Anarchist Site Republishes Physical Security Handbook, A Guide on How to Get Away with Criminal Acts
Executive Summary
On June 17, 2025, a known anarchist platform republished A Practical Security Handbook: No Trace Project edition, a controversial guide designed to help activists and radicals engage in illicit activities while evading detection. Presented as a manual for “defeating the State,” the document includes detailed instructions on surveillance evasion, secure communications, and executing direct actions anonymously. While positioned as a resource for political resistance, the handbook clearly crosses into territory that facilitates criminal behavior, drawing concern from law enforcement and civil society alike.
Analysis
The reissue of A Practical Security Handbook by an anarchist-affiliated site is a calculated move to equip activists with advanced counter-surveillance tactics, including operational security (OPSEC), physical evasion methods, and digital anonymity protocols. Explicitly framed as a tool for undermining government oversight, the manual opens with a militant tone, stating its aim to “help you defeat the State and achieve your goals.”
Divided into segments targeting both physical and digital security, the guide provides comprehensive instructions on how to mask identity, prepare for confrontations, and conduct direct actions such as sabotage or protest escalation without leaving traceable evidence. Techniques range from how to avoid cameras and surveillance teams to encrypting communications and destroying incriminating data. It also includes a strong ideological underpinning, justifying subversive activities as necessary tools in a broader struggle against perceived oppression.
The updated edition, published under the No Trace Project banner, caters to both experienced operatives and newcomers, reflecting the broader radicalization of online protest communities. The original version of the handbook has been linked to multiple protest waves in the 2010s and 2020s, and its re-release appears timed to coincide with recent increases in direct action protests and a resurgence of anarchist organizing, particularly in response to government crackdowns and surveillance expansion.
Law enforcement agencies have long monitored such publications due to their potential to incite illegal activity, particularly as they blur the line between protest rights and active resistance operations. Civil liberties groups, while cautious about endorsing surveillance, warn that documents like this often push vulnerable individuals toward high-risk actions under the illusion of security and anonymity.
