Intro 

The goal of this guide is to provide information about the risks of participating in an online course in Afghanistan and how we can mitigate them using a few simple steps.

Terminology 

Device - a smartphone or a laptop that is used to connect to classes.

PII - Personal Identifiable Information; personal information that can be used to identify a person, such as: full name, address, phone number, etc. 

Risks    

Due to the current situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban and recent arrests of women and girls for having communications in their phones with foreigners or English speakers, it is important that every student obey our course policies for your security and the security of your classmates.

Our goal is to create an environment where women can study, collaborate, share their knowledge while keeping their safety.

Since the situation in Afghanistan currently makes it illegal for women to study, we prioritize the safety of our students by safeguarding their anonymity.

There are two main scenarios that we want to avoid:

  1. Taliban finds out that a specific student is studying online.

  2. Taliban gets access to a student’s device (e.g, by taking her smartphone during an inspection) and manages to access the PII of other students.

To avoid the risks above, there are some simple steps we can and must take.


Risks Mitigation 

Take your anonymity seriously

Even if the Taliban is currently not taking active steps in punishing women who study online, or doesn’t have the available resources to do so - it doesn’t mean it’s safe.

They might change their prioritization or policies at any moment.

Having your real identity exposed in a class-room is not only dangerous today, but could also be used against you in the future.

Every email we send or meeting we attend, is a digital footprint - and we don’t want it to be associated with your real identity.

Never Share Your Real Name

The Taliban can map your full name with a specific location and know where you are.

Please only use Aliases (fake names) in classes and never share your real names with teachers or students.

Never Share Your Real Name, Address or Phone Number in Class

Be careful not to share any personal information in any group setting including google meet, zoom, signal, or with guest teachers or instructors.

Use only Signal for Messaging

WhatsApp exposes your phone number by design and there is no way to hide it.

The Taliban can easily map every phone number to a specific location and person.

The Signal app provides anonymity to their users.

Please follow the following guide to set up your anonymous Signal profile:

Step 1: Download the Signal App to your phone.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms&pcampaignid=web_share

Step 2: Set up your Signal profile 

Use a fake name or only your first name. DO NOT use your last name. DO NOT use a real photo of yourself if you are in Afghanistan.

How do I edit my profile?

  1. Open Signal on your phone > go to Signal Settings .

  2. Tap your avatar, name, or Signal number.

  3. Tap the avatar or camera icon to edit.

  4. Tap the name fields to edit. First names are required. Feel free to choose a nickname, a single character, or an emoji.

  5. Tap About to select an emoji and to write a few words about yourself.

    • For iOS, select Done to go back to your profile screen and preview the profile.

  6. Tap Save if shown.

Edit my Profile – Signal Support

Step 3: Hide your phone number from your profile

Phone Number Privacy and Usernames – Signal Support

Signal >> Blog >> Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames

Step 5: Disguise your Signal app icon to look like a different kind of app

To change the Signal app icon:

  1. On your phone go to Signal Settings > Appearance > App Icon.

  2. Select from the choices shown.

  3. Signal will still be visible on the home screen, notifications, search, the App Library and the store page.

To hide the app name:

  1. Move the app to the dock at the bottom of the screen.

  2. Signal will still be visible on the home screen, notifications, search, the App Library and the store page.

Change the Signal app icon on your phone – Signal Support

Step 6: Once your anonymous profile is completed, Send a direct message to the   course instructor.

The instructor will verify that all the steps have been properly carried out before adding you to the course group chat.

Create a Separate Fake Gmail Account

Please don’t use your personal Email account for any of the studying platforms (Google Meet, Google Classroom, or other apps). Email addresses can be easily mapped to your real identity.

Please follow the following guide to set up your fake gmail account:

Step 1: Go to www.gmail.com in a web browser. 

Step 2: Select “Create account” to create an email account through gmail.com. 

Step 3:  Select “For myself”. 

Step 4: Enter a fake first and last name (for example, “John Doe”), create a fake username and password for the account, and press “Next”. Be sure to remember and securely save your username and password 

Step 5: Follow the verification steps, privately using your real gmail or phone number as prompted.

Step 6: Once your fake gmail account is verified successfully, send a screenshot of the verification page to your course instructor on the Signal app. 

Step 7: Once your instructor verifies your fake gmail account, you can use it to enter the Google Classroom and Google Meet.

AnonymousGmailAccountSetUpGuide.pdf (az.gov)

Change Your Google Meet Name

If you already have set a name on the Google Meet app, please change it to your fake name using this guide:

How to Change Your Google Meet Name on Your Android Device

As an alternative to using a mobile browser, you can change your Google Meet name by accessing your Android smartphone or tablet’s settings.

Step 1: Open your device’s Settings app (the blue gear icon).

Step 2: Scroll down and tap Google.

Step 3: Tap Manage your Google Account.

Step 4: Select Personal Info from the horizontal menu under your profile picture and name.

Step 5: Tap Name under the Basic info section.

Step 6: Enter your desired first and/or last name in the fields provided.

Step 7: Tap Save when you’re finished.

How to Change Google Meet Name on Android/iOS Device? Set New Nickname on Google Meet! (youtube.com)

Change Your Google Classroom Name

And only link to google meet and google classroom to your fake gmail account and name.

change name google classroom android - Pesquisa Google

Use VPN if You Have Access to One

At the moment the school can’t help with VPN subscriptions, but if you have access to one, please always use it when connecting to classes.