- This article originally appeared as a "how-to" in the security-news bulletin.
To most people, even activists, a police raid seems an unlikely
occurrence. True, it is not something that happens on a regular basis in
North American activist communities - however, that doesn't mean it never
happens. As raids on both David Barbarash and Craig Roseborough show us -
even speaking out in support of direct action can lead to equipment and
materials seizures that can be personally and organizationally
disruptive. Activists involved in organizing demonstrations and gatherings
have also found themselves on the wrong end of a search warrant in recent
years. Often these warrants are gained on bogus grounds, and searches are
carried out as harassment tactics or "fishing" expeditions. In the last
two years, a number of searches have been carried out against activists
where no charges were ever laid.
The following tips are meant to assist you in preparing for the worst - a raid on your home, office, or infoshop. (many of these strategies are useful in defeating surreptitious data collectors as well)
**Use scenarios to strategize: Only you know the work that you do and what
specifics would be impacted in a search and seizure operation. Build
scenarios for yourself - what do you need to access daily that could be
seized, what is your strategy for dealing with that? Do you have other
illegal items (such as drugs) that could be used to bolster police
criminalization of you - do you care about things like this? Walk yourself
through what you would do from the moment that the police show up with a
search warrant, who you would call, what you would do immediately
following the raid to inform people (if you weren't arrested). Scenario
building helps you to mentally and physically prepare for an event like
this - though you will never be fully ready for an invasion of this scale.
**Encrypt and wipe: All files (not just those that are sensitive) on your
computer hard drive should be encrypted using a program such as PGP disk
(available at www.pgpi.org). This includes cache files, email (your whole
email program should be set up on an encrypted partition), image archives
and text documents. Wipe all free space on your hard drive weekly using a
program such as PGP or Burn (for Macs), this makes retreiving data from
your drives difficult if not impossible. See http://security.tao.ca for
more information on file security.
**Backups backups backups: If you lost all your data tomorrow - how would
you function? Your best strategy for getting back to work (and thwarting
organizational disruption), is making regular backups and storing them
with a trusted friend, or in a safety deposit box not connected to
you. You don't want it to be common knowledge who keeps your backups for
you - as police could obtain a warrant to search that person's home for
materials belonging to you as well. Don't just back-up your computer
files, but make copies of any paper files that you could not live without
and store them in a sealed envelope in a safe place.
**Clean up your desktop and filing cabinets: Ever write down a password on
a piece of paper and then shove it into a file? Ever write down a phone
number of a person you don't want to be officially connected to? All those
little bits of paper start to add up to a lot of information after awhile,
especially if cleaning office isn't your strong point. Go through all
the paper bits on your desk and transfer that data into a secure place
(like an encrypted disk or pda), and then securely dispose of the
paper. Likewise, go through filing cabinets once every few months and pull
out old phone lists, research that is no longer useful or needed, and
anything else you don't want the police to get their hands on.
**Know your home and contents: Had a lot of roomates or travelling
friends over the years? That means that there is a good chance that things
you are unaware of have been left behind in closets. Clean up after
someone stays or moves out, so you aren't storing items you don't want to
be. No one wants to get caught with someone else's stolen goods or
incriminating evidence - so keeping a clean house is essential.
**Your PDA and Cel Phone: Are all your phone numbers stored on your cel
phone or palm pilot? Where would you get that info if the police had a
warrant to seize those items as well? A back-up zip disk containing
important information of this type (encrypted) should go along with your
computer backups.
** Emergency numbers & Support: Keep a lawyer's number on hand, as well as
the numbers of any people who would support you during and after a
raid. Make sure that the people you live with know where they can get that
info if necessary, and also that they know what to do in case of a
raid. If you live in a house with other activists, you should all
participate in planning your security strategy and know what to do, and
how to get in touch with other housemates if they aren't home.
Most important, don't forget that you should not talk to police before,
during or after the raid (whether or not you are being arrested), and you
should contact a lawyer for assistance as soon as possible.
Nothing can truly prepare one for a full-scale invasion of privacy such as
a raid - but taking a few of these steps will help ensure that you don't
compromise your own freedom or that of others in the course of your
activist life.
