Use a device and network that are yours
Never use a work computer, a work phone or office Wi-Fi. Employers log what happens on their devices and networks. Use a personal device on a network not tied to your name or your workplace.
Use Tor Browser
Tor Browser hides your internet address from us and hides the sites you visit from your provider. Download it only from torproject.org. Your provider still sees that you use Tor. In some settings that alone draws attention, so Tor bridges help there.
For the strongest protection, start the computer from Tails. It runs from a USB stick and forgets everything when you shut it down. Tails includes Tor Browser and a metadata cleaner.
Public Wi-Fi is not invisibility
A café or library network separates you from your home connection. Cameras, card payments, login pages and people around you still record your visit. Pay cash, avoid logging into personal accounts, and leave your own phone at home.
Files carry traces
- Hidden data: author names, dates, device models and GPS positions. Our page strips these from photos, PDFs and Office files if you choose.
- Printer dots: many colour printers add tiny yellow dots that encode the printer and the date. Prefer the digital original over a scan of a printout.
- Access logs: systems record who opened or downloaded a file. If few people saw a document, publishing it narrows the search. Tell us, and we will discuss it.
- Unique wording: some offices send slightly different versions to different people to trace leaks. We compare versions before publishing when we have them.
Audio and video
Recordings keep their hidden data, and voices and background sounds identify people. Clean files with Metadata Cleaner in Tails before you send them. Tell us in your message if a voice needs protecting.
After you send
- Write your codename on paper. Do not keep it on your phone.
- Do not tell anyone you contacted us.
- Do not search for the story later from your work or personal devices.
- Check the mailbox from time to time, using the same precautions.