Counter-surveillance can help you establish whether you are being watched. It is difficult to find out whether your communications are being intercepted, and for this reason you should always assume that they are . However, it is possible to determine if your movements and offices are being watched.

Who could be watching you?

People who are usually in your area, such as doormen or porters in buildings, travelling sales people who work close to the building entrance, people in nearby vehicles, visitors, etc, could potentially all be watching your movements. People do surveillance for money; because they are being pressurised to do it; because of their sympathies, or due to a combination of these factors. Those behind the surveillance can also place collaborators or members of their organisation in your area.

People can also watch you from a distance. In this case they are almost always members of an organisation and probably use the tactic of watching without wishing to be seen. This means keeping a certain distance, various people taking turns and watching from different locations, using different vehicles, etc.

How to know if you are being watched

You can find out if you’re being observed by watching those who could be watching you, and by adopting the following rules (without, of course, becoming paranoid):

• If you have reason to think that somebody might want to watch you, you should be mindful of the movements of people in your area and changes in their attitude, for example, if they start asking about your activities. Remember that women and men can do surveillance, as can old or very young people.

• If you suspect that you are being followed, it is possible to put in place a counter-surveillance measure involving a third party whom you trust, and who is unknown to those who might be watching you. This third party can watch, in advance and from a good distance, movements which occur when you arrive, leave or go somewhere. Whoever is watching will probably do so from a place where you can always be easily located, including your home, offices and the places where you most often do your work.

For example:

Before arriving home you can ask a family member or trusted neighbour to take up a position close by (e.g., changing a car wheel), to check if somebody is awaiting your arrival. The same can be done when leaving your office on foot. If you are using a private vehicle, it will be necessary to have another car leave after yours in order to allow a potential observer time to begin their approach towards you.

The benefit of counter-surveillance is that, at least initially, the person observing you does not realise you know they are there. It should therefore be made clear to anyone involved that it may not be advisable to confront the person observing you. They will then realise that you know about their activities, and this could also provoke a violent reaction. It is important to take the utmost care and keep a distance if you are aware of somebody watching you. Once surveillance has been detected, you can take the necessary action recommended in this manual (see Chapter 9).

Most of this counter surveillance advice applies almost exclusively to urban and semi-urban areas. In rural areas the situation is very different, but defenders and communities who live in such areas are more used to being aware of strangers nearby. It is therefore more difficult for somebody who wants to watch you to gain access to inhabitants of a rural area - unless the local population is deeply hostile towards your work.

A note: Building relationships with the security forces monitoring you could be beneficial in some circumstances – and in some circumstances the surveillance is not so secret, part of the point is to make it visible/intimidating. In some situations defenders cultivate people in the security forces who can sometimes tip them off when surveillance or even an action is planned against them

When to check if you are being watched

Logic dictates that it is wise to check if you are under surveillance if you have reason to believe that you are - for example, because of security incidents which could be related to surveillance. If your human rights work carries a certain risk, it is a good idea to conduct a simple counter-surveillance exercise from time to time, just in case.

You need also to think about risk you bring to others if you are under surveillance – the risk may be greater for a witness/family member of a victim you are meeting than for you – think about where it would be most secure for them to meet? You may need to warn them that your movements might be under surveillance.