Send The Narwhal a story tip

Anonymous, unnamed, confidential?

First, some terms. An anonymous source of information means The Narwhal doesn’t know who it is. An unnamed (or confidential) source is known to The Narwhal, but not to other groups, such as the source’s employer. Our policy for using unnamed sources is outlined in our Code of Ethics.

If the tip or material you would like to share with The Narwhal is not high-risk and you do not require anonymity, we recommend you connect directly with our editors at either narwhaltips[@]proton.me or editor[@]thenarwhal.ca.

If you are concerned about risk and would like to relay information more securely, we provide some advice below. Please note that these are just steps you can take to reduce the risks you face in sharing sensitive information or blowing the whistle on someone or something, and will not guarantee anonymity or confidentiality. We recommend reading this short guide from Freedom of the Press Foundation on sharing sensitive information with journalists.

The Narwhal takes steps of our own to protect the identity of confidential sources, but there are always risks that someone could be aware of your conversations and interactions, or be monitoring your activity.

Using Proton Mail

Proton Mail is a privacy-focused email service that offers end-to-end encryption on emails sent between Proton Mail users. You can read about how encryption works in Proton Mail here.

Note that even for emails sent between Proton Mail users, only the message body and any attachments are fully encrypted. According to Proton Mail’s Transparency report page, “Proton may be legally compelled to disclose certain user information to Swiss authorities, as detailed in our Privacy Policy.” 

If you’d like to use Proton Mail, you can sign up for a free account at proton.me and use that account to email us at narwhaltips[@]proton.me.

Things to remember

• Email is not an inherently private means of communication.
• Never use a work computer, device, or network to email The Narwhal a news tip.
• Never use a work computer, device, or network to interact with The Narwhal, or search for The Narwhal, subscribe to our newsletter or do anything that might identify you as a reader.
• Unless you take additional steps (such as, but not limited to, concealing your IP address), you will not be anonymous, even using a newly-created Proton Mail address.
• Sending an encrypted message does not necessarily hide who you are, or the fact that you sent an encrypted message.

Using postal mail

Printing and mailing documents can reduce the risk of someone tracing the source of information, but be aware that close analysis of the properties of printed documents and even postal stamps can trace back to a source.

Please be aware that some workplaces may also track which documents are downloaded and printed by employees. 

When mailing out, we suggest using a public mailbox, with no return address. Tips sent by mail can be addressed to:

The Narwhal
Suite 634
185-911 Yates St.
Victoria, B.C.
Canada
V8V 4Y9

Other ways to up your security

In order to protect your identity, don’t use work devices, networks or accounts to interact or share sensitive information with The Narwhal.

Assume work devices and accounts are being monitored, including browsing activity and files you access. Assume your employer can detect things like file downloads, emails being sent and forwarded, web searches, and so on.

Using the Tor browser with Proton Mail

If you’re emailing your tip via Proton Mail to The Narwhal, you can use the Tor Browser for an added layer of protection. Using the Tor Browser reduces the risk of anyone tracking your online activity.

The Tor Browser can be installed on a personal computer, or used via the Tails Operating System, which is made by the Tor Project.

Once you have set up Tor, you can learn how to use it with Proton Mail.

It’s important to note that Tor isn’t a perfect guarantee of anonymity. For example, if you are in a small town where very few people use Tor, it may be possible for you to be identified. Also, it is possible for users to make mistakes that can identify them while using Tor: for example, downloading and using Tor on a work computer or logging into an account that is also used outside of Tor that is associated with a user’s real identity. For helpful tips for using Tor, see the Tor Project’s support page.