Overview
L.N. is in her early 20s, and is outgoing and charismatic. She lives in a major metropolitan area in mainland China, and is a recent college graduate with many social connections; fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, and proficient in English.
L. N. is a key member of an active women’s rights group in China that has gained national and international media attention for some of its activities. She is committed to activism aimed at promoting the social and cultural change necessary to bring about equal rights for women in China.
She has come under pressure to get married. Her resistance to this this pressure found expression in several videos that she co-produced with her group and posted on WeChat. These videos were widely shared and led to a larger conversation throughout social media on the topic of women’s place in Chinese society. This attention has caused L.N., as well as members of the rights group, to come under closer scrutiny by the authorities.
Goals
Ongoing ability to speak freely and advocate for women’s rights
Maintaining social connections with network of fellow activists
Finding secure communication tools that work reliably to share with networks
Threats
Activism brings constant and sophisticated surveillance, and can lead to restrictions on freedom of movement and association, including loss of employment and imprisonment.
Digital devices are often confiscated with sensitive data, media, and private personal networks exposed.
Social isolation and related depression stem from an inability to communicate privately, and a real fear that friends and family will also be targeted.
Strengths
Highly trained on digital security tools and techniques.
Conducts highly sophisticated, thoughtful analysis of threats and choice of tools.
Incredibly savvy on operational security and maintains separate mobile devices for regular activities for secure conversations
Questions
How do I communicate with individuals not already on secure communication channels?
Are there secure tools that do not require VPN to access?
How can I collaborate securely with inner circle?
How can I protect my data - on my phone and my computer - against confiscation?
