Many journalists do not use different devices for professional and personal activities, which increases the risk of exposing sensitive data or sources information. Tails is a secure, portable operating system that offers a free-of-charge solution for separating reporting activities from personal life on the same device. For technical reasons, lack […]

Journalists usually resort to cloud services to share sensitive files, which presents security risks especially in authoritarian countries. In this article, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) introduces OnionShare, an open-source tool journalists can use to share and receive files both anonymously and securely. Sharing documents and files with colleagues or sources […]

Social media app Instagram is owned by Meta and shares with Facebook many of the same risks to the safety and integrity of journalists’ work. In this fourth article of a six-part series, cybersecurity expert Ben Finn explains for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) these risks and how to best use […]

Facebook is the largest social media app in the world, and an essential tool for journalists to develop and promote their work. However, it also presents many risks for the profession (misinformation, data mining, hacking etc.). In this third article of a six-part series on social media, cybersecurity expert Ben […]

Many governments and businesses worldwide have banned or restricted the use of popular video app TikTok out of security concerns. In this second article of a six-part series on social media, cybersecurity expert Ben Finn details for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) the risks to which journalists may be confronted while […]

Journalists cannot avoid social media for research or communication in their work, but its use comes with non-negligible risks. In this introduction to a six-part series, cybersecurity expert Ben Finn introduces for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) the common risks of social media platforms and gives general safety advice for journalists […]

The information collected by web trackers about journalists’ activities online can be used by third parties and compromise their safety and that of their sources. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recommends measures to mitigate this risk.  Data tracking happens every time someone browses the internet or communicates online. This data collection, […]

Doxxing, which consists of publishing a target’s private information online without their consent, is a technique regularly used against journalists. In this last article of a three-part series on cyberharassment, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) offers preventive measures against this type of attacks. Doxxing is a form of online harassment in […]

News organisations and independent journalists are frequently the targets of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) and message bombing attacks. In this second article of a three-part series on cyberharassment, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) offers preventive measures against these types of attacks. The websites and mailboxes of news organisations and independent […]

Stalking and swatting are online harassment tactics commonly used against journalists. In this first article of a three-part series on cyberharassment, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) offers preventive measures against these types of attacks. Stalking and swatting are tactics commonly used to harass journalists, which often have offline consequences and endanger […]