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Methodology dossier

Sources & methodology

Traceable

This site exists to help people protect privacy, organize safely, and resist authoritarian overreach. Every recommendation and news item should be traceable to a named source. This page is that trace.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-26

Curation principles

Primary sources first

We link to official project sites (Signal.org, Tor Project) and established nonprofits (EFF, ACLU) — not affiliate blogs or SEO farms.

Actionable over abstract

Guides prioritize steps you can take today, organized by threat level and platform.

Transparent aggregation

Resistance Wire lists every RSS source on this page. When feeds are unavailable, articles are clearly marked as simulated — never presented as real news.

No paywalls on essentials

We favor free, open-source tools. Paid options are noted only when no adequate free alternative exists.

Distinct picks, not duplicate lists

We include essentials (Signal, Tor) where they fit — but also highlight lesser-known tools (AdNauseam, NetGuard, SimpleX, Shelter) when they solve activist-specific problems better than the usual checklist.

Community over vendor hype

We do not accept sponsorships or affiliate links. Recommendations reflect privacy and safety value, not commercial relationships.

Owned routes

Our content hubs

Original guides live here — not on third-party blogs. External links supplement; hubs are primary.

  1. R01 Digital Privacy Hub Device-aware guides: browser, mobile, comms, OPSEC, anti-surveillance. Primary
  2. R02 Community Organizing Mutual aid, direct action, legal rights, and movement building. Primary
  3. R03 Resistance Wire Aggregated civil-liberties news from vetted RSS sources. Primary
  4. R04 Resource Directory Quick links to trusted orgs, tools, and hub pages. Primary
  5. R05 Sources & Methodology How we choose tools, orgs, and news feeds — full RSS list. Primary

Organization ledger

Trusted organizations

8 sources

Named organizations used for privacy, civil-liberties, news, and organizing guidance.

Always verify downloads from official sites. Deep setup guides are in the Digital Privacy Hub.

Tool ledger

Recommended tools

8 sources

Canonical tools linked directly to their official project sites.

  1. Recommended

    Signal

    communications

    End-to-end encrypted messaging for everyday organizing.

    • communications
  2. Recommended

    AdNauseam

    browser

    Blocks ads and obfuscates tracking profiles — active resistance, not passive blocking.

    • browser
  3. Recommended

    NetGuard

    mobile

    No-root Android firewall to stop apps from phoning home.

    • mobile
  4. Recommended

    SimpleX Chat

    communications

    Encrypted chat with no phone number and no central user directory.

    • communications
  5. Recommended

    Tails

    anonymity

    Amnesic live OS for high-risk situations.

    • anonymity

Resistance Wire — RSS sources

News is aggregated from these feeds. Primary sources are civil-liberties organizations; general news feeds are keyword-filtered for surveillance, censorship, and protest topics. When feeds fail, the UI shows a clear simulation banner — never silent fake news.

Primary (14 civil-liberties feeds)

  • Electronic Frontier Foundation https://www.eff.org/rss/updates.xml
  • American Civil Liberties Union https://www.aclu.org/feed
  • Freedom of the Press Foundation https://freedom.press/news/feed/
  • Privacy International https://www.privacyinternational.org/rss.xml
  • Access Now https://www.accessnow.org/feed/
  • Electronic Privacy Information Center https://www.epic.org/feed/
  • Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/rss/news
  • Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/feed/
  • Center for Democracy & Technology https://www.cdt.org/feed/
  • The Intercept https://theintercept.com/feed/?rss
  • ProPublica https://www.propublica.org/feeds/propublica/main
  • Restore the Fourth https://www.restorethefourth.com/feed/
  • Fight for the Future https://www.fightforthefuture.org/feed/
  • Demand Progress https://www.demandprogress.org/feed/

Secondary (5 unfiltered news feeds)

  • Schneier on Security
  • Techdirt
  • Krebs on Security
  • The Intercept (Alternative)
  • Shadowproof

Keyword-filtered (8 general news feeds)

Only articles matching surveillance, censorship, policy, or protest keywords are shown.

  • New York Times Tech
  • Wired Security
  • The Verge
  • Ars Technica
  • TechCrunch
  • The Guardian US
  • Democracy Now!
  • The Nation

Corrections & updates

Found a broken link, outdated advice, or a source we should add or remove? Contact us securely — especially if you can point to a primary source.