J Dey, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Rajdev Ranjan, Pushp Sharma, Karun Mishra.
What do these journalists have in common? Death and arrests for knowing and reporting information. Freedom of speech has become a growing concern for journalists in India.
A compilation of statistics by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reveals that since 1992, 64 journalists have been killed in India, most of them, from smaller towns, being reporters who expose corruption.
Read: News in Numbers: How Deadly Is the Life of a Journalist in India?
Journalists must be protected, because it is their job to tell stories whether good, bad or ugly. In order to protect journalists from feeling threatened, CPJ has released a highly secure network to send information, so journalists can get “speedy support”.
Safely Anonymous: SecureDrop
To protect the identity of journalists in the world, CPJ has launched an encrypted submission system, which allows journalists to contact the organisation with reports of press freedom violation in a safe and anonymous manner.
SecureDrop, provides “robust protections” against network-based surveillance, the report says. SecureDrop allows journalists to submit messages and files to CPJ without revealing one’s identity, location or contents of the message to potential interceptors.
Journalists in distress – those who are being followed, harassed or intimidated, or those who are forced to flee or go into hiding – are most vulnerable to continued surveillance as they attempt to seek help. Journalists’ ability to securely convey information about their situation and needs in an easy manner from any place is key to CPJ being able to provide speedy support.Maria Salazar-Ferro, Program Coordinator, CPJ’s Journalist Assistance
This project is maintained by the nonprofit Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF). SecureDrop is easy to use but difficult to compromise, CPJ says.
The Intercept has written clear and detailed instructions about the best ways to stay safe when anonymously submitting materials via SecureDrop.
In hope that every journalist’s identity is secured, FPF in collaboration with CPJ has come up with a method that makes all information into and out of a computer anonymous.
Here’s hoping for a safer environment for journalists to give honest reportage.
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