Here are some ideas I’ve put together to hopefully help reduce the amount your government can spy on you. There is virtually nothing you can do to prevent all surveillance, and this is by design. You have the right, and responsibility, however, to make it as difficult as possible for them.
| Action | Benefits | Disadvantages |
| Turn off your phone and keep it in a faraday bag when on the road AND at home. Mission Darkness has several good options. | Towers and apps unable to track your location, stops, and you don’t end up hearing from people you don’t want to talk to. Also what you say in the privacy of your vehicle and home cannot be recorded. | Lack of electronic mapping, lack of traffic updates, takes time to turn it on in an emergency. |
| Leave your phone at home. | Same as above. Consider two-way radios to keep in touch with family and friends, such as GMRS and Amateur Radio. | Help is more difficult if your vehicle breaks down. |
| If you MUST have your phone turn off your bluetooth. | Leonardo, hackers and other unscrupulous people cannot access your phone and track you. | Lack of wireless hands-free. FWIW, you probably shouldn’t be on your phone when you drive anyway. |
| REMOVE your Google account from your Android phone, or your Apple account from your iPhone. Disable location services, shut off Google Play Services, disable the Google Play Store, and get rid of any apps that track your location. You can get any apps you need from F-Droid and Aurora. Exodus Privacy is an app, available from F-Droid which trackers and permissions are embedded and installed on your device. Uninstall the most invasive ones. | Greatly reduces the tracking on you and your device. This is one of the best ways to take back your privacy. | Slightly less convenient, and Android Security Updates won’t work. However, there is a benefit to this… the security apps won’t automatically install on your phone, and in September 2026 the “silent” update will disable your ability to load “unapproved” apps on your device (apps you get from F-Droid, for instance). Disabling this will prevent Android from blocking apps you want or need. |
| Make your license plate difficult for cameras to read. Even lowering the tailgate on a pickup truck can help. If you accidentally get mud on your plate, don’t be in a hurry to address this. | Flock and Axon cameras cannot see through the tailgate. | Plate-blocking devices, covers, IR lighting, etc. may be considered illegal and also draw unnecessary attention. |
| Remove your bumper stickers and other unique identifying marks, or get magnetic bumper stickers that you swap out and rotate around. | Makes it more difficult for the Flock and Axon AI systems to build a profile of your vehicle and determine a pattern of your behavior. | None evident. |
| Stop using Facebook and any other social media where you identify yourself. | The rest of the world, including the government, won’t know as much about you. | It may be more difficult to keep in touch with your grandchildren, depending on how well you taught them. |
| Use a robust VPN on your computer and phone. I like NordVPN, but ProtonVPN is also an excellent choice. | Makes it virtually impossible to track your location or identify websites you visit. | Your cell phone bypasses the VPN on calls and possibly SMS text messaging. Use caution so you don’t assume you are protected. |
| Don’t use your identifiable email address when logging into services and get rid of your gmail account. | Additional security… protonmail is a good option. | None evident. |
| Drive an older vehicle. | Costs less, less to insure, less to tag, and doesn’t have tracking. | May require more maintenance… this is not necessarily a bug, as you should know how to work on your vehicle anyway. |
| Vary your route of travel and time of day. Don’t create a pattern that can be identified. Also know where the Flock cameras are located, so you can plan accordingly. | More difficult to build a profile on you. | Requires a bit of advance planning. |
Additional ideas would be appreciated.
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