Send us a tip
If you know something about surveillance, data or automated systems that the public should know, we want to hear from you. Write to tips@theoverseen.org. A reporter will read every message.
Before you contact us
Think about who could see that you contacted us. Many employers monitor work email, work phones, work laptops and office networks, and some monitor personal devices that connect to them. If you are writing about your workplace, do not use anything your employer provides or can see.
- Use a personal device that your employer has never managed, on a network that is not your employer’s.
- Consider setting up a new email account for this purpose only, not linked to your name or your usual phone number.
- Protect any new account with a long passphrase you have never used anywhere else. Four or five random words are easier to remember and harder to guess than a short password with symbols: something like harbor lintel quince ferry. Don’t use that one.
- Do not forward documents from a work account. Photographs of a screen or a page can carry less information about where they came from than the files themselves.
- Avoid discussing your contact with us with colleagues, even ones you trust.
What to send
Tell us what you know and how you know it. If you have documents, describe them before you send them; we may suggest a safer way to share them. We read everything, but we cannot reply to every message, and we may take time to reply to the ones we can.
We will not publish anything you send us without telling you first, and we will never name you without your agreement. If you are worried about your safety, say so in your first message.
More secure ways to reach us
Some messaging and file-sharing services offer end-to-end encryption, which means that nobody but the sender and the recipient can read what is sent, including the company that runs the service. If you would rather use one of them, say so in a short first email from an account that is not linked to you, and our director of newsroom security will reply with options that suit your situation. We do not list them here because the right choice depends on who you are worried about.
What we can’t do
We are journalists, not lawyers or investigators. We cannot give you legal advice, act on your behalf or guarantee that we will publish a story. If you are in danger, contact the emergency services where you are.
Last updated .