No, the state can’t just do that. They could do it to any one person, but not to everyone. Consider this hypothetical: the state wants to kill 100 people. If everyone is outside, this job becomes easy. If everyone is in their homes, this job becomes harder. Why? Because breaking down doors, moving equipment, etc. costs money. And government agencies don’t have all the money in the world! They can’t:

1. Go after every single person who uses cash
2. Go after everyone who uses a vpn
3. Go after everyone who uses encrypted messaging
4. Go after everyone who attends a protest and who wears a mask and puts their phone in a faraday bag.

Privacy works best in a larger group. Telling people privacy is dead actually hurts you more than telling people that there are indeed effective steps you can take to protect yourself.

Encryption requires no respect from the State

Keeping your google account can be helpful if you want to follow this strategy:

1. Register on Signal using your phone number
2. Port your phone number to google voice ($20 transfer fee but free after that; additionally while its privacy sucks, google is great for security)
3. Change the settings so that every caller is sent to voice mail
4. Use mysudo and cloaked for VoIP numbers
5. Set up Signal on a new device (ideally a grapheneos pixel)
6. Use a calyx institute hotspot for data or buy a sim card with cash

Socialists need to learn to stop being dogmatic. If a Marxist-Leninist revolution is our most viable solution, democratic socialists et al should back it. If democratic socialism is more likely to succeed, Marxist-Leninists should back it.

Your number one step is privacy. Privacy is the foundation of freedom; it “protects the right to be left alone”.

If you’re a beginner, Naomi Brockwell’s videos have very good tips. If you’re not a beginner, read Michael Bazzell’s book Extreme Privacy. Read it in full and decide the level of privacy you want (you likely will not need every single one of his tips).

No, don’t use Telegram. Chats aren’t end to end encrypted by default, you have to specifically request a secret conversation. It’s also not possible to encrypt group chats on telegram. Matrix, signal, session, simplex, and many others are much better.

Yes, people should have that, but it’s not that simple. Some liberals, particularly classical liberals, think a free market would bring those things to everyone. I don’t necessarily disagree, though I think free markets can only ever be free under communism/socialism, not capitalism. The issue with centrally planned, universal healthcare is that a hostile government could refuse to provide you care, much like insurance companies that don’t approve coverage for many things. Additionally, there needs to be strong medical privacy protections.

This is to be expected as Russia needs true security guarantees to end the war.

Just when will my human rights, which are grounded in the constitution, stop being put aside by bullshit rulings ad absurdum

Also, this is why you should use a privacy screen.

This is already the case.

You can opt out of TSA facial recognition and CBP facial recognition

The part of the patriot act giving the cia etc warrantless phone search powers on Americans expired and wasn’t renewed. It’s why the CIA and NSA fight really hard every time Congress renews the part that allows them to surveil foreign/international phone calls.

Additionally, governments want security and privacy too. The navy invented TOR, for example.

Nothing to hide doesn’t mean everything to share. When it comes to id verification specifically talk about:

1. how storing millions of IDs will be a tempting honeypot for hackers, making data breaches much more likely and much more common.
2. how these companies will become a digital playground for traffickers searching through leaked IDs, looking for potential trafficking victims.
3. how these laws could lead to stalking, harassment, and get people murdered or raped.
4. how these laws could escalate political violence in a society already divided and rife with polarization. Having access to someone’s address, searching their address on Google Maps, seeing a political sign in the yard is political violence waiting to happen.
5. how these laws could very well lead to someone committing suicide after their ID is leaked and posted, which led to them being stalked or harassed.

When people doubt you or accuse you of paranoia, concern trolling, or fear mongering:

1. Remind them about the Tea app incident (in which 13,000 IDs were leaked and posted online) and ask what if Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit is next?
2. Tell them: Don’t underestimate hackers and don’t trust these companies to delete your information.
3. Tell them: Don’t underestimate what people are actually capable of and the kinds of ideas that go through people’s heads (there are some really bad people and really unhinged people in the world).
4. Even accuse your politicians and lawmakers of backing or being behind human trafficking rings if you have to to let them know how serious these risks are.

Also remind them that wanting surveillance to make sure everyone is following the law is bad because not all laws are good! Civil disobedience is a powerful tool against tyranny and we must protect it. I don’t want a society where no one breaks the law.

There are indeed plans to create a digital id that can be updated in real time according to AAMVA testimony: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/HM/HM07/20231205/116640/HHRG-118-HM07-Wstate-GrossmanI-20231205.pdf

Suppose the Secretary of Homeland Security says you need a real id to vote or receive medical care. And suppose we now have digital real ids. What’s gonna happen to you if you do something the government or corporations don’t like? Well, your real id will be revoked in real time and you won’t be able to access medical care.

We must stand up to this now. Passports will generally be safe this century from digitalization because the US would need to convince 150+ countries to accept a digital passport.

That’ll only true once over 95% of Americans have a real id. Right now, 50-60% of Americans have a real id, and that number needs to go down. Again, the DHS cannot enforce anything if the majority of Americans refuse a real id; the proof of this is the fact it’s taken 20 years to begin “initial enforcement”. With resistance, we can change those 20 years to “never”.

Yeah, I’ve heard that from other people as well. What you should do: if you live in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, or Wyoming, you can only get a real id. Contact your state legislators and governor to demand a state id. If you don’t live in those states, specifically request a state id and only bring what you need for a state id. In Illinois for example, you can prevent a real id from being issued to you by mistake by bringing only 1 proof of address instead of 2.

Ok, I did not tell people to not have a license at all. If you live in a state where you can only get a real id (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Wyoming), absolutely renew it. However, if you don’t live in those states, you can turn in your real id for a state one, and I’m recommending that everyone do that.

As for “not being able to readily identify yourself”, it is my opinion that no one should be required to carry their id and that if the police stop you, you should only provide what is legally required of you. Illinois for example is a no id state, and the police cannot just ask you to identify yourself (excluding traffic stops). However, I also recognize that there are dangers to asserting your rights against law enforcement. If you fear for your life, then of course there is no shame in complying with what is requested of you.

You do not need a real id to fly. See here for a list of acceptable ids for TSA: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

“are far from the worst they can do”

I beg to differ. First, you should know there are plans to make real ids digital, possibly placed on your phone, and real-time and remotely accessible according to AAMVA testimony: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/HM/HM07/20231205/116640/HHRG-118-HM07-Wstate-GrossmanI-20231205.pdf

Now suppose that real ids are digital and required for medical care. Now, what’s gonna happen if you say something, or attend a protest etc., that the government or corporations don’t like? Well, in real time you will be denied your real id and consequently be unable to receive medical care.

This won’t happen today or even this decade. Right now they’re laying the groundwork for implementing this in maybe 20 years. That’s why we must fight back NOW.

Purchase a california virtual mailbox/pmb service

You don’t need a driver’s license. You can get a non-driver state id. The reason so many Americans have a drivers license is because the US has terrible public transportation.