Freedom of the

Press Foundation has taken

charge of the DeadDrop project, an open-source whistleblower

submission system originally coded by the late transparency advocate

Aaron Swartz. In the coming months, the Foundation will also

provide on-site installation and technical support to news

organizations that wish to run the system, which has been renamed

"SecureDrop."

By installing SecureDrop,

news organizations around the world can securely accept documents from

whistleblowers, while better protecting their sources' anonymity.

Although it is important to note that no security system can ever be 100

percent impenetrable, Freedom of the Press Foundation believes that this

system is the strongest ever made available to media outlets. Several

major news agencies have already signed up for installations, and they

will be announced in the coming weeks.

"We've reached a time in America when the only way the press can assure

the anonymity and safety of their sources is not to know who they are,"

said JP Barlow, co-founder and board member of Freedom of the Press

Foundation. "SecureDrop is where real news can be slipped quietly under

the door."

Originally created by Swartz in partnership with investigative reporter

Kevin Poulsen, SecureDrop is

a Python application that accepts messages and documents from the web

and encrypts them for secure storage. Each source who uses the platform

is assigned a unique codename that lets the source establish a

relationship with the news organization without having to reveal her

real identity or resort to e-mail.

In addition to installation support, Freedom of the Press Foundation will

provide media organizations with instruction on security best

practices and long-term technical support. Small media

organizations with significant financial need may also apply to Freedom

of the Press Foundation for help obtaining hardware. The New Yorker, the

first news organization to use the SecureDrop code, through its StrongBox project, will

continue to operate its system in partnership with the Freedom of the

Press Foundation.

Freedom of the Press Foundation is hiring computer-security specialist

James Dolan to help maintain the SecureDrop code, install the system for

media organizations, and teach journalists about information

security. Dolan previously helped manage the New Yorker's

installation of StrongBox, the magazine's version of SecureDrop. He also

originally reviewed and hardened the security architecture before the

initial launch.

"Journalists are starting to recognize that sophisticated communications

security is a key element in the newsgathering process," Freedom of the

Press Foundation's Chief Technology Officer Micah Lee said.

"SecureDrop is the safest way we know for an anonymous

source to send information to journalists while protecting their identity."

SecureDrop's code has gone through a

detailed security audit by a team of University of Washington

researchers, led by Alexei Czeckis. Other authors of the audit include

renowned security expert Bruce Schneier and Tor developer Jacob

Appelbaum. Freedom of the Press Foundation has made a number of updates

to SecureDrop based on these findings and will be making a significant

investment in continually improving the system.

"A truly free press hinges on the ability of investigative journalists

to build trust with their sources," Freedom of the Press Foundation

Executive Director Trevor Timm said. "The recent NSA revelations

and record number of whistleblower prosecutions under the current

administration have shown the grave challenges to this relationship and

the lengths governments will go to undermine it. Freedom of Press

Foundation is committed ushering in a new era of security for

journalists and newsrooms of all sizes."

Freedom of the Press Foundation offers thanks to Poulsen, who

developed the original project with Swartz, managed it for the first

six months since it went public, and is handing over the reins. Poulsen,

who serves as Wired's investigations editor, is advising the

Foundation on the transition, and will continue to serve as a journalism

consultant on the project.

"The goal in creating this system was to see it implemented in newsrooms

far and wide," Poulsen said. "Freedom of the Press Foundation is the

perfect organization to do that."

Contact

Trevor Timm, Executive Director trevor@pressfreedomfoundation.org

Micah Lee, CTO micah@pressfreedomfoundation.org

More

information:



• FAQ about Secure Drop

• Secure Drop – Installation instructions

• Media organization request form (for on-site installation assistance)

• How We Plan On Keeping SecureDrop As Secure As Possible – Blog Post.

• Security Audit by University of Washington researchers: http://homes.cs.washington.edu/~aczeskis/research/pubs/UW-CSE-13-08-02.PDF