Preserving Volunteer Video Evidence of DHS/ICE Abuses

[dobleremolque]

Anyone who feels a duty to video incidents of ICE criminal activity in their location would benefit from apps that allow simultaneous recording to cloud storage while also recording to the smartphone's memory card. That way, when DHS/ICE compromises video evidence on the local device or tries to, the original video evidence remains available from cloud storage or some location other than the smartphone's memory card.

Video evidence of Alex Pretti's death in Minneapolis clearly shows a murder. Video evidence of Alex Pretti's death in Minneapolis clearly shows a liar in Kristi Noem as well as among her thug subordinates. The same can be said for video evidence in the death of Renee Good.

There are apps which enable iPhone and Android smartphone cameras to simultaneously record to off-device storage as well as to the smartphone's memory. Some are free, some cost money. Some are simple to use; some are complicated to set up. Cataloging all of the options is beyond the scope of this post. Search online at your phone's app store on the key words: simultaneous video cloud recording

There are multiple options that can simul-record to iCloud or to Google Drive. Other apps allow the simultaneous recording to be sent to and preserved on some of the servers used by Discord, Slack, Teams or Telegram. The best apps for this strategy are those that record simultaneously in both locations: device and cloud. Other options begin the upload once the "stop recording" button is pressed. Not optimal, but better than nothing.

It takes a bit of research and training to equip your phone off-device video preservation capability. And it takes a bit of training or self-instruction to learn how to use it. And practice until the use is automatic. When you are witnessing an ICE depredation is not the time to pause to try recall how to start up the simul-record app.

If you have Zoom on your mobile device, one of the easiest and quickest ways to preserve video off your phone is to start a Zoom meeting from your phone, enable the forward camera, hit “record." Even with the free version of Zoom, you’ve got 40 minutes of cloud-recorded video that ICE/DHS can’t mutilate by slapping the camera out of your hand.

Video recorded by observers or bystanders is kryptonite to DHS/ICE's lies that their actions are "law enforcement." That's why ICE seeks to destroy video evidence because it contradicts their propaganda. Observers, recording at the scenes of ICE actions are clearly in danger. We know that now. At best, a smartphone is slapped out of the observer's hands. At worst, well, we see the consequences of involuntary heroism in Minneapolis.

I hope this strategic suggestion is helpful to anyone who serves as a volunteer video guardian of our democracy.

[Wicked Blue]

1. Thank you!

This is excellent information for those who need it.

Would it be useful for people who can afford them to get devices like eyeglasses or pens with built-in video cameras? I don't know anything about them, but maybe observers could collect evidence with less risk of confiscation.