After the NO KINGS protests in October, several people sent me photos of themselves and their signs, but some had questions. They wondered if they were at risk for the government “tracking their phone.”

One person said that she left her phone at home during the protest because she was told it could be tracked. However, she was also told to take plenty of photos to document the protest. Since her phone is her primary way of taking photos, she wondered what she should do, and asked whether burner phones could be tracked. She'd buy one if they couldn't be tracked.

This is a relatively straightforward privacy subject with easy and relatively inexpensive solutions.

Burner phone

Any cellphone can be tracked regardless of whether it's a burner or not. The important issue is whether the phone can be linked to you. If you buy the burner phone with cash, and not a credit card, there's no link to your identity. To test this, I went to Best Buy and verified that they will accept a cash payment for a burner phone. There would be no evidence linking the phone to me. I might still be tracked, but the trackers wouldn't know who I was unless they “apprehended” me while the phone was being tracked.

A common burner phone is the Tracfone. The least expensive model costs $29.95. There are many styles and screen sizes. The two basic categories are flip phones and bar phones. Bar phones are not hinged; they are flat like a bar (like current iPhones).

You'll need to add on an airtime service plan. All plans allow unlimited talk and text in North America, but you pay more for using more data bandwidth. You don't get reimbursed for unused bandwidth, so choose wisely.

Here's what Tracfone charges for a 30-day plan:

$20	4 GB
$30	10 GB
$40	20 GB
$50	unlimited

If you're using the burner phone infrequently, you'd buy the least expensive plan.

Digital camera

You can leave your cellphone home and bring a digital camera with you. A digital camera doesn't connect to the cellular network, so it can't be tracked. I searched Amazon for inexpensive digital cameras and found a few that were under $50. They're cheap enough that you can keep one in your car in case you stumble upon an event you want to document.

Here's an example of a Vivitar SnapShot digital camera that sells for $35.

Faraday bag

A useful item that helps to avoid tracking is a Faraday bag for your cellphone. Powering off your phone to prevent tracking isn't enough because law enforcement agencies have technology (developed in Israel) that can still track it after you power it off—unless you remove the battery, but try to do that with an iPhone.

Putting your phone in a Faraday bag prevents it from communicating with the cell network, so your phone (or tablet, or watch) can't be tracked. If you use the iPhone Find My Phone feature, it won't work with the phone in the bag.

This is another item you might keep in your car.