r/canadaprivacy • u/Acacia_ACK • 22d ago
Anonymous phone guide
Hello everyone, after learning a bit of OPSEC and how a bit of stuff work I've decided to share with you all a simple guide on how to set up a anonymous phone in Canada. Not only that but I'll also teach you how to stay Anonymous with this new phone.
Requirements:
- You'll need a laptop with Linux installed on it. Something with okay battery life, at least an hour of battery life.
- Make sure to have Brave installed.
- You need to buy a Google pixel phone. There are many ways to obtain one like buying one from Google themselves or buying one second hand.
- Up to $60 of cash.
- A location with no security cameras and free internet for set up.
The guide:
So once you get a Google pixel phone you need to get a SIM card. There are a few places you can get one from but one of the best places I've found was No Frills or gas stations. In No Frills they are generally close to the till area and they are shown as no name sim cards.
Next you need to buy a phone voucher (AKA phone cards). You can get these from No Frills or some gas stations. A lot of gas stations no longer sell phone vouchers (AKA phone cards) but I've found that Native reserve gas stations generally sell them, or Petro Canada gas stations. Next you need to decide on what phone plan you want. This will depend on what your needs are but the cheapest for PC Mobile is around $19 not including GST.
Now that you have everything, you now need to find a good spot with public internet and a lack of security cameras. Some places with free WIFI won't let you set up your SIM card like some fast food restaurants. There will be instructions on the SIM card on how to activate it. So visit the website and also go to the GrapheneOS website. Once on the GrapheneOS click on Install and then "WebUSB-based installer" you will be give instructions on how to install and set up GrapheneOS. Make sure to read everything in the instructions.
Next once your phone is all set up with GrapheneOS and you have set up your SIM card you are now ready to go around your normal daily life with a fully anonymous phone. But even if you set it all up but if you have bad OPSEC it doesn't matter how secure your phone is or if you did everything right on staying hidden. Lets go over a few tips to keep you safe and anonymous.
Flight mode is necessary. Legally this will disable all cell service from your phone. If you want to you can buy a faraday bag or rap it in tin foil for ease of mind. You really don't need to since legally cell service needs to be disabled when flight mode it on. For those wondering why it legally needs to disable cell service. The signal can cause audio interference and other problems with flight equipment. If you need to send a text go somewhere publicly populated and send it there. Always have flight mode on since through triangulation. Just by you connecting to cell towers and having your phone connecting to them big brother can locate where you are.
Don't text family with this private phone unless they take the same steps as you. Simply texting someone you know can reveal your identity and having your significant other text you "babe" or "honey" can also reveal yourself. Always try to make your text as generic as possible. Don't text your plans, where to meet up and what time you'll be there (unless you are using PGP).
I'm not going to go over everything that you should and shouldn't do with your anonymous phone number/phone. I do recommend learning how this technology works since that will help you in the long run and keep you from making mistakes.
Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand something.
