters they will. You can't expect anonymity at a protest in 2025. Just don't make it easy for the Gestapo.
No. No network capable electronic devices period. It is absolutely possible to correlate the device MAC address to a protest, and the US government has repeatedly proven they have backdoor access to wireless access points and routers to collect this information.
Android now has MAC address randomization btw
But the phone imei is still always yours. If there's a SIM in there, or it connects to a mobile service, you're cooked anyway.
Most phones and tablets have E-SIM now so its a moot point
Then it automatically connects for emergency calls, and ya cooked.