Adam Glasser
Encryption can be a powerful tool
for journalists, and can be the difference between a source being discovered,
and potentially put in jail as was the case for Chelsea Manning, and remaining
anonymous as is the case for the originator of the Panama Papers leak.
Encrypting communication is not so difficult
as to be inaccessible to the layman, can ensure the secrecy of sensitive
information even from large organizations like the NSA.
Journalists
need to be aware that encryption is an option available to them and that with
some time and effort can be done successfully. One program that allows users to encrypt and
decrypt emails is called PGP,
or Pretty Good Privacy, created in 1991 by Phil Zimmerman, it provides
cryptographic privacy and authentication for communication. Essentially it
ensures that your data is not being intercepted en route to its intended
destination, and that the destination is what you want it to be, and not
someone else masquerading as your contact. For this program you must have two
keys, a public key, and a secret key, which is essentially a tough-to-break
password. The public key must be published online so that information can be
sent to you via PGP, and the secret key is what allows you to decrypt the
information. Some journalists who understand the importance of encryption, like
Glenn Greenwald, actually have a link to their PGP key in their bios on
websites like twitter.
It is
important to note that it takes time to be able to successfully learn how to
properly encrypt communications, and it should not be attempted as a last
minute project, or taken lightly. Encryption must be taken seriously if it is
to defeat programs like Bullrun
or thwart more direct attempts to access your specific information. Protecting
sources has long been a hallmark of good journalism, and in the age where
journalists are constantly monitored it is important to learn how to properly
protect both information, and the lives of your sources.
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