Protection against surveillance

Questions
1

My household is under surveillance by law enforcement (in Canada) because of someone I share housing with. I will not speak of this person or their specific situation because it has nothing to do with me and I think they are being unfairly targeted. I’m not in a position where I can just move. I do live in a separate suite within the house and we do share utilities, including the internet.

I am not a suspect or part of their investigation and I am not doing anything illegal but I know for a fact there is a webcam watching my house and I am being followed. I suspect there could be trackers on my vehicle, that my home is bugged and my electronic devices could be monitored. I do not trust the investigation will be conducted lawfully and I do not want to be wrongly accused or implicated in whatever is or is not going on.

Our shared internet has been very unstable starting around the time this surveillance began. We’ve never had a problem with it in all the years before but since has been a constant source of frustration - despite changing service providers and equipment. I don’t understand how the internet works well enough to be sure if it is a problem with the service provider, router/modem setup or proximity, wifi signal, our devices or if something weird is going on related to the surveillance/harassment.

Some of our devices connect and some are consistently booted off the wifi network. My partner could connect to wifi with an older phone but my newer phone would not connect even when I turned off my vpn. None of our neighbours are experiencing problems with their internet. I’ve been mostly using my phone data or using it as a hotspot so I can use my computer.

I downloaded the free version of fing to my phone yesterday and detected some generic devices connected to my phone but my wifi network is unstable so I can’t investigate these connections to confirm if they are supposed to be there or not. Maybe it’s my square reader or bluetooth AirPods. I’m not quite sure how the app works, but when I traced one of the device connections, it said there were 30+ hops. What is a hop? How do I monitor my devices?

Obviously I need to figure out how to setup and secure my wifi as well as lock down and secure all my devices but my anxiety is making it difficult to make decisions on setup and software and how to organize my files. If I copy files to my external drive, will I be copying spyware/malware over as well?

I have an Apple watch (which I will probably ditch) and iPhone and PC laptop/desktop computers (with windows 11 - thinking of switching to Linux) and Apple TV box. I do have a subscription to protonVPN but need to confirm how many devices I can use it on. And I’m uncertain how to set things up in terms of connecting my phone to my computer and what devices I should keep compartmentalized.

How do I find out if there are trackers and bugs in my home and vehicle? I don’t even know where to start… I’m so overwhelmed. I do need to separate the real concern with my growing paranoia but I’ve never been in a situation like this before and I feel like I need to protect myself against this invasive surveillance for my own peace of mind. I don’t feel safe.

Can someone walk me through a step by step process to help me or provide some practical advice or guidance on where I should start? I would like to take reasonable precautions without going into tin hat territory.

2

I have some thoughts on this but I am not nearly as qualified as one should be to properly help you if you are going to trust any info being shared that you will implement.

To answer a quick question:

You get 10 connections.

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And I would highly recommend you get a brand new router if you can afford or one where you can install a different firmware like OpenWRT or DD-WRT where you have full control over your internet network inside your home. On this, you can and should install a VPN directly. The process may be a little involved if you’re not tech savvy enough but it’s doable. IVPN support pages has a guide on this so follow that.

Your internet is 100% being monitored if law enforcement is involved. Do not connect any device to it if you cannot protect it with a VPN. Also, get a JMP.chat number to use from now on that you can buy anonymously and only use Signal to communicate over text.

And you are also likely being recorded in your home. Not much you can do about that unless you can find how and disable it. But the police will have a problem with that. While I know you said you can’t move, it really is important if you ask me to find a way to if you at all can.

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I may have more ideas and thoughts in the morning. Hope others can help you.

Which province are you in any way?

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3

Thanks I am willing to do that if I can figure out how…

Thanks I will look into that

That’s what I was afraid of…

Housing is extremely difficult to find and our rent will be double in this market.

I am afraid to post too many personal details but if you permit a private message I can tell you my province.

Thank you so much for the advice, I appreciate your feedback!!!

4

(I will come back with some more info tomorrow)

Look, just know that any mitigation you want to do will not be free and will need some expenditure from you. So, while you can’t move, a few hundred dollars may still be needed to ensure your privacy as much as you can digitally at-least.

I hope you realize this. I already have some more ideas but I’m too tired to explain it all right now. I used to live in Canada so you may DM me if you have any specific questions or particulars you’d rather share privately.

