Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept internet communications, or see where communications are coming from or going to. If you are at high risk and you have the capacity to do so, you can also access the submission system through a secure operating system called Tails. Tails is an operating system launched from a USB stick or a DVD that aim to leaves no traces when the computer is shut down after use and automatically routes your internet traffic through Tor.
Our submission system works hard to preserve your anonymity, but we recommend you also take some of your own precautions. Please review these basic guidelines. If you have a very large submission, or a submission with a complex format, or are a high-risk source, please contact us.
In our experience it is always possible to find a custom solution for even the most seemingly difficult situations. If the computer you are uploading from could subsequently be audited in an investigation, consider using a computer that is not easily tied to you. Technical users can also use Tails to help ensure you do not leave any records of your submission on the computer. If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. We are the global experts in source protection — it is a complex field.
Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. This includes other media organisations. If you are a high-risk source, avoid saying anything or doing anything after submitting which might promote suspicion. In particular, you should try to stick to your normal routine and behaviour. If you are a high-risk source and the computer you prepared your submission on, or uploaded it from, could subsequently be audited in an investigation, we recommend that you format and dispose of the computer hard drive and any other storage media you used.
In particular, hard drives retain data after formatting which may be visible to a digital forensics team and flash media USB sticks, memory cards and SSD drives retain data even after a secure erasure. If you used flash media to store sensitive data, it is important to destroy the media. If you do this and are a high-risk source you should make sure there are no traces of the clean-up, since such traces themselves may draw suspicion. If a legal action is brought against you as a result of your submission, there are organisations that may help you.
