Steps advocates need to start taking now for the post-inaugural future.‬

So, Ken White (AKA Popehat) just posted something on how the frailties of a certain crack squad of sycophants might help prevent the total disaster commencing in January. Gotta say, probable but don’t count on it. Organizations & activists working with Trumpist-targeted groups need to plan otherwise.

Start teaching people how to use Signal. Have people with the right language skills help immigrant populations get access to technology that protects them from unwarranted surveillance and other algorithmic mining of their communications.

And when I say “use Signal,” that also means providing infrastructure within that environment for group chat, teaching people how to use disappearing messages, helping them with access to devices that can be used for Signal if they don’t have smartphones, providing opportunities for mutual identity verification and understanding how safety numbers and PINs work to keep them safe, and all of that.

These are things librarians, no matter how good they are at getting people in touch with technology these days, are not up to speed on. All organizations serving communities that are at risk should consider how they can best support people who will soon be targets to potential government sanctioned harassment, and potential deportation or other processes that will make their lives a lot more difficult.

Every-day people will need to do the same, because their lives are also going to be potentially more difficult. Chaos in government provides opportunity for criminal targeting of at risk communities. Keeping people informed of actual government activity and debunking disinformation is going to be super important in the coming months.

As a threat researcher, I am very attuned to the damage that can be done by exploiting fear, uncertainty and doubt for social engineering by all sorts of actors. I am readying myself for a target rich environment of threats to hunt and dissect.