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7 Ways To Stay Anonymous If You Want To Be A Whistleblower
7 Ways To Stay Anonymous If You Want To Be A Whistleblower
7 Ways To Stay Anonymous If You Want To Be A Whistleblower
/ Blog / Digital freedom / Whistleblowing guide: How to stay anonymous when blowing the whistle
Lexie
Hi, I'm Lexie! I write about information security, Bitcoin, and privacy.
June 16, 2017
A million things could go wrong and lead to your demasking, and it becomes exponentially
more difficult the larger and more powerful the organization is that you’re up against.
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Large corporations could put a lot of funds aside for the surveillance of employees they
suspect of “sabotage,” and governments might have near infinite resources.
As such, this is not a complete guide to anonymity. The circumstances will be different in
each case, and surveillance capabilities differ between organizations and countries.
Try not to deviate from your usual patterns and only access information as you usually
would. When communicating with others, only do so on devices you own and exclusively
control.
Using a VPN or the Tor Network (for example, through TAILS) can help, but on heavily
monitored networks the operators might take suspicion at any traffic they cannot decipher.
Always use the Tor Network and a VPN to communicate, and use networks not
controlled by the company.
Don’t scan or print documents. Rather, leak printed documents in physical form and
electronic documents in electronic form. For maximum security, transcribing documents
by hand and back into a text document (.txt) is a good option, though of course, you will
have to destroy the handwritten notes.
All phone calls and text messages are unencrypted, as is some of your online browsing and
app data, and some of the data (and all of the metadata) is stored for a long time.
Do not talk or text on the phone. Leave your phone at home or work when meeting
others. Only use encrypted messengers, preferably Signal. If you do need a phone, buy
a used one with cash. If you can, don’t activate it with a SIM card at all, or get a prepaid
SIM card with cash and only turn the phone on when you need it, ideally far away from
your home.
5. Money
leaves a trail
Your debit and credit cards leave a trail of where you are at what time which can prompt
to check security footage and other transaction logs for a bigger overall
your adversaries
picture of your actions and accomplices.
Similarly, your electronic public transportation ticket might reveal where you have been,
and whether this was an unusual destination.
Pay for everything with cash when meeting those you are informing. Find a place where
cash transactions are common, or somewhere free, such as a public park.
Pay with cash if you can, and use gift cards or Bitcoin if you have to make a purchase
online.
Be aware that everything you do or say will leave metadata. Every click, every google
search, print, text message, credit card swipe, or bus ride leaves a tiny piece of information
that might identify you. Even paper mail is scanned and has it’s delivery origin and
destination recorded.
Metadata means everything, and even changes in your daily pattern might seem
suspicious. If you regularly stay at home, leave your phone at home and turn on the TV to
give the impression your life is as usual. If you’re outgoing and enjoy hanging out in bars,
it’s safe to meet somebody there, rather than suddenly hanging out in a park.
Be aware of your digital footprint and try to keep any changes to it at a minimum. Use
software to find and remove metadata from files you send. Consider file types that don’t
have as much metadata, such as .txt and .png.
7. Is digital the best option?
The internet provides many opportunities for privacy and anonymity, more so than any
other technology. If you’re savvy, you can virtually disappear online and safely
communicate with others without risk of detection.
This is not true for every situation, though. It might be far easier to anonymously mail
documents to a local newspaper than to find a reporter who’s able to protect you
electronically.
Lexie
Lexie is the blog's resident tech expert and gets excited about empowerment through technology, space
travel, and pancakes with blueberries.
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