1 Like
5

There’s an attack on WPA2 where you intentionally kick your devices off the WiFi so you can capture the hashed key when you try to reconnect, make sure your router is set to WPA3 only mode. Also make sure it’s still receiving updates from the OEM. If it’s really old it might be time for a new one, or see if you can install OpenWRT. If possible, turn your WiFi off and use Ethernet exclusively. On your phone, either use airplane mode to disable connections to cell towers or at least disable 2G/3G in the settings, on iOS you have to turn on lockdown mode for that and on Android I think it’s available in the settings.

Of course always make sure you’re visiting HTTPS sites and not unencrypted HTTP and keep all your devices updated.

Bluetooth devices don’t show up on your network and they don’t have anything to do with WiFi so don’t worry about that, although you should make sure your Bluetooth devices are getting updates. Your Apple Watch and AirPods will get automatic updates from your iPhone (I assume you have an iPhone).

Using your phone as your WiFi is a good idea, just make sure it’s updated and you set a strong password on it.

Also you are going to want to enable the firewall on all your devices. In Windows set it to public network and on macOS make sure it’s on in the network settings.

Also just take some time to familiarize yourself with the security features in your devices in the settings. Look up what the setting is so you know what it does, and turn it on or off. It’s generally a good idea to disable things you don’t need like Bluetooth so there’s less attack surface on your device. Just go through the settings and see what you can enable/disable, it all adds up.

As for your vehicle being bugged, it might be a good idea to carpool/take an uber/rent a car/walk where you need to go until the surveillance is over. Obviously not much to be done about the camera but keeping your window shutters closed, and maybe wearing a Covid mask/hoodie when you go out. Good luck and I hope you don’t have to deal with this much longer.

2 Likes
6

Thank you, I do expect this and I am prepared to spend some money to protect myself. Thanks so very much and have a good night!

7

Honestly seems like a situation where you should find a lawyer, or a consultant to sit down and go through this with you one on one. Consulting is not a service we provide, but maybe someone here in the community can help you out, or I can ask around and see if anyone I know would be interested in consulting you on this if you’d like?

5 Likes
8

Do you mean this how someone could gain unauthorized access to our wireless network? Or are you suggesting this is what I should do to remove unauthorized access?

We just switched service providers and they gave us a brand new gateway device that is installed in the other suite. It is using a D-Link 8-port gigabit desktop switch to connect ethernet to our apple tv box for video streaming and there is an ethernet connection in our backroom for my desktop computer and that seems to be working okay now, but the wifi only extends horizontally and my suite is on another floor. My personal laptop does not have an ethernet port so I either have to use my phone as a hotspot (which is going to eat up all my phone data) or connect to wifi. I have no idea what is installed on the gateway or how it is set up but I can look into the OpenWRT you mentioned.

If I use airplane mode, does this mean I cannot use my phone to make calls or use data? Or is this just resetting any possible unauthorized connections?

I have made sure all devices are updated and using HTTPS sites and setup browsers as suggested in this site. Yes, I have an iphone. My partner uses a really old one, iphone 8 and mine is iphone 16 pro. I have been mostly using my phone data.

Honestly I don’t know anything about firewalls but I guess I’m gonna have to learn.

Thank you, I will have to review all my settings as recommended on this site and make sure that only essentials are enabled.

I live in a more rural area making public transportation difficult and there is no uber service. I’m not sure if there is much point in trying to wear a mask/hoodie going out because there is a camera pointed at my house and they can see me walking out the door.

Thank you so very much for all your help, I will consider, reconsider your feedback and see what I can implement. Much appreciated!

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9

I appreciate that, yes I do recognize nobody here can consult or give legal advice. I don’t believe they are targeting me specifically but they could be using me to collect information on the person they are interested in and it just makes me very nervous. So I am more looking for information on how they might be surveilling me and how I can protect my privacy. I am not opposed to finding out who might be willing to consult if it ever came to that. Right now this is more an information gathering quest.

10

Yes they could be trying to crack your WiFi password so they can get on your network and see all your devices. WPA3 only mode will prevent this attack, its much more secure than WPA2.

The police might try to use a device that pretends to be a cell tower to intercept your cellular traffic, turning on airplane mode will disable your connection to the cell towers and prevent this attack. You can turn on WiFi calling in the settings to still get calls and texts over WiFi, or disabling 2G/3G can also help prevent it. The police can also subpoena your carrier for location information, turning airplane mode on will also prevent them from having your location data from cell tower connections.

