I entirely understand that the more secure and private a means of communication gets, the less convenient it is. That being said it seems like there should be some way to be reasonably secure while still being able to promote these types of things.
To be completely transparent I am not planning on being said organizer of protests, but recent events have simply piqued my interest in the topic. I’ve read certain frequently referenced materials like “What is Security Culture”, “Confidence Courage Connection Trust”, and “Mobile Phone Security for Activists and Agitators”. I feel like the more resources I read the more it seems like there is no general consensus on the best solutions even for similar threat models.
So far the only thing I’ve truly gathered is that if you want the best security and privacy you should just not use online communications, which obviously is sub-optimal for gaining traction.
Some people say using Signal is the best means of communication, but that the use of phone numbers and centralization could be a concern. Some people say SimpleX, but cite concerns about notifications or how it hasn’t been around long enough to be fully vetted. There’s Briar which actually seems great but goodbye to every iPhone user.
Is there any completely solid answer to such a scenario where privacy and security must be upheld while maintaining outreach? I get all things will have their tradeoffs, but is the best solution really just using network communications as little as possible and being careful about your presence?
I think Signal is the best. The flaws you mentioned are valid for some threat models, but now when organizing a protest.
Signal has phone number privacy, so goverment can not link any accounts to any phone numbers. At most they will know you registered Signal.
Yes, it’s centralized, but if the only threat actor you worry about is your goverment, then Signal will do just fine. They can not hand over any meaningful data on anyone because of metadata protection.