How to Stay Secure, Connected, & Stockpile for Resilience

Apps, Tools, and Security Practices 

In any collapsing democracy, information becomes both a weapon and a vulnerability. Authoritarian regimes thrive on surveillance, disruption, and mistrust. The more dependent we are on corporate platforms and unprotected systems, the easier it becomes for them to monitor, infiltrate, and dismantle resistance. 

But we’re not helpless.

This section is your starter pack for building secure, decentralized communications and digital resilience. These tools aren’t silver bullets, but they’re battle-tested, real-world resistance tech used by activists, journalists, medics, whistleblowers, and dissidents around the world.

Secure Communication 

These apps are end-to-end encrypted and designed with surveillance states in mind: 

• Signal – Best for encrypted one-on-one or small group messaging. Open-source, simple, and strong. Use disappearing messages + registration lock. 
• Session – For higher anonymity; requires no phone number and routes through an onion network. 
• Element (Matrix protocol) – Decentralized, customizable group chat with optional encryption; harder to shut down. 
• Briar – Peer-to-peer messaging app that works without internet or cell signal (via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi). Ideal for local crises. 

Anonymous Collaboration & Coordination 

• Riseup Pads – Anarchist-run collaborative document editing with anonymous access. No login, no tracking. 
• CryptPad – End-to-end encrypted alternative to Google Docs. 
• Turtl – Encrypted note-taking and research storage. 
• Obsidian (with local sync) – For decentralized archiving and organizing movement knowledge in Zettelkasten format.
• ProtonMail / Tutanota – Encrypted email platforms based in privacy-respecting jurisdictions.
• Tails OS – Run from a USB; leaves no trace; routes all traffic through Tor. Trusted by whistleblowers worldwide. 
• Qubes OS – For power users; compartmentalized virtual machines for high-risk operations. 
• Tor Browser – Anonymizes web traffic; essential for sensitive browsing (but don’t log into personal accounts on it). 

Pro Tips: 

• Use burner phones with no SIMs for protest and coordination. 
• Use Faraday bags to block GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth tracking on the go. 
• Never assume your real name, IP address, or location are private, especially on platforms like Discord, Telegram, or Google tools. 

Offline & Disaster-Proof Comms 

When the internet goes down, or is shut down by the state, mesh networks and off-grid comms become lifelines. 

• goTenna Mesh – Uses radio waves to send encrypted texts between devices without internet. 
• Disaster.Radio – Mesh-based low-bandwidth comms built for disasters or blackouts. 
• Project Owl / PirateBox – DIY offline info hubs (e.g. routers broadcasting files or news locally). 
• Two-way radios (Baofeng, Ham, GMRS) – Coordinate locally; train now, and get licensed if needed.

Security Practices That Matter More Than Any App 

Even the best tech fails if trust breaks down. Here’s what every resistance cell needs to normalize: 

• Two-factor authentication (2FA) on all accounts using hardware keys (like YubiKey) or offline authenticators. 
• Trust trees / affinity circles – Know who you’re working with. Build cell structures where members only know what they need to. 
• Operational security (OpSec) – Limit what you say, where you say it, and who you say it to. 
• Device separation – Don’t mix personal and resistance activity on the same devices. Use separate logins, browsers, and accounts. 
• Practice digital drills – Can you coordinate without Google, Instagram, or your primary phone? Test it now. 

You don’t need to be a hacker. You need to be ungovernable by surveillance. 

These tools and habits are your infrastructure of defiance—they protect the people, the plans, and the future. 

Stockpiling Supplies & Prep (Physical + Tactical)

We’ve talked about what to build.  We’ve covered how to protect it. Next, we’ll dive into tactical supplies and prep strategies for different collapse phases because parallel systems don’t just survive collapse. They shape what comes next.

So here’s the truth: survival is political. Preparation is not paranoia. It's infrastructure. You can’t resist on an empty stomach. You can’t organize without light, power, or communication. And you sure as hell can’t rely on the state to keep you safe. 

This section breaks down key supplies and tactics for building resilient, decentralized readiness in your home, your group, and your region. Think of it as the starter kit for off-grid organizing, autonomous defense, and crisis survival when collapse accelerates.

1. Mutual Aid Supply Kits (Small-Scale, High Impact) 

Every cell or neighborhood network should prep at least one of these: 

Core contents: 

• First aid (bandages, antiseptics, gloves, Narcan, electrolyte packs) 
• Shelf-stable food (canned, dried, vacuum-packed) 
• Sanitation (wet wipes, menstrual products, waste bags) 
• Heat & light (solar lanterns, candles, emergency blankets) 
• Phone battery banks (with solar or crank charging if possible)
• Printed local maps + instructions for non-internet contact 

Optional but vital: 

• Hand-crank radios 
• Anti-surveillance gear (e.g. Faraday pouches, burner SIMs) 
• Water filters or purification tabs 
• Local legal aid numbers 
• Mini zine kits to teach people how to organize, resist, and secure themselves 

2. Go-Bags (72-Hour Evac Readiness) 

Authoritarian crackdowns escalate fast—raids, blackouts, fires, chemical suppression. You need to be able to leave with zero warning and regroup somewhere safe. 

Pack: 

• Clothes + layers (weatherproof + low visibility) 
• Copies of ID (or alternate IDs if undocumented or trans) 
• Flashlight + extra batteries 
• Analog watch (helps with opsec timing) 
• Small med kit 
• Nonperishable food + water 
• Local mutual aid contacts + paper cash 
• External hard drive or encrypted USB (important docs, zines, case files, contact trees) 

Pro tip: Keep your go-bag staged at all times under the bed, in your car, by the door. 

3. Hidden Caches & Decentralized Stashes 

Don’t keep all your gear in one place. Whether you’re resisting police raids, looters, or state agents, decentralize your critical resources: 

• Bury emergency food + water in sealed bins at trusted locations 
• Hide printed instructions or flash drives with encrypted materials offsite 
• Stash burner phones, backup radios, and medical gear in community centers, garages, basements, or rural shelters 
• Rotate contents and access codes among trusted cell members only 

4. Offline Knowledge Libraries 

When networks go down—or get shut down—you’ll need access to tools, guides, and ideas. 

Start building a collapse-proof learning archive: 

• MicroSD or USB drives filled with PDFs, books, how-to guides, encryption manuals, herbal medicine, radio protocols, solar repair, etc. 
• Printed zines, manuals, and booklets 
• Multiple copies in multiple locations (never centralize anything essential) 

5. Resistance Printing Stations 

If social media gets wiped or censored, the resistance goes analog. 

Prep:

• A working printer, spare ink, and reams of paper 
• A laptop that doesn’t touch the internet (think Raspberry Pi)
• Templates for flyers, calls to action, emergency guides 
• Distribution points: community fridges, laundromats, shelters, bathrooms, transit stops, locked libraries 

When they cut the signal, we print the truth. 

You don’t have to be an expert prepper. You just have to start small and scale with urgency. Because when it gets worse, and it will, the people with infrastructure win.

The Part III of How to Build Parallel Infrastructure in a Collapsing Democracy, we’ll dive into:

• Real case studies of resistance infrastructure from the Global South
• A breakdown of the transnational alliance rejecting U.S. imperialism
• How to discern the moment when quiet resistance must go loud