The Importance of Security Handbook Especially About Activists

A Security Handbook is a very important source of awareness about personal security. Awareness about security is vital because of three main reasons, (1). It is because this awareness gives us competitive advantage. (2). It reduces unpredictable costs. (3).

It is necessary for compliance of rules and regulation by individuals, without which they would not have known what to do precisely. Costly data breaches usually occur within companies through employees and contractors. The best way to prevent this loss is to check any changes in the employees’ behavior regarding data access and processing. Preparation for prevention of any loss starts with understanding and awareness about that particular situation and that is where guide books and other source of information intervene.

Depending upon the nature, type and timing of work etc. various types of threats are encountered by individuals. Security threats are situation and person specific with a little sharing of common ground in this regard. So, various security handbooks are available in the market to deal with specific threats like computer security handbooks, personal security handbooks etc. For activists and campaigners such threats are usually more than for others because of the nature of their work and intensity of opposition from the other side. So, in the market a security handbook (or “sikkerhedshåndbog” as the Danish term goes) for activists is available for creation of awareness about possible threats that can encounter all kinds of campaigners and offers solutions of problematic situations encountered by them all around the world.

Against the increasing repression of states as well as corporations, the activists’ work is of vital importance and publishing of such handbooks provides clear and useful guidelines about adopting the correct line of action and solutions to various problems encountered by this active part of human society. There are various aspects of utmost importance in the life of an activist like security, privacy and secrecy about line of action as well as possible threats from infiltrators, informers and grasses etc. Activists’ security handbook deals with all such kind of problems and provides valuable information and problem solving to help out activists and guide them about encountering peculiar situations as well as persons.

For instance, to arrange secret group meetings which places are suitable and which are not and why not? In case of limited resources what are the possible solutions regarding threats that activists may encounter during holding meetings at public places. If a meeting is arranged in a pub or a hotel, the selection of crowded or overly busy places is dangerous but the place should not be so quiet to make group presence stand out there. In small rooms, conversation can be overheard easily but music can provide excellent cover for prevention of this threat. Selection of places where activists can be recognized or can encounter familiar people is also bad for such meetings. City centre structures like pubs and hotels are good for meeting purposes because of the advantage of accessibility and because strangers do not stand out much there.

Cameras are placed everywhere these days and some of them have surprisingly good image quality with the addition of microphones. So the selection of a blind spot in such rooms is of utmost importance. Specific care is required about cover stories about room bookings, phone use during meetings, discrete arrival to the specific meeting place, blending and ordering of drinks etc. All such type of information is available in a security handbook for activists.

See also:

Processing your request, Please wait....

Leave a Reply