Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Securing Whistleblowing in the Digital Age

SecureDrop and the Changing Journalistic Practices for Source Protection

Bibliographic Data

ID7513232
AuthorsPhilip Di Salvo (0000-0003-2165-0590, Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Lugano, Switzerland, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume9
Issue4
Pages443-460
Publication date2021-03-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDigital Journalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21670811.2021.1889384
OpenAlexW3147902158
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited32

Information security tools have gained prominence and importance in the journalism field and are now being adopted more frequently by newsrooms and investigative journalists. SecureDrop, an open-source software for operating whistleblowing platforms, is now a common component of the toolboxes of journalists willing to work with stronger levels of security, especially in regard to source protection. By means of a content analysis of publicly available documents and semi-structured interviews with journalists using the software, this article looks at news organizations' uses of SecureDrop, journalists' perceptions of the software's strengths and limitations, and the accountability practices adopted by news organizations in regard to their use of SecureDrop. Overall, this article contributes to the understanding of how SecureDrop and information security in general are entering the journalistic field and becoming accepted journalistic practices

Accountability · Field (mathematics · Internet privacy · Journalism · Open source · Political science · Public relations · Work (physics · Computer Science · Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies · Engineering · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Media Studies and Communication · Law · Software

  • ‘Information Pressures’ and the Facebook Files

    Rebekah Larsen•Digital Journalism•2022

  • Electronic Surveillance and Australian Journalism

    Open Access•Diarmaid Harkin, Monique Mann•Digital Journalism•2025

  • Information security and journalism

    Open Access•Philip Di Salvo•Sociology Compass•2022

  • Newsafety

    Open Access•Oscar Westlund, Roy Krøvel et al.•Journalism Practice•2022

  • Whistleblowers and their Faith in Journalism

    Karin Assmann•Journalism Practice•2022

  • Anonymity Technologies in Investigative Journalism

    Marjolaine Biscop, David Décary-Hétu•Journalism Practice•2022

  • We Have to act Like our Devices are Already Infected

    Philip Di Salvo•Journalism Practice•2021

  • Whistleblowing and the press

    Open Access•Thomas Olesen•Journalism•2022

  • Blurred Boundaries of Journalism to Guarantee Safety

    Open Access•Lucia Mesquita, Mathias-Felipe De-Lima-Santos•Journalism Studies•2023

  • Anti-Corruption Initiatives and the Digital Challenge

    Open Access•Alice Fubini, Alessandra Lo Piccolo•American Behavioral Scientist•2024

  • The Hybrid Media System

    Andrew Chadwick•Hybrid Media System•2013

  • The Alternative Epistemologies of Data Activism

    Milan, Stefania Milan et al.•Digital Culture & Society•2016

  • Title unavailable

    Open Access•null null•Philosophy study•2016

  • The Information Security Cultures of Journalism

    Open Access•Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Masashi Crete‐nishihata et al.•Digital Journalism•2020

  • Obfuscation

    Finn Brunton, Helen Nissenbaum•Obfuscation•2015

  • The Rules of Art

    Pierre Bourdieu•The Rules of Art•1996

  • Clarifying Journalism’s Quantitative Turn

    Mark Coddington•Digital Journalism•2014

  • Interactive Journalism

    Nikki Usher•Interactive Journalism•2016

  • Trading zones, boundary objects, and the pursuit of news innovation

    Open Access•Susan C Lewis, Seth C Lewis et al.•Convergence The International…•2016

  • Journalism as Activism

    Open Access•Leah A Lievrouw•European Journal of Communication•2017

  • Space for the Liminal

    Open Access•Valérie Bélair-Gagnon, Avery E Holton et al.•Media and Communication•2019

  • Open source and journalism

    Open Access•Susan C Lewis, Seth C Lewis et al.•Media Culture & Society•2013

  • Code, Collaboration, And The Future Of Journalism

    Susan C Lewis, Nikki Usher•Digital Journalism•2014

  • Breaking Through the Ambivalence

    Jennifer R Henrichsen•Digital Journalism•2019

  • Online Journalism from the Periphery

    Scott A Eldridge•Online Journalism from the…•2017

  • How journalists understand the threats and opportunities of new technologies

    Open Access•Lokman Tsui, Francis Lee•Journalism•2019

  • A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative Evaluation Data

    Open Access•Donald R Thomas, David R Thomas•American Journal of Evaluation•2006

  • Boundary-Work and the Demarcation of Science from Non-Science

    Thomas F Gieryn•American Sociological Review•1983

  • Hacker practice

    Open Access•E Gabriella Coleman, A Golub•Anthropological Theory•2008

  • From Internet Farming to Weapons of the Geek

    Gabriella Coleman•Current Anthropology•2017

Unique citing works10
Citations per year2
Citation span2021 - 2025 (5)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 10
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae