"The Black Crow will not come"
By Diana telegra.ph
October 8, 2023
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“This is not the year 1937 - say what you want, especially on the Internet, the “black funnel” will not come for you tomorrow. Why hide? - Putin once said about anonymity on the Internet. As we can see, he comes with enviable regularity.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to publish comprehensive safety instructions. But we provide some rules on information and physical security for people involved in any kind of activism in our difficult times.

Preparation for repression
In order to pass through all trials with dignity, we need to prepare for them.

It is normal to feel fear of a search, police violence, or prison. This fear must be accepted, it can be discussed and worked with. But you still need to act based on your beliefs and goals.

Calmly consider your options, your strategy. Discuss what consequences you are prepared for. Ask yourself: What do you need to be ready?

It is advisable to do this in a team, if there is one, or with your closest friends.

Continue what you are doing and seek the support you need to do it. If necessary, change your field of activity. You can change your place and region of residence.

You also need to prepare for arrests, searches and detention in pre-trial detention centers. Here are some steps you can take in advance:

📌 Prepare your place of residence - do not keep anything at home that can in any way be used against you, down to the smallest detail. Propaganda materials, substances, objects - anything that may raise questions should be stored in another place that is not directly related to you.

📌 Establish a connection with the media, and make sure that if the security forces influence you in any way, it will be made public. Make sure that the anarchist movement and groups such as the Anarchist Black Cross, the Solidarity Zone and others have maximum access to the necessary information about you.

📌 Find yourself a lawyer you can trust, enter into a defense agreement with them. Or at least get in touch with human rights initiatives, get an idea of ​​who you could turn to if necessary.

📌 Familiarize yourself with the legal aspects of detention, search, interrogation. Know which actions of security forces are legal and which are not.

📌 Prepare your devices. Make sure that your devices are encrypted and store everything that may be of interest to the security forces in encrypted form in storage facilities that can only be accessed through other comrades and comrades - preferably abroad. Find a way to destroy information in case of an emergency.

📌 Discuss various scenarios in case of arrest with your loved ones, determine action plans. Use people who are not known to security forces and will not be at risk if you or people in your community are detained, and who will be able to conduct necessary communications or perform other tasks.

📌 Prepare the so-called “canary”: record a video message in case of arrest. Tell us in this video that you expect to be tortured and forced to record a video where you will renounce the anarchist movement and incriminate yourself by reading out the text written by the cops. Explain that any statements you make in the cop video are made under pressure and cannot be taken seriously. Transfer this video for safekeeping, and agree on when and where this video will be published if something happens to you. Make sure that you cannot influence the publication of the "canary" due to pressure and torture.

What we do is fight. It must be perceived accordingly, and one must prepare for the possibility that the struggle will have to be continued in captivity, in unfavorable conditions and under intense pressure.

Devices
- Use devices with secure operating systems.

For the phone - this is GraphhenOS or the latest and updated LineageOS (at the time of writing the instructions, the current LineageOS is 20)

For a computer, this is Tails, Ubuntu 22.04 or 22.10 with all updates. Also, you should not install applications from outside the standard repository if you are not sure of their authors.

Important:

Do not use devices that have been in the hands of the police.
Encrypt everything that can be encrypted.
If you can't encrypt it, don't use it.
Use your default VPN. In the VPN settings, block applications whose connections do not go through the VPN.
Use TAILS for anything that requires more anonymity, such as using encrypted email, using crypto wallets, and storing files unless you have a secure device with a secure operating system.
Remember:

If the phone is in the hands of the cops, then it is no longer safe.
If there is no encryption, then the device is also not secure.
If the device has standard firmware, it is not safe.
It is safer to use devices with the latest updates.
Passwords
Use Keepass to store passwords.
It is worth changing them periodically (every 1-3 months).
Do not use the same password for different services.
Browser
Open sent links only through Tor.
Use Tor for anything related to activism.
Do not access sites without encryption. That is, choose sites starting with https: and not http (not important if you use Tor)
If possible, install the Noscript and Duckduckgo extensions to block trackers and scripts.
Separate your activities and visits to various government sites (or sites close to the state: Sberbank, Russian Post, State Services). Many of these sites will prompt you to use a Russian security certificate. This certificate will allow you to intercept your data on other sites (even non-Russian ones).
For some purposes, you may need to access certain government sites (the same list of bills, for example) and they need this certificate, but you cannot install it. If you still need to go to such a site, then it is better to install a browser with a built-in certificate and under no circumstances use it anywhere other than such sites. An example of browsers with a built-in Russian certificate is Yandex browser and Chromium GOST.
A secure browser other than Tor is Waterfox.
Messengers
Do not use a Russian number on Telegram, especially one registered to you or your loved ones. You can get a “left SIM card” with the help of friends and comrades who are now abroad (preferably in “unfriendly countries”).
Use Telegram only with Tor or a reliable VPN.
How to set it up - you can find it on the Internet at the request “setting up a Telegram proxy”. Here, for example, are simple instructions .

