Your Faraday Bag Is Likely a Scam
the best way to secure safety from surveillance is to live like a nineties kid
shield your neighbors — by flightlessblrbs
If you know my well, you understand that tech is not my ministry, but I do ask as many questions as possible about tech from people who are informed on these things. I recently learned from a computer engineer friend of mine that most faraday bags actually don’t work— or put another way: the only way you can test that the faraday bag works is to have access to a machine to test it that would cost thousands of dollars. Knowing that, many of the bags on the market can be scammed, because they know there’s no reliable way to test them.
My friend advised that the best thing to do, if you’re looking for safety from being surveilled, is to go full 1990s, and move about without a phone, as much as possible. As someone who grew up into my 30s without a phone, I can attest: it is possible to live a full and happy and, yes, safe life without a cellphone on your person.
I’ve been walking around without a phone for over a year, and behold: I am still alive. I am more aware of my surroundings and connected as a result.
“But what about emergencies?” If you’re really in an emergency, someone else will be calling about you. Have a contact card on your person. There will always be some person, who cannot do without their phone, nearby. Ask them for help.
“What if you get lost?” Write down directions. Stop and ask for help. I’ve stopped and asked for directions many times, and people are very helpful. Carry around a paper and pen, if need be.
I promise you: this isn’t hard; it’s just inconvenient, and we must become inconvenient because fascists have sold us our very own leashes as an item of convenience.
They are using our phones and our online data to track us. We fuck up all their plans if we drop our cellphones. I don’t think people can really grasp how much of this technofascist plan depends on us having smartphones on us.
The issue I have with the faraday bag is the minute you need to use your phone and take it out then you're trackable again. A burner phone would be a better option for emergencies, imo. Or, it's possible to ask a stranger to make a call on their cell to someone for you. Remember when there were payphones and you just needed to be sure and have a quarter on you? I do.
Another issue, though--license plate readers are so very prevalent now you can't go anywhere without being tracked that way. Public transit is not viable in many places, sadly.
I want my old Sprint slide out phone that was not “smart”. But yes, it’s absolutely possible to live and be more safe in decades past. I’m a 70s-90s kid and I miss landlines (NEVER thought I’d say that!) and feeling screen free (except TV and movies AT the movies). But without these phones I never would have learned as much about the world. But in this shit pile of a place, safety first. Thank you for the faraday bag report, I’ve been hesitant and now won’t bother. I’ll just shut the dang thing off.