175: Counter-Surveillance and Survival
Embracing the Practice of Sousveillance
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David Do, an online criminal mastermind, thought he could hide. He was wrong. Despite using multiple layers of obfuscation to mask his online behavior, investigators eventually caught up. Not because they were omniscient, but because once he was flagged, the panopticon rewound itself, revealing a breadcrumb trail he couldn’t erase.
His case isn’t just about crime—it’s a warning. In a world saturated with surveillance, counter-surveillance is no longer the domain of spies or cybercriminals. It's a necessary skillset for anyone seeking autonomy, dignity, or dissent.
Surveillance Isn’t Neutral. It’s Structural.
Surveillance doesn’t just observe—it disciplines. What began as crime prevention has metastasized into a ubiquitous regime of behavioral control. It’s embedded in policing, commerce, education, employment, healthcare, immigration. Surveillance is the infrastructure of inequality.
It targets the poor, the racialized, the dissident. It sells your data, reinforces social stratification, and learns faster than you can adapt.
If you're organizing, protesting, leaking, resisting—or simply living in ways unapproved by authority—you’re already in the database.
Criminals operate under the assumption that they are being watched. They’ve developed techniques not only to hide, but to function under the gaze.
These methods are now increasingly relevant to activists, journalists, whistleblowers—and ordinary citizens:
Compartmentalized Identity: Using isolated personas for different contexts—no overlap in emails, devices, or habits.
Encryption by Default: Treating unencrypted communication as public.
Mobility Discipline: Avoiding tracked transportation, geofenced zones, and digital trail markers.
Hardware Sovereignty: Rejecting cloud dependence; using offline, secure hardware for sensitive activity.
Their goal is not invisibility—it’s opacity. And in a world of predictive policing and algorithmic suspicion, that opacity is power.
Digital literacy is no longer enough. We need counter-surveillance literacy. But we also need sousveillance tactics—the strategic watching of the watchers.
Obfuscate by Design: Use tools like Signal, Tails, ProtonMail. Don't just encrypt—fragment. Create dissonance in the data trail.
Deplatform the Watchers: Opt out of surveillance capitalism where possible. Avoid biometric tech, smart devices, and platforms that monetize behavior.
Sousveil with Purpose: Use your camera to document police. Map surveillance infrastructure. Tools like SurvMap or OpenStreetMap overlays allow public documentation of cameras and sensors.
Understand Your Profile: Tools like browser fingerprint checkers or privacy audits show how traceable you really are. Surveillance doesn't just watch—you train it.
Reclaim the Analog: Some of the safest spaces are those without screens. Meet offline. Use pen and paper. Discuss dissent face-to-face.
Sousveillance doesn’t mean constant filming—it means constant awareness. It means ensuring that those in power know they’re not the only ones recording.
Can Surveillance Be Detected?
Sometimes. But not always.
Physical Detection Tools: EMF or RF detectors can spot hidden mics or cameras, though they’re imperfect and mostly used by professionals.
Network Monitoring: Wireshark or Little Snitch can alert you to unknown network activity—especially relevant for spyware or unauthorized data exfiltration.
Thermal/Infrared Clues: Some hidden devices emit detectable heat or IR light.
Behavioral Anomalies: Ads too specific, strange inquiries, changes in policing—these might signal targeting. Pattern recognition is a survival skill.
The Rule of Thumb: Assume surveillance. Not with paranoia, but with preparation. You don’t need to be invisible—but you should always have the option.
Sousveillance as Democratic Counterpower
Counter-surveillance protects individuals. Sousveillance protects movements.
From livestreamed police brutality to open-source investigations of war crimes, sousveillance has emerged as a form of radical transparency.
It’s not about hiding—it’s about seeing clearly. When the state watches you, it’s control. When you watch the state, it’s resistance.
Examples abound:
Protesters using mesh networks to livestream while blocking police scanners.
Citizen-led surveillance mapping (e.g. of facial recognition zones).
Investigative journalists using satellite imagery and OSINT to expose environmental destruction and political corruption.
Sousveillance flips the hierarchy. It transforms passive subjects into active observers. It asserts the democratic right not just to know, but to witness.
In the surveillance state, freedom isn’t found in secrecy—it’s carved from struggle. Counter-surveillance may keep you safe. Sousveillance may keep the system accountable. Learn from the criminals, because the line between outlaw and dissident is thinner than ever.
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