Field Notes: A Year of OPSEC Training for At-Risk Communities

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) provides pro bono operational security (OPSEC) training to at-risk communities, focusing on activists and movement workers instead of corporate pentesting.
• Threat modeling serves as the foundational priority, helping groups identify specific risks like doxxing, social media monitoring, and state-sponsored surveillance.
• Resistance strategies prioritize a mix of non-technical process changes (e.g., contingency plans, team roles) and technical upgrades (e.g., encryption, secure backups) that remain usable for the target audience.
• Broad data privacy legislation is highlighted as a critical systemic necessity to protect individuals from the unchecked reach of modern surveillance.

Engagement Process

• Discovery and Risk Assessment: Analyzing the specific issue space and threat actors relevant to the organization.
• Digital Footprint Analysis: Mapping public exposure using OSINT tools and privacy-focused software like Privacy Badger.
• Tailored Training: Applying Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) materials to the specific context of the group to address identified threats.

Targeted Communities

• Abortion access and gender-affirming care providers.
• Transgender rights advocates, art collectives, and archivists.
• Sex worker rights activists and survivors of intimate partner violence.
• Climate justice, Black liberation, and immigrant justice groups.

Common Threats and Resistance

• Predictable threat actors include ideologically motivated harassers, law enforcement, and tech platform negligence.
• Key concerns: Doxxing, content suppression, insider threats, and street-level surveillance.
• Resistance philosophy: Avoid "privacy nihilism" by offering accessible, incremental steps that empower activists rather than inhibiting their work through overly complex tools.