Security Culture

Whether legal or illegal, effective resistance always attracts repression. The more radical and effective a resistance movement, the more severe the repression it will face. For this reason, it is essential that ANY group of people acting to oppose the current power structure implements a good security culture.

A security culture is a set of behaviors and attitudes that make it difficult to disrupt the activities of a community that follows them. A good security culture is just as effective against local wackos and corporate thugs as it is against the agents of the state. A lot can be and has been said about security culture, but here are some of the very basics:

• Know your legal rights, so that if you’re harassed by law enforcement agencies or private citizens, you know what to do. Be in contact with friendly lawyers; the first time you think about a lawyer should not be the day that the police show up at your door. Never talk to cops or grand juries!

• When it comes to political activity, never tell somebody something that they don’t need to know. If you’re involved in a campaign that is heavy on public outreach, then almost everyone may need to know almost everything. If you are engaged in clandestine, illegal activity, then probably only the people directly involved in your actions need to know anything about them.

• Keep your home, workplace, vehicle and anywhere that you do organizing activities secure. Lock your doors, know who is coming and going, etc.

• No matter how secure you keep any of these locations, assume that they may contain listening devices. Do not discuss illegal activity in any of them. Never discuss sensitive information over the telephone.

• Email is inherently insecure. Unless you have taken specific measures to ensure secrecy, assume that every email you send and receive is being read, and who you communicate with is being recorded.

• Remember that your computer leaves an individual signature every time you visit a web site, and that many public Internet terminals are filming you or otherwise recording your personal information. If you wish to browse anonymously, you should use a proxy server such as Tor (if you have your own computer) or Anonymouse (for public computers). For more information about email and Internet security, including tips on how to secure your electronic communications, see below.

• Never speculate about who might have participated in a clandestine, illegal activity. If you don’t know, it’s none of your business. Likewise, never speculate about why someone may have been arrested if you do not know the details.

• If you have engaged in a clandestine, illegal activity that has now been completed, including the necessary debriefs, there is no reason to EVER discuss it again with ANYONE, and to do so may risk your freedom. It is done with; it never happened.

• Whether you are engaged in legal or illegal activity, the importance of a strong community support network cannot be overstated. In times of trouble, support from those you love makes all the difference.

Obviously, this is only an overview. For more information on security culture, please check out the resources below.

Further Reading

• A great downloadable pamphlet on security culture of all kinds is available at activistsecurity.org.

• There is an excellent overview of security culture and good security practices for both the physical and digital worlds at http://security.resist.ca.

• For more information about electronic communications security, visit http://help.riseup.net/security.

• “Security Handbook for Canadian Activists, 3rd Edition” in PDF format. Note that the “know your rights” section is also accurate for US activists.

• Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching by Dave Foreman and Bill Haywood (available from the Earth First! Journal) has an excellent security chapter, including detailed tips on sending anonymous (non-electronic) communiques.

• Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook (order from here) has a good chapter on security culture.