A guide to using SecureDrop

What is SecureDrop?

SecureDrop is an anonymity tool used by BBC journalists and confidential sources.

As a confidential source, you can use SecureDrop to submit documents anonymously to BBC News. Our journalists use SecureDrop to receive source materials and securely communicate with anonymous contacts.

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 desktop version of Tor Browser.

• Launch Tor Browser.

• Visit the unique SecureDrop URL for BBC News at http://kt2bqe753wj6dgarak2ryj4d6a5tccrivbvod5ab3uxhug5fi624vsqd.onion/.

• 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 into our SecureDrop page, check for responses from BBC journalists, and upload additional materials.

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 could use a separate computer you've designated specifically to handle the submission process. Or you can use an alternate operating system like Tails, which loads 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 submission using the Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit featured in Tails.

Your online behaviour can be extremely revealing. Take great care to think about what your online behaviour might reveal, and consider using Tor Browser to mitigate such monitoring.

The BBC ensures strict access to SecureDrop and the data which is sent to us. Only a few select journalists have access to the system. The BBC controls the servers that handle the submission and at no time will a submission or its metadata be given to a third party without your explicit consent.

Do not discuss leaking or whistleblowing, even with trusted contacts.