Guide to Mobile Security for Citizen Journalists

* How-to Guide: Guide to Mobile Security for Citizen Journalists. Melissa Loudon. MobileActive, 2010

URL = http://mobileactive.org/mobilesecurity-citizenjournalism

Abstract

"Citizen journalism, and with it the rise of alternative media voices, is one of the most exciting possibilities for mobile phones in activism.

Mobile phones are used to compose stories, capture multi-media evidence and disseminate content to local and international audiences. This can be accomplished extremely quickly, making mobile media tools attractive to citizens and journalists covering rapidly unfolding events such as protests or political or other crises. The rise of mobiles has also helped extend citizen journalism into transient, poor or otherwise disconnected communities.

However, for those working under repressive regimes, citizen journalism can be a double-edged sword. Anything you create and disseminate can be used against you, whether through the legal system or in other more sinister forms of suppression.

This guide for Mobile Security gives an overview and provides recommendations for secure browsing, secure content uploading, and using "throw-away phones" for organizing and communications. We note that secure solutions for mobile communications are currently lacking, however!"

Excerpt

"Citizen journalism, and with it the rise of alternative media voices, is one of the most exciting possibilities for mobile phones in activism.

Mobile phones are used to compose stories, capture multi-media evidence and disseminate content to local and international audiences. This can be accomplished extremely quickly, making mobile media tools attractive to citizens and journalists covering rapidly unfolding events such as protests or political or other crises. The rise of mobiles has also helped extend citizen journalism into transient, poor or otherwise disconnected communities.

However, for those working under repressive regimes, citizen journalism can be a double-edged sword. Anything you create and disseminate can be used against you, whether through the legal system or in other more sinister forms of suppression.

Bloggers and online activists have various tools at their disposal to provide anonymous browsing, encryption, and privacy protection when working from a PC. For mobiles, the options are far fewer.

Currently, anonymous browsing (through Tor) requires an Android phone, but encrypted content uploads over https are possible with many of the newer feature phones. At the same time, we know that security depends as much on setting (and sticking to) good protocols as on the communication tools you use. You can minimise risk by using a phone that cannot immediately be traced to you, or by capturing notes, images and video on a phone but uploading from a securely-configured PC."