Why Privacy Is Important for Journalists? | 5 Privacy Tips for Journalists
Pandemic has immersed everyone in technology and data. The internet is continuously changing and evolving, and it can be virtually impossible to fully secure oneself.
Cybersecurity is a major concern for today’s journalists. With online threats and breaches becoming more prevalent, journalists must understand how their data might be compromised and what to do to protect it.
Why Privacy Is Important for Journalists
The privacy of journalists is one of the basic requirements for the freedom of the press. Without privacy, sources might become reluctant to assist the press in informing the public on different matters.
Journalists are affected by threats to privacy on today’s internet. This is because they are more likely to hold sensitive information than regular internet users.
The major privacy issue for journalists is how to compartmentalize their private and professional activities. They need to make sure that the apps and tools they use for one do not affect the other.
Two distinct areas are important for journalists to consider:
- Protecting their identity when doing investigative work or research
- Protecting their personal privacy when publishing materials and disseminating them on social media
Privacy Tips for Journalists
The good news is that a tremendous amount of digital security resources, apps, tools, and information exist online to help safeguard journalists and their data.
- Stay vigilant: Understand the online security threats when working online. Be careful about leaving sensitive documentation in storage. For ultra-secure communication, consider using a secure encrypted communication platform. Avoid putting sensitive documents in places that can be hacked. Also, journalists should educate themselves on the best methods for digital security.
2. Protect their devices: Clearing their devices of all sensitive files may be a good idea. Also, fully encrypt and password-protect all storage and devices.
3. Select passwords intelligently: Journalists should always choose unique and strong passwords. Their email password should be at least fifteen characters including digits and alphabet. Also, they should try to avoid using the same password for anything else. It’s better to use a password manager.
4. Use a good VPN:
All of their communication should be encrypted with a Virtual Private Network or VPN. This will ensure journalists’ data, identity, and passwords are protected while you communicate over the internet. No matter where journalists are, they should always use a VPN across all of their devices. This will prevent journalists from being tracked. Some of the popular VPNs are NordVPN, ExpressVPN, SurfShark, PIA, Windscribe, etc.
5. Encrypt their data when possible: Fully encrypt and password-protect all storage and devices. Having multi-factor authentication will add an extra layer of security. This will ensure that their sensitive data is protected.
Bonus tip: Journalists must safeguard their personal information when promoting or sharing their work online. A secure instant messaging app allows them to anonymize as much of their digital identity as possible.
CypherChat offers end-to-end encrypted communication with the peer-to-peer transmission of data. Just sign up to CypherChat without sharing any personal information.
CypherChat eliminates any risk of your data being exposed in case of a breach. With CypherChat, you can communicate with friends, family, acquaintances, or even have an online video/voice conference call.
Parting Thoughts
We hope journalists can use these privacy tips to safely report on remarkable stories across the globe. They should make more informed choices and change their digital habits in ways that suit their private and professional lives. Journalists should make trustworthy journalism a major priority in their life.
