Maintained by the RAF Caucus. This is general organizing guidance, not legal or security advice for any specific threat. When in doubt about a particular situation, ask an experienced organizer before acting.
Organizing 101 mentions security culture in passing. This page goes into it properly, because getting it wrong can expose coworkers to retaliation. "Security culture" simply means the shared habits a group uses to protect itself and its members while organizing.
Security culture is not paranoia and it is not secrecy for its own sake. It is a set of everyday practices that keep organizing conversations, member information, and plans from reaching people who could use them against you — most often an employer. The goal is to protect people, especially those most exposed to retaliation, while keeping organizing open and welcoming enough to actually grow.
Treat anything on employer-owned systems as visible to the employer, even when it feels private.
The point of all this is people. A worker who is more exposed — a temp, vendor, or contractor (TVC), someone on a visa, or someone newer and more vulnerable to retaliation — carries more risk in any given action. Good security culture means letting people choose their own level of visibility and never outing someone's involvement without their consent.
Security culture should fit the situation. Over-tightening can make organizing feel secretive and cliquish, which slows growth and breeds mistrust. The aim is habits that are sustainable and shared by everyone, not rules that only a few people understand. When practices are simple and consistent, the whole group is safer.