That phone is unfortunately no longer receiving the latest iOS updates, it might be a good idea for her to upgrade to a newer phone.

It’s mainly just making sure your OS firewall is on, you don’t have to get in the weeds they give you a fairly simple interface.

1 Like
11

What is ON on Android by default? A firewall?

If the LEAs have physical access to where you live or your devices or your property, you’d have no choice but to replace all of it, and do so discreetly. As law-abiding citizens, there’s no permanent technological solution to socio-political problems; only Suits (like Jonah pointed out) & techniques (ex / ex / ex) with sharp edges. In extreme cases, there’s no choice but to flee the jurisdiction.

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12

That seems really over-the-top, especially if you’re not even the target of the surveillance.

13

No. There’s no “firewall” on Android that’s enabled by default. All incoming connections are blocked but that doesn’t mean installed apps can’t punch hole through it (they can; as that’s how P2P stuff even works on Android).

14

Ok I understand now thanks for explaining that. Our WiFi network uses a gateway and firmware is locked to carrier-specific configurations. On my computer, the WiFi connection security settings use WPA3 personal and my firewall is set to public. I turned on the lockdown mode on my iPhone. I will set it to airplane mode when I don’t need to use data.

I am assuming the cops would need to show cause to be granted a subpoena for my location info. They would be very disappointed if they did get access. I never go anywhere. Being that I haven’t done anything illegal, it’s likely easier to just wait for me to leave my house and follow me. Either way, I intend to make them work for it.

Ya that’s what I thought. We should think about replacing it.

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15

They have no legal access, I just don’t want to make it easy for them in case they do resort to illegal methods. I can’t afford to replace everything nor can I afford to move, but if the situation becomes more extreme I may be forced to make different choices.

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16

Careful though, @fria has edited their answer multiple times without clarification on why they did so. The section I replied to, which I believe they were incorrect about, doesn’t even exist anymore. This is reckless. I doubt many here know what high-risk is like. Guidance from from orgs like Access Now (linked above) and Havard BKC (seems US-only; may be Uni of Toronto runs a similar program?) is a good way forward for folks in high-risk situations.

I consider state surveillance high-risk and would urge you to do the same. Nothing is “over the top” when you realise what’s on the line is actually your right to speech (let alone dissent / protest) & live freely. I know you’re not the subject of surveillance but… :person_shrugging:

2 Likes
17

I removed a few words because yes it’s technically incorrect to say that iOS and Android have a firewall by default but it doesn’t matter as they block incoming connections by default as you pointed out, so there’s not anything actually different about the advice.

edit: Apparently edit history is disabled so I removed that part

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18

Okay.

A lot of great comments and advise thus far about what you can or should do if possible. So I’ll try to give you some other kinds of advice along with what others have suggested.

I actually was thinking the same when I first read your post. Seems like you need some proper professional and legal advice on what you can do and ensure apart from your personal OPSEC.

Reading your OP again:

Has the law enforcement at have have spoken to your about it? Were you officially informed of what’s happening and that you’ll likely be caught with surveillance they have set up? Or did you naturally discover this?

Is there any way you can contact the authorities to ask how long the investigation is going to last? I don’t know what kind of budget the local authorities in your rural area has or if this investigation has been sponsored by RCMP or any other intelligence services.

Careful now. Your home is likely bugged. Innocuous sounding statements like “I’ll download it from the internet” could be misconstrued as conspiracy to commit a crime - piracy. And they could charge you for it depending on how trigger happy the authorities are feeling.

The point is, you must be very careful of what you say indoors. Just have normal conversations but be mindful of what you’re saying and think twice before speaking. And I don’t recommend engaging any amorous activities with your partner or paramour at any capacity. At the very least, audio will be recorded. Do what you want knowing this.

100% possible and likely the case.

That’s because everything is being recorded and intercepted. They have their own VPN installed to monitor everything.

I personally don’t have conclusive answers for this. But, I do have a recommendation that comes at a cost but it can work. Hire yourself a private detective temporarily so they may help you figure out the extent to which you are caught under crossfire with all this surveillance. They are pros that would know how to figure such things out. This is just for yourself to ensure said extent and is only temporary so may not cost too much but depends on where you live and the scope of the work as the PI may see it.

