be off the grid

be off the grid

1. To live without one's home connected to municipal utility systems, such as water supply or the main electrical grid. I just need to get enough solar panels installed to disconnect from the city's electricity supply, and then I'll be off the grid.2. To exist outside of governmental observation; to be untraceable through any means of commerce or communication that could be linked to one's identity. Fearing for his life, the whistle-blower from the intelligence agency was forced to be off the grid for a number of years, eschewing anything that might leave a digital footprint for someone to find.See also: grid, off