Black Lives Matter, or BLM for short, is a global activist movement that aims to address
violence against Black communities. It began on social media as a response to the acquittal
of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2013.
During spring and summer 2020, the movement saw an influx of support both online and offline.
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked some of the largest
protests in U.S. history. More than 15 million people joined protests. Many of them were
protesting for the first time.
Protesters had many concerns, including about digital security and privacy. Our main goal
was to characterize the security and privacy advice given to these novice protesters joining
the BLM movement, as well as their understanding and use of that advice.
In spring and summer 2020, many news organizations and BLM supporters distributed safety guides,
or sets of advice on how to stay safe at protests. While guides often focused on physical safety,
many also mentioned digital security and privacy. To understand the advice given to novice protesters,
we collected safety guides from Google and Twitter using keywords like “Black Lives
Matter Protest Safety Guide” and “BLM Protest Security Advice”. Of the 91 safety
guides we collected, 41 mentioned digital privacy and security.
We then systematically analyzed and clustered the security and privacy advice found in these
safety guides. We found 13 classes of advice, including both advice that applies generally
--- like using a strong passcode --- and protest-specific advice --- like disabling biometric authentication
or using end-to-end-encrypted apps like Signal. We found that most guides mentioned phone
safety tips. 28 guides mentioned turning off biometrics, and 11 of those guides mentioned
using a passcode instead. 27 guides mentioned using end-to-end encryption, such as the Signal
app, instead of texting. A few mentioned more intricate tips, like using a VPN, screen pinning,
or a secure web browser.
We then conducted an online survey of 167 BLM protesters. 100% of respondents supported
the BLM movement, and 52% identified as Black. 75% of respondents were novice protesters
who had attended at most 4 BLM protests. The survey asked respondents about their concerns
in attending protests, their familiarity with advice found in the safety guides, and whether
they followed that advice when attending BLM protests.
We found that, in general, respondents were more likely to be familiar with, and follow,
security and privacy advice that applies at all times, rather than protest-specific advice.
For example, more respondents reported using a strong passcode on their phone than disabling
fingerprint or face unlocking when attending a protest. However, following both of these
pieces of advice is necessary for protesters to stay safe.
When biometric unlocking is enabled, protesters can be forced to unlock their device. In contrast,
passcodes and passwords are protected by the 5th amendment. Thus, it's important for protesters
to both disable biometrics and use a strong passcode to protect the information on their
device.
Using end-to-end encryption is necessary for protesters to protect messages from third
parties like law enforcement. Even though it's critical to use an end-to-end encrypted
app like Signal instead of texting, respondents were just as likely to report following very
specialized, complex advice, such as using a VPN or a secure web browser like Tor. Sending
messages on Signal, rather than texting, should be the priority for protesters who have limited
time for adopting new security practices.
Moving forward, we are working to develop new tools and interactions to help novice
protesters stay safe at future BLM protests.