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The Telegraph Investigations team has published a series of ground-breaking scoops that have held the powerful to account.

From politics to sport, to expenses and healthcare, our team have uncovered evidence that has led to criminal, parliamentary and regulatory inquiries.

Our reporters rely on tip offs and information from whistle-blowers. Information provided by our readers has led to some of our biggest scoops and we are grateful for your help in uncovering wrongdoing or unethical behaviour.

We are committed to protecting our sources.  If you would like to get it touch, it can be important to protect your identity and security. 

There are several options available (although none are guaranteed)

Email - investigations@telegraph.co.uk

One of the easiest ways to contact us is by email, but it is worth thinking how to protect yourself.  You might choose to set up a new email address not in your name, but it is worth bearing in mind that if you are using a public or work computer, there may be a record of information sent and received.

Here are the emails addresses for the team -

If you would like to send confidential material, one of the best ways is using PGP to encrypt the email.

Telephone

The main number for the investigations team is 020 7931 3354.  However, if you want to discuss sensitive information, you may not want to use your home, office or mobile phone.

Consider where you are making the call from, will there be a trace?  It might be worth buying a pay-as-you-go phone and thinking carefully about when and where you make the call - can you be overheard?  

Pros

  • Easy access

  • Reasonably secure

Cons

  • Doesn’t always provide full security

  • Can’t send large documents

  • Difficult to provide anonymity

Post

Arguably, the most secure way to provide anonymous, confidential material is by post.  Our address is  - Investigations, Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT.  

However, before you pop something in the mail, consider where you are posting it from, is it likely to leave a trace?

Pros

  • Easy for printed documentation

Cons

  • One way communication.  It is hard for the journalist to ask follow up questions.  We would almost certainly want to speak to you.

SecureDrop

Telegraph SecureDrop address

SecureDrop is a system designed to be accessed over the dark web to allow sources to anonymously and safely send information to journalists.

It is only possible to access the system using Tor. When you upload files or send us messages using SecureDrop, those messages are encrypted and only members of the Investigations team are able to retrieve and decrypt them. Responses can be posted and are visible only to the original poster.

SecureDrop was developed and is maintained by the Freedom of the Press Foundation and is the de facto standard for secure, anonymous communications with investigative journalists.

We recommend using Tails, a secure, anonymising operating system that boots from a USB stick and provides access to to the dark web using Tor.

Pros

  • Anonymous over Tor with no email addresses associated with messages

  • All messages and files are automatically encrypted once they are uploaded to the system

  • Easy to use once using Tor

  • Standard system for anonymously and securely sending files to journalists

Cons

  • Using Tor is marginally more difficult than using encrypted email

  • Responses need to be checked for

  • Most companies monitor for Tor traffic, so it is likely that your employer would notice your activity.

Best for:

  • Files and messages where anonymity is essential

To use Secure Drop, you will need a Tor browser

Accessing the SecureDrop system requires using a Tor browser, which is a special web browser that anonymises and encrypts access to the web. The Telegraph’s SecureDrop system operates as a hidden service on the dark web.

It is possible to use Tor from any operating system, by downloading the bundle from here: https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en

However, to use Tor to its full anonymising potential, you should consider using Tails, a secure operating system that boots your laptop or desktop into a secure environment, separate from your day-to-day system. It is available here: https://tails.boum.org/index.en.html

Notes:

  • Some organisations block and monitor Tor traffic, so be wary of using Tor or