Data Security
Law of the West makes available several ways to share information and/or documents with our journalists. We cannot promise that these methods are totally secure, but they are more secure than other channels. We recommend that you avoid the use of unencrypted text messages or unencrypted emails to share information with us.
You should use a secure computer to communicate with Law of the West. This means you should not use a machine that has enterprise software installed on it or that is infected by malware.
You should use an operating system that assures confidentiality. One possibility is the Linux-based ElementaryOS. Another is POP_OS!
You should delete from your computer all records of communications with Law of the West. Be sure to also delete any record of a secure codename assigned to you when you use one of the services linked here.
You should deploy a metadata scrubbing tool to keep to a minimum the risk of sending us information, such as an author’s name, that could be embedded in a document. Okatee, which will scrub Gmail and Google Drive attachments, is one option. Microsoft’s Document Inspector is another.
Signal
Signal is an encrypted messaging app that does not retain any metadata. You can send text, documents, photographs, and video. You can also dial the phone number and speak with a journalist.
Our Signal phone number is 303.818.7885.
[include link to download Signal on iTunes]
[include link to download Signal on Google Play]
WhatsApp is an encrypted messaging app that can be used to share documents, photographs, and videos. Facebook, the owner of the app, does retain some data when you use WhatsApp.
Our WhatsApp phone number is 303.818.7885.
[include link to download WhatsApp]
Encrypted Email
If your email is not encrypted, you should use a plugin such as Mailvelope or Enigmail. Use the fingerprint provided and our public key, which is linked below.
Our encrypted email address: lawwestweekly@proton.me (this should be a button, so as not to make the address publicly visible)
Fingerprint: e4b125260e3dfb8e1f568361a465ea2b2d0f96e7
[Include link to public key]