Besides that, here are some more things I think you should do:

  1. Get a new router. I recommend the Banana Pi Open WRT router from here. Change the country to Canada and then proceed. I also highly recommend you do not order this to your residence but have a friend or family member order it for you and you go pick it up in person. This is to avoid any of your packaged being intercepted and be at risk of tampering by the authorities. This comes preinstalled with fully FOSS Open WRT firmware and this gives you full control of your home network.
  2. I recommend Mullvad VPN and it’s DAITA feature to be enabled so the authories do not or cannot perform any internet bandwidth analysis of even your VPN traffic. It’s kind of for what it’s designed. Do this on all your devices. And on Apple TV, you can use Proton VPN. This is only if you do not use a VPN directly on your router. If using VPN directly on your router, you don’t need device specific VPN but have them installed nonetheless for when you’re not home.
  3. On desktop Linux you said you’ll be moving to: I recommend installing and setting up the VPN directly with Wireguard via the terminal. It is the absolute best and surefire way to ensure the VPN tunnel is established even before the GUI of your distro loads on every reboot. 100% connection stability too. If you want instructions, message me and I’ll share them. But the same info can also be found here and on the Techlore forum (which I know for a fact) if you want to discover and learn what to do more naturally. But getting the instructions directly will save time and effort. It’s only a matter of trust from you to others.
  4. And if you are going to be purchasing a new smartphone, I highly recommend it be a Pixel 8/8a/9/9a so you can install GrapheneOS. And the device will last you a while so amortize the cost when evaluating this as an expense. It’s not just for now but also going forward for your privacy & security toolkit.

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This is what I can think of for now. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.

Edit: it should go without saying but I’ll say it for the record - setting up any new things you buy optimized for privacy and security is also key. Simply setting these things up is not the only thing you should be doing. For example: WPA3 on router and not just setting up the new router. That won’t do much. So, apply this to anything new you’ll be buying or doing.

3 Likes
19
  1. The first thing you need to do is relax. The stress you’re creating right now is only making things worse. Many times the police intentionally try to make you stressed out so you make mistakes. Its called shaking the tree to see what falls loose.
  2. Many of the techniques you are describing are not commonly used by Canadian Police. I’m not sure I’ve seen any case in the entire country where all the techniques you listed have been used in a single case.
  3. Are we referring to Municipal, Provincial, or RCMP? There is a huge difference in how all three levels behave. Hopefully you’re not in Quebec which is a whole different story.
  4. Relax and keep your movements to a minimum. Understand that surveillance is incredibly expensive, needs to be authorized by a judge, and CAN’T continue indefinitely. Essentially do nothing interesting at all, and wait for the investigation to stop. If you’re being followed, do only legitimate errands, minimize online activity (read books, watch DVDs, listen to vinyl). If you’re under the type of surveillance being listed, they are spending tens of millions of dollars - and it would be one of the most expensive ongoing investigations in the country.
  5. What type of crime is being investigated? This would give me greater context regarding your situation. I don’t need exact but is this drug related, fraud, etc. If this is an online type crime, the only reason I could see all those surveillance measures being used is to link the online activity to your neighbor and not you. Basically they want to show when your vehicle is not home, he is online and active doing whatever it is he does. But still more context is needed.
  6. Get security cameras for your vehicle, home, and devices. Although you should have done this before being placed under surveillance - see number 7.
  7. Anything you do now develops your ‘post offense conduct’. Basically how a suspect acts “after” committing a crime can be used to prove guilt. This is why if you’re under surveillance the vast majority of time doing nothing is the best option. Wait them out.
  8. Understand a conviction in criminal courts in Canada is very hard. Real criminals know this, and is often why they aren’t stressed when placed in your shoes. You are a law abiding citizen, so you are more scared. But honestly, Canadian courts have a very high bar to convict someone, and any reasonable doubt or trampled rights can destroy a criminal case. If I knew the type of crime I could point you in a better direction and show you specific cases.
20

This implies OP is under investigation. They are not. But they’re caught under the crossfire of their house mate being under surveillance. That’s it. OP can continue living as usual while being more mindful and knowledgeable about privacy and security now that its needed.

This is true. But again, OP doesn’t need to worry here about they being charged or convicted. They are an innocent bystander at risk of a drive by. Again, it feels like you’re assuming OP has done something wrong (given the lexicon used). Let’s be careful what we say about someone.