#deepweb

metaludo@diaspora-fr.org
maple@diasp.org

Back to my #deepweb #programming book! The only C programming book in the world where you learn pointers before comments! I've been writing a lot, but because we're taking a detour into game development, I wanted to push a couple chapters out at the same time so it's not just introduction and an empty program.

Main repo: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ]

Chapter 14: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ] | New project introduction
Chapter 15: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ] | Linking to SDL2
Chapter 16: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ] | Custom types in C
Chapter 17: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ] | Creating game window with SDL2
Chapter 18: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ] | Rendering with SDL2
Chapter 19: ACR gogs [ onion | clearnet ] or NotABug [ clearnet ] | Pointers and Valgrind

@N N - twice the promised chapters, twice the agreed reward?

maple@diasp.org

Some people are aware that this identity (Maple) is one that exists exclusively on #deepweb/#tor. That means I don't want to have any way that people can link back Maple to a real identity.

For reasons I don't want to publicly disclose, I may need to soon obtain a digital camera. This post is asking the public - specifically, those who know about #photography, #anonymity and #privacy - what I need to do to keep my pictures anonymous.

Below are the things I know I should look out for, and I will learn how to deal with all of them. But if there's anything more I should know before I start taking pictures, I'd very much like to hear about it!

  • Never buy a smart device
    For obvious reasons to those who know about anonymity and privacy, I shouldn't buy anything that runs Android or any Apple OS, anything that can connect to WiFi, or anything that has fancy features not related to just taking the shot itself. Avoid anything with AI at all costs.

  • Be aware of individual device fingerprinting.
    Every single photography device has minor flaws that, when repeated over multiple shots from the same device, can create a pattern that deanonymizes people.
    The names I'm finding for this are 'photo response non-uniformity noise' and fixed pattern noise. Also smudges and prints on the lens - clean before and after every photography session.
    (for those reading this out of curiosity, this is where I learened about it: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/Photo-fingerprint-image-attribution,review-1864.html)
    I think the solution to this is to never share the device between two identities. The camera belongs to Maple and will only be used by Maple. The real life person never takes or touches the pictures on it.

  • Edit out faces, tattoos, and other human identifiers
    Ideally, never take a picture with yourself in it at all.
    There's a lot of things in your environemnt that you consider normal but can actually tell people where you are.
    Food boxes with names of local restaurants on it, clothing that is unique to an area, or geographical features visible through a window
    Always take a good look at your surroundings and what's in it before you take a photo

  • Avoid capturing local people
    This is tricky if your passion is to photograph people, but if you don't need them, don't include them.
    Even if you keep yourself anonymous, face recognition can still capture people, which leads to finding out where they live, which leads to figuring out the area you're in.

  • Be aware of reflections in your photo
    If if the camera is facing away from you, it might still catch de-anonymizing information from reflections.
    Investigate your photo for any reflections, including under different brightness / contrast levels.
    Or wear a mask and remove everything identifying from the room before you take any picture

  • Remove EXIF data
    Cameras add EXIF data, often with the camera brand and model, sometimes even with GPS coordinates (but that's eliminated if you don't buy a smart device).
    Always wipe all metadata from any picture prior to uploading anywhere.

  • Don't let the shop know your name
    As a last resort, if someone can somehow figure out the serial number of the device and trace where it was bought, then let the shop by the final dead end.
    Pay with cash, don't sign anything, avoid security cameras if possible.
    Ideally, leave several months between buying the device and taking your first photos with it.
    And don't tell people when you buy it (already broken this rule, sorry!)

  • Swap out devices if you can afford it
    I don't know if there's a benfit to this, but it feels safer to occasionally change the photography device itself.

Is there anything I'm forgetting about? I think that as long as I'm careful and I'm aware of the fingerprinting, I should be okay.
Please do let me know, I'd cry if the reason I get deanonymized / doxed is because I did something dumb with pictures.