How to use SecureDrop to contact ABC journalists
The ABC has a long history of agenda-setting, public interest journalism that holds the powerful to account. We are bound by our editorial policies to maintain the anonymity of our confidential sources.
SecureDrop is a tool for sources to anonymously submit documents and communicate with our journalists. It is not the only way of securely contacting an ABC journalist, but it is one of the best, and is used by highly respected news organisations internationally.
Using SecureDrop is more complicated than picking up the phone or sending an email, but if you follow the steps carefully you can have a high level of confidence that your communication with ABC journalists is secure.
What should I know before submitting material through SecureDrop?
To protect your anonymity when using SecureDrop, it is essential that you do not use a network or device that can easily be traced back to your real identity. Instead, use public wi-fi networks and devices you control.
- Do NOT access SecureDrop on your employer’s network.
- Do NOT access SecureDrop using your employer’s hardware.
- Do NOT access SecureDrop on your home network.
- DO access SecureDrop on a network not associated with you, like the wi-fi at a library or cafe.
Got it. How can I submit files and messages through SecureDrop?
- Once you are connected to a public network at a cafe or library, download and install the Tor Browser.
- Launch the Tor Browser and navigate again to this page (abc.net.au/news/securedrop). Then visit our organisation’s unique SecureDrop page by cutting and pasting this URL abc.au.securedrop.tor.onion into the Tor Browser. You can only access the ABC's SecureDrop page using the Tor Browser, it will not work on other browsers like Chrome or Safari.
- Follow the instructions you find on our source page to send us materials and messages.
- When you make your first submission, you will receive a unique codename. Memorise it. If you write it down, be sure to destroy the copy as soon as you’ve committed it to memory. Use your codename to sign back in to our source page, check for responses from our journalists, and upload additional materials.
How can I get in contact with a specific journalist or program using SecureDrop?
The ABC journalists checking the SecureDrop inbox are specifically trained to handle sensitive information and investigative stories. If you clearly label the information as being for a journalist or team like ABC Investigations, Four Corners, Background Briefing, 7.30 or your local newsroom, our staff will securely pass on that communication, unless it is not appropriate to do so. An example of when they would not pass the information on to the person specified, is if the journalist no longer works for the ABC.
As a source, what else should I know?
No tool can absolutely guarantee your security or anonymity. The best way to protect your privacy and anonymity as a source is to adhere to best practices.
You can use a separate computer you’ve designated specifically to handle the submission process. Or, you can use an alternate operating system like Tails, which boots from a USB stick and erases your activity at the end of every session.
A file contains valuable metadata about its source — when it was created and downloaded, what machine was involved, the machine’s owner, etc. You can scrub metadata from some files prior to sharing by using the Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit featured in Tails.
Your online behaviour can be extremely revealing. Regularly monitoring our publication’s social media or website can potentially flag you as a source. Take great care to think about what your online behaviour might reveal and consider using Tor Browser to mitigate such monitoring.
Our organisation retains strict access control over our SecureDrop project. A select few journalists within our organisation will have access to SecureDrop submissions. We control the servers that store your submissions, so no third party has direct access to the metadata or content of what you send us.
Do not discuss your communications with the ABC, even with trusted contacts.