19 checks · Cyber Hygiene

Physical Security

Public records often include sensitive personal data (full name, date of birth, phone number, email, address, ethnicity etc), and are gathered from a range of sources (census records, birth/ death/ marriage certificates, voter registrants, marketing information, customer databases, motor vehicle records, professional/ business licenses and all court files in full detail). This sensitive personal information is easy and legal to access, which raises some serious privacy concerns (identity theft, personal safety risks/ stalkers, destruction of reputations, dossier society)

CCTV is one of the major ways that the corporations, individuals and the government tracks your movements. In London, UK the average person is caught on camera about 500 times per day. This network is continuing to grow, and in many cities around the world, facial recognition is being rolled out, meaning the state can know the identity of residents on the footage in real-time. Strong authentication, encrypted devices, patched software and anonymous web browsing may be of little use if someone is able to physically compromise you, your devices and your data. This section outlines some basic methods for physical security

0 out of 19 (0%) complete, 0 ignored

Done?	Advice	Level	Details
Ignore	Destroy Sensitive Documents	Essential	Shred or redact sensitive documents before disposal to protect against identity theft and maintain confidentiality.
Ignore	Opt-Out of Public Records	Essential	Contact people search websites to opt-out from listings that show persona information, using guides like Michael Bazzell's Personal Data Removal Workbook.
Ignore	Watermark Documents	Essential	Add a watermark with the recipient's name and date to digital copies of personal documents to trace the source of a breach.
Ignore	Don't Reveal Info on Inbound Calls	Essential	Only share personal data on calls you initiate and verify the recipient's phone number.
Ignore	Stay Alert	Essential	Be aware of your surroundings and assess potential risks in new environments.
Ignore	Secure Perimeter	Essential	Ensure physical security of locations storing personal info devices, minimizing external access and using intrusion detection systems.
Ignore	Physically Secure Devices	Essential	Use physical security measures like Kensington locks, webcam covers, and privacy screens for devices.
Ignore	Keep Devices Out of Direct Sight	Essential	Prevent devices from being visible from outside to mitigate risks from lasers and theft.
Ignore	Protect your PIN	Essential	Shield your PIN entry from onlookers and cameras, and clean touchscreens after use.
Ignore	Check for Skimmers	Essential	Inspect ATMs and public devices for skimming devices and tampering signs before use.
Ignore	Protect your Home Address	Optional	Use alternative locations, forwarding addresses, and anonymous payment methods to protect your home address.
Ignore	Use a PIN, Not Biometrics	Advanced	Prefer PINs over biometrics for device security in situations where legal coercion to unlock devices may occur.
Ignore	Reduce exposure to CCTV	Advanced	Wear disguises and choose routes with fewer cameras to avoid surveillance.
Ignore	Anti-Facial Recognition Clothing	Advanced	Wear clothing with patterns that trick facial-recognition technology.
Ignore	Reduce Night Vision Exposure	Advanced	Use IR light sources or reflective glasses to obstruct night vision cameras.
Ignore	Protect your DNA	Advanced	Avoid sharing DNA with heritage websites and be cautious about leaving DNA traces.
Ignore	Prepare Devices Before Crossing a Border	Optional	Border officers in many countries can search electronic devices without a warrant or individual suspicion, and in some can compel you to unlock them or deny entry if you refuse. Decide in advance what you are willing to carry: travel with a clean device holding only what you need, sign out of accounts you do not need en route, and pull the data you do need from the cloud after you arrive. Power devices fully off before the crossing. Encryption keys are held in memory while a device is merely locked, and biometric unlocks are far easier to compel than a passphrase in most legal systems.
Ignore	Take Extra Care on Public and Hotel Networks	Essential	Treat any network you don't control as hostile. Modern HTTPS protects the contents of most traffic, so the old advice about coffee-shop Wi-Fi is overstated, but a hostile network still sees which sites you visit and can serve convincing captive-portal pages that ask for credentials. Use your phone's hotspot in preference to open Wi-Fi where you can, be sceptical of any login page a network presents to you, and never install a certificate or profile a network asks you to add.
Ignore	Beware Public Charging Points	Optional	A charging port can carry data as well as power. The practical risk is lower than the headlines suggest, since modern phones ask permission before trusting a connected computer, but the defence costs nothing: carry your own charger and plug into a wall socket, or use a USB data blocker or charge-only cable when you must use a public port. A battery pack removes the question entirely.