Guide 01 — Digital Security at Protests
What They’re Watching.
What You Can Do.
Law enforcement deploys Stingrays, facial recognition, drones, and ad tech surveillance at protests. Your phone is a tracking device — and CBP is buying your location history from the same apps that show you ads. This guide covers the specific tools in use, the risks at each stage of a protest, and the exact steps to reduce your exposure. Interactive checklist. Printable card.
6,546
NYPD drone flights in 2024 alone
$3.75M
Clearview AI ICE contract — facial recognition
95,000+
Location pings CBP purchased from ad ecosystem
LEGAL NOTE: This guide covers surveillance technology and your legal rights. It does not advise on whether to protest, where to protest, or what to say. All protest rights are subject to time/place/manner restrictions. Consult an attorney for your specific situation.
Surveillance threats
Four Tools to Know Before You Go
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Stingrays / IMSI Catchers
High risk · Active deployment
Cell-site simulators impersonate cell towers, forcing your phone to connect and revealing your real-time location, device identifiers (IMSI/IMEI), and metadata. DHS and local law enforcement have deployed them at protests. They cannot read encrypted message content but log every phone in range and can intercept unencrypted calls/SMS.
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Facial Recognition
High risk · Clearview AI + local systems
Clearview AI has a $3.75M contract with ICE. A single match from protest footage can identify you even in a crowd. Sunglasses, hats, and scarves significantly reduce match probability. Over 700 law enforcement agencies have documented Clearview contracts. Some jurisdictions ban its use — know your state.
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Drone Surveillance
Medium risk · CBP + local police
NYPD flew 6,546 drone missions in 2024 alone. CBP Predator drones and local police drones provide aerial coverage of large events. Thermal cameras see through some cover. DHS deployed drones during 2020 protests in Minneapolis and Washington DC. Drones must comply with FAA rules but CBP military assets operate under different authority.
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Ad Tech Location Data
Very high risk · No warrant required
CBP purchased 95,000+ location pings from ad data brokers — confirmed by a 2026 FOIA document. Every app with location permission sells your GPS to ad exchanges. Data brokers aggregate and resell to government agencies. No warrant. No court order. They simply pay for it. Disable advertising ID and location permissions before you go.
Complete Digital Security Bundle — PDF
Every Guide. Printable. Sourced to Current Law.
This protest guide plus border crossing protocols, device lockdown steps, social media hygiene, ad tech surveillance explainer, and the complete surveillance law breakdown. Formatted to print and keep in your bag.
Surveillance capabilities sourced to government contracts, court filings, ACLU FOIA releases, EFF Surveillance Atlas, and 404 Media reporting. Legal rights described reflect federal constitutional law and may be subject to state variation. Updated March 2026. Not legal advice — consult an attorney for your specific situation.