20.08.2025 –, C4C 2 Englisch
Communication and collaboration are crucial for building solidarity. Thinking about how we can do so safely has therefore been a key part of many successful protest movements in recent history.
I am a climate activist and information security researcher from the UK, and I would like to invite you to share knowledge and experiences for 90 minutes.
My intention with this workshop is not to tell anyone what they should or should not be doing. Rather, the aim is to provide information about IT security that relates to the challenges faced by activists. Hopefully, this will enable all of us to make more informed choices when we are communicating, organising and campaigning online.
I also want to stress that this workshop should be a conversation, as all of us will face unique challenges when it comes to security. By sharing experiences and discussing these challenges together we will learn and think up solutions as a community.
Sticking with the ‘History is possible!’ theme, we will start by looking at a couple of historical cases where digital security and surveilance have made a big difference to social movements.
To get an idea of the specific problems you face, we will then move on to a couple of interactive/discussion activities. The first of these will involve splitting into smaller groups to discuss people's thoughts on various hypothetical "what if..." scenarios. We will then come together to discuss these scenarios and share thoughts as a larger group. Secondly, I would like to ask everyone to draw a picture which represents your relationship to the group(s) you are most worried about spying on you.
To finish off, I will then run through some practical digital security advice that is tailored towards activists. In particular, we will discuss:
- Data minimisation
- SMS and phone calls
- Passwords
- Encrypted messaging
- Encrypted storage
- Email
- Onboarding
- Social media
- VPNs
- Counter-surveillance
Disclaimer: While I am an information security researcher, I am not a computer scientist myself. There might be some very technical questions which I cannot answer. In these cases, I will make a note of your question so I can ask my colleagues back home and give you an answer later on.
This workshop will also have to be in English as my German is still quite poor, so hopefully we will be able to organise a translator.
An interacctive workshop for people to discuss their experiences, thoughts, and concerns about surveilance and online safty. We will end the session by running through some practical advice tailored to activists.
Wie viele Personen können an eurem Beitrag teilnehmen?:This workshop can accomidate 10-30 people
Wird dein Beitrag sich mit dem Thema Bewegunggeschichte befassen?:A part of the contribution will be about movement history.
Was ist deine präferierte Sprache, um den Beitrag zu halten?:English
Was ist das sprachliche Niveau deines/eures Beitrags? Ist er in leichter oder einfacher Sprache?:A2: Basic knowledge, The content is in plain language.
Wird für den Beitrag Vorwissen benötigt?:No
An wen richtet sich euer Beitrag (besonders)?:No specific aim
Wenn du als Einzelperson auf dem Camp bist: gehörst du einer Organisation an? (optional):I am a researcher based in the UK working on a project called Social Foundations of Cryptography which aims to develop security tools that are designed for activists to use.
I am coming to system change camp independantly of any group although I have been involved with environmental activism in the UK through Just Stop Oil. I am currently working as a researcher on a project called Social Foundations of Cryptography which aims to design digital security tools that are tailored to the needs of activists.