Rob O'Dell

The Republic | azcentral.com

The USA Today Network has launched a digital site where potential whistleblowers can securely provide documents to network investigative reporters.

The site, https://newstips.usatoday.com, uses SecureDrop, a document-submission system managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

SecureDrop does not log the sender's IP address, browser or computer. It minimizes the metadata trail between reporters and sources, and encrypts data when it is in transit and at rest. The system follows security best practices, and there are no third parties to the document transaction — the server sits completely inside the USA Today Network.

SecureDrop is used by other news organizations such as the New York Times, ProPublica, the Washington Post, the Intercept, and the Associated Press. News organizations have begun using secure document sites in the wake of U.S. government prosecutions of leakers and whistleblowers. The current political climate in Washington, D.C., and concern among some government employees about the sanctity of government information, has heightened the need to securely transmit sensitive documents.

The USA Today Network site can be used to securely submit messages, documents and evidence of wrongdoing to the dozens of investigative reporters at USA Today and in network newsrooms across the U.S., including The Arizona Republic's. Access to SecureDrop will be available at USA Today's website and at several other network sites, including those of The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com, the Des Moines Register, the (Bergen) Record and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

To access the site via azcentral, visit tips.azcentral.com.

“Our journalists have always been serious about protecting the identity of crucial sources who come to us with important tips. This is just the next logical step. We want people in a position to share evidence of wrongdoing to know how to share it as securely as possible in the digital age,” said Chris Davis, vice president of investigative reporting for the USA Today Network.

The USA Today Networks invites those with inside information of wrongdoing or about illegal or unethical behavior by people in power to share their tips. It is important to note that a good tip involves specific evidence of wrongdoing, not just a hunch. Other options for contacting USA Today network investigative reporters include the U.S. Mail, which is the safest way for individuals to preserve their anonymity.

Here's a tip sheet on how to share sensitive leaks with the press.