Mobile Security Risks for Activists
Protect Yourself II
- Delete messages, photos/videos, and call records to deter an unsophisticated attacker, but remember that deleted data can sometimes be recovered from the phone.
- Don’t use the phone book if you can keep numbers in a safe place without it. Don’t store numbers and names together.
- Do not use explicitly identifying information for contacts, including names, nicknames, or contact icons/pictures.
- Check the settings on the phone to see if it can be set to NOT store call logs and outgoing SMS.
- If you have a smartphone, enable remote wipe or ‘poison pill’ functionality. This allows you to remotely erase data on the phone if it has been stolen. You will need to download an app and/or configure remote wipe through an online service. There are more details in this article: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352755,00.asp
- Lock your phone using various available options to block calls and physical access.
- Always use removable memory/external storage for sensitive media and data, and remove it whenever the phone is not with you.