How to escape the surveillance state: Securing your smartphone

Editor’s note: We’re facing an unprecedented moment in American history. Our government and multinational tech monopolies are making it clear that we, the people, are the target of the monstrous surveillance state they’ve constructed. The deep state is attempting to jail people who share memes, Blaze Media journalists, and even the leading presidential candidate. It’s time we take back control over our privacy and digital communications, and this guide will provide you with the tools to do that. This is an excerpt from a larger guide.

Secure your mobile devices

Since most of us use phones or tablets as much as or more than we use computers, securing your mobile devices is an essential part of guarding your privacy and protecting yourself from surveillance and behavior modification.

We’ve already discussed the importance of using a secure text messaging service like Signal. Many of the steps for your computer apply to your phone:

• Always use a passcode.
• Keep your phone up to date.
• Use Proton Mail or a paid service that respects your privacy.
  • Proton has an app for mobile devices.
• Use a VPN.
  • Proton, Express, and other VPN services work on your phone and are included in your subscription.
• Use the Brave browser.
• Use DuckDuckgo or Swisscows for search — Swisscows has a mobile app.
• Don’t store private information on your phone unless it is essential.
• Keep your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off unless you are using it.
• Use two-factor authentication.
• Manage permissions for each app
  • Don’t give the company more information than necessary.
• Turn off location services unless essential.
• Use Apple’s Screen Time to pre-decide how and when you will use your phone.
• Be careful about your biometric data and health information.
• Be careful with the apps you install — only use what is necessary.
• If you have an iPhone, use the “ask app not to track” function to keep your data more secure.
• Try to delete your social media apps from your phone and instead use it to read and listen to books or podcasts.

In general, be as careful with your phone as you would be with your computer. The reality is that our phones are the place where a lot of our time is wasted, where our data is collected, and where behavior modification happens. Don’t just secure your computer. Secure your phone.