ProPublica’s SecureDrop server is a way for you to share information and files with ProPublica more securely than with conventional email or other electronic means.
To help protect your anonymity, our SecureDrop server is only accessible using the Tor system. We will not record your IP address or information about your browser, computer or operating system.
How to Use ProPublica’s SecureDrop Server
Although you need to download special software to connect to ProPublica's SecureDrop server, the software is quite easy to use. It functions a lot like using a web browser, though in a more secure way.
- Visit TorProject.org and follow the directions to download Tor.
- Run the Tor application, which will launch the Tor Browser.
- In the Tor Browser, copy and paste the following into its address bar: http://pubdrop4dw6rk3aq.onion/
- You can follow the instructions on that website to send us files and messages.
- When you use the site, you will get a code name, which is your login for SecureDrop. You can come back and log in with this code name to submit more information; you can also log in from time to time to see if we have sent a response to you.
If you seek maximum confidentiality, do not submit material using the network at your home or work. If you can, use public WiFi, such as at a coffeeshop. You can also boot your computer from a USB key containing the TAILS secure operating system, which includes the Tor Browser.
Tor is designed to hide your IP address and seeks to make it very difficult for anybody to determine who is sending the files. However, be on your guard and know who might be watching you. We want you to be safe and to understand the risks you face before you send us anything, especially if your documents involve the national security of a technologically sophisticated country.
Postal Mail
Postal mail is also a very good way to reach ProPublica securely. U.S. postal mail without a return address is one of the most secure ways to communicate -- a warrant is needed to open it. Be sure to mail your package from an unfamiliar sidewalk box instead of going to a post office.
Our mailing address is:
ProPublica
155 Avenue of the Americas
13th Floor
New York, NY 10013-1507
Terms
ProPublica’s SecureDrop server is designed to provide our sources with greater anonymity and security than with conventional e-mail.
When you visit or use our server at http://pubdrop4dw6rk3aq.onion/ following the instructions provided above, we will not record your IP address or information about your browser, computer or operating system, nor will we embed third-party content or deliver persistent cookies to your browser.
Our SecureDrop servers are under our physical control in a physically and logically segregated area within the ProPublica newsroom.
SecureDrop is designed to be accessed only through a “hidden service” on the Tor system, which is set up to conceal both your online and physical location from us and to offer encryption for your communications with us. This provides a higher level of security and anonymity in your communication with us than does standard e-mail or similar methods.
Though it is our intention to keep you and your information safe, SecureDrop does not provide perfect security -- nor does any technology. Among other risks, if your computer is compromised, any activities, including communications through SecureDrop, could be compromised as well.
The system is provided on an “as is” basis, with no warranties or representations, and any use of it is at the user's own risk.
About SecureDrop
The SecureDrop software we use is a project of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.