People often come to us asking what mobile devices we can recommend for an activist. We are long past the point of living in a world of simple burners with removable batteries, and many people have stopped using computers entirely and have moved to phones in their digital lives. Some of the apps used by activists (e.g. Signal) require a smartphone to register an account or are not available in normal functionality on a desktop at all.
In such a situation, the use of smartphones, which would be impossible or extremely difficult to hack in the event of repressions, becomes a critical issue. It should be understood that the devices proposed here are not a panacea for all problems, and organizing activism through mobile devices has a number of separate problems (no encryption will help if the cops snatch an unlocked phone from your hands or torture you to get the password – the latter is known to many activists from Belarus). But the situation is such that people buy and use smartphones. This guide is created for those who have to use smartphones in their work and are ready to put some effort into security and privacy issues.
It’s worth realizing that a secure device will cost you a lot more than the usual 100 euro Xiami, but by investing an extra few hundred you can potentially save on legal costs and problems with both online leaks and authorities trying to hack your device after confiscation.
Google Pixel 7/8 6a/7a
Smartphones from Google may seem like an odd choice when it comes to privacy. The corporation is known for its desire to keep tabs on every user, but despite the privacy issues of many Google services, your Pixel will quickly receive security updates of any holes found (something most phone owners can’t boast about). In the case of the Pixel 7, you’ll receive security updates until October 12, 2027, and the 8th Pixel will receive security updates as late as October 4, 2030.
To solve the problem with the privacy of Pixel smartphones, you can install yourself GrapheneOS – a slightly pumped-up version of Android on security and privacy issues, in which there are no google services by default (you can additionally put in the sandbox). The operating system itself is designed for those who appreciate the importance of information on the smartphone and includes such additional features:
- Storage Scopes – give apps permission to only access specific folders on your device
- MAC randomization on each network connection
- Support for longer passwords (64 characters instead of the usual 16)
- Autoreboot – set a timer after which the device automatically restarts (from 10 minutes to 72 hours)
- Additional user profiles – you can create up to 32 additional profiles with different settings, including multiple profiles for Signal and other applications that do not support multiple accounts at once.
And much more.The full list is available here – https://grapheneos.org/features
As of this writing, the cheapest of the options (Pixel 6a) is hovering around €350-390 depending on the country. Security updates will be coming for over 3 more years (until July 2027)
On the downside: the battery is unrealistic to take out to completely shut down the device, there are no mechanical audio/video and network switches.
Google, by the way, also has a tablet that supports GrapheneOS installation, but if you’re willing to walk around with an 11 inch tablet, you should rather consider buying a full-fledged laptop…
PinePhone
This smartphone from Pine64 runs on various versions of Linux, without many mobile applications. For example, you’ll still need an additional device to register Signal. But we included it because of linux itself, which allows you to escape the traditional android/apple trap. Depending on the variation of linux, the devices support full hard disk encryption, and you can run anything available to the average linux user.
The phone’s hardware is rather weak, so it can’t replace a full-fledged computer, but it is quite possible to work in mobile conditions.
This device is more suitable for activists who work with IT environment and understand why they may need such a smartphone.
At the same time, the phone is now the most budget-friendly version of the device for activists – it costs less than 200 euros (but it’s still in Beta and worth taking into account when buying a device for critical work).
A huge plus of the pinephone is the ability to take out the battery and disable the network/camera/microphone via external physical switches with no problem.
Iphone 13-15
It’s odd to list this device here, given Apple’s desire to control its devices and collect user information. However, for the least technical users, the Iphone can be a good compromise, as it protects the security of its users quite aggressively.
It is worth understanding that privacy and anonymity in case of using Apple devices should be forgotten and for many activists this issue may become critical. That’s why we wouldn’t recommend using it for street activists and people conducting direct actions.
But given the overall state of security and privacy in the mobile device market, the Iphone unfortunately looks like an option… if you ever have enough money to buy one (600-1000+ euros), ignoring all the downsides of this device.
It’s just worth noting that iPhones get updates much more consistently than many other devices (the corporation still supports smartphones released in 2014-2015).
Of the huge disadvantages – Apple’s cooperation with various repressive government agencies and if the threat to you is not only the Fuhrer of Belarus, then you should stay away from Apple product.
Conclusion
We are not promoting the above-mentioned devices and generally recommend that activists avoid using mobile devices in their organizational work. But if such a need arises, we hope that our small guide can help you at least a little bit and improve the security situation within activist circles, which is degrading relatively quickly due to the bias towards “convenience”.
Don’t forget that a safe device is important not only for you, but also for your community with whom you are organizing. That is, we are responsible not only for our own safety, but also for the safety of our comrades and fellow travelers.
And no, inexpensive smartphones from various Chinese and other manufacturers are not even remotely an option for an activist. We hope you will put some effort into this issue.
