It is the season of protests. Slogans are in the air. It is almost a fortnight since the protests erupted in the aftermath of the Citizenship Amendment Act and its deadly combination with National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. The protests have been mostly non-violent with occasional violent protests which were retaliated to by the law enforcement agencies with allegedly excessive use of force.
Appeals have been made to keep the protests non-violent. Protestors should realise that the most powerful weapon in the hand of a protestor is not the stone but the mobile phone. The field of Mobile Journalism and Citizens Journalism has evolved a lot in recent years with the advent of affordable smartphones and cheap data plans. As more and more people get online and on apps like WhatsApp and Facebook, the wider is becoming the reach of Mobile Journalism.
Now, while using this tool during the protests, one needs to take care of certain things. Here are some tips on how to safely and smartly use a mobile phone during the protests:
1. When going for protest, make sure you disable any form of biometric unlocking on your phone like through finger or face or fitness band. Use Pattern lock, passcode or pin lock instead. Do not reveal these passwords/codes/patterns under any condition. The police or even goons may take your phone and delete the captured photo/video evidence.
2. When going for a protest, keep your phone fully charged and carry a power bank and cord with you. Keep your phone on battery-saver mode if required. If travelling by a car, plug the phone on to charging.
3. In case of internet shutdown, use apps which work through mesh-networks like Bridgefy. Keep it installed and activated beforehand. This app was commonly used by protestors in Hong Kong when the government imposed internet shutdown, blocked some apps or routinely monitored all forms of communication.
4. Make sure your phone is recharged and also has data access. In case of need, set up a Hotspot to help others get access to data.
5. To record audio simply open a WhatsApp chat and record a voice message. It’s the easiest and most efficient way of recording and sending audio to someone who can then provide help or share it.
6. Consider using Google Location Sharing service to share your location with friends/family. Activate it before you go to a protest and inform them so that they can track your (your phone’s) location.
7. Consider carrying a smaller dumb phone with you if you can; they have great battery life. The police assume that every person has just one phone, and the smaller dumb phone may escape their attention. Keep important numbers saved on it.
8. Try to click the photos and record videos without unlocking your phone. This way if someone snatches your phone they won’t be able to access the photos taken previously. When posting photos on social media from protests, check-in and use the location. This gives additional information and also helps in locating you in case of lost contact. Don’t forget to mention the date, time and place with your photos and videos.
9. It can be very helpful to share your live location on WhatsApp with a friend or a group, for up to 8 hours. This way, people will know your (your phone’s) live location if the data transfer is on.
10. You may want to remove the metadata from your phone if you do not wish the image to contain personal identifying information. The best way to do this is to transfer your photos to a personal computer, open the image and take its screenshot. Use this instead of the original photo.
Lastly, always be alert and agile to the things happening around you and respond with a calm mind. Remember, safety comes first. Help yourself before you help others.