Set “Who can see the time of my last login” to “Nobody” in the telegram.
Signal also has its drawbacks, which can lead to a breach of anonymity. And just like Telegram, the source code of the server is closed. You should not use other instant messengers with a phone number attached if it is not possible to do this with a foreign SIM card.
When calling through any messengers, it is better to disable P2P or call through a proxy (Tor, VPN).
Do not use VK group services (of any kind) for any activist activities. As a last resort, do this anonymously and through Tor.
Do not sign your name or put your photo on any social networks or instant messengers, and also use unique nicknames.
Good messenger options are Element (preferably not on a standard server, use, for example, Disroot ), Deltachat.
Even the most secure messenger will not protect you from untrustworthy people. Contact only verified contacts, develop your own way of verifying people.
Use different accounts for different purposes.
Other
Choose open-source analogues of software, make sure that they undergo an audit (independent security check).

Offline
Look around: inconspicuous but unpleasant people may accompany you home or to other places.
Don't open the door to anyone. Conduct a dialogue only through the door; if anything happens, say that the parents are not at home - detailed instructions are in the section “Search, inspection, the cops have come.”
Article 51 of the Constitution - do not testify against yourself and your loved ones.
Remember the cameras. Especially if you want to escape from under the sensitive gaze of Big Brother.
Do not use food delivery, try not to use taxi services or call from someone other than your own number or address.
Search/Inspection/Cops Came
Preliminary:
With those you live with, you can agree on a conditional phrase that will notify you that the cops have come with you.
In special cases, a search may occur when you are not at home, but usually its purpose is, among other things. detention.
Try to maintain good relations with your neighbors, so they may, for example, not open the entrance door to the police, or, if they are called as witnesses, be on your side.
The basis for the search is a criminal article (status of an accused or witness). The examination can be carried out on people who do not even have procedural status. You can refuse an inspection, but the garbage won’t tell you this themselves and is unlikely to say the word “inspection,” so read the documents.
During inspections they do not force you, but they can put psychological pressure on you, for example, to unlock the devices.
If this is a search and they ask you to unlock your device, log into instant messengers, etc., refuse (article 51, do nothing without a defender, forgot your passwords, whatever)
Don't open the door if you're not expecting anyone. If you're waiting, ask by name and look through the peephole. Agree on this with the other people living in the apartment.
If there are cops outside the door, immediately notify trusted people (comrades, human rights activists/lawyers, family, other people living in this apartment, etc. - the list is individual). Block and turn off all devices that could compromise you.
If you have not previously revealed your presence at home, then behave quietly. Perhaps they will leave on their own.
If it is impossible to wait, then before opening the door, ask the employee(s) to introduce themselves and present documents through the peephole. Record all data (write it down and immediately send it to trusted people, or you can constantly be on a call with one of them, speak out loud so that they hear and write it down).
For any further actions inside your home, the cops must have the appropriate documents. This may be an inspection or a search. The inspection is a voluntary event; you can and should refuse it.
In any case, request and read the documents that are presented to you. Take photographs if possible*
If this is a search, then witnesses or video recording must be present. The second is better, because the witnesses are often backed up.
Do not allow the premises (for example, another room) to be searched without your presence. Carefully monitor the actions of the cops and witnesses, they may plant something*
First of all, they will try to deprive you of your means of communication. You need to have time to block the phone before it falls into the hands of the cops.
For all dangerous, provocative questions - 51 articles and a refusal to speak without a lawyer.
Calmly take a “tour” of the apartment, monitor the actions of the cops, show the contents of cabinets, bedside tables, drawers, etc. This can help avoid aggression towards you. Do not interfere with the search - the garbage is already in your apartment. If you resist, they may use force against you or cause a complete pogrom in your apartment, revealing the tiles in the bathroom*
Everything that is seized must be described in the appropriate document. What is seized and not described is stolen and will never return to you. Check this list carefully, make your edits, sign when you are sure that everything is clear*
Most likely you will be detained. There is no point in resisting, you will only earn Article 19.3. (disobedience to a police officer). Calmly go to the car, demand a call from the police station, convey information about the arrest to human rights activists or those who can contact them*
What is marked with asterisks may not be possible to implement during rough searches and arrests.

And remember the most important thing about prison:

Don't be afraid of her.
Don't get caught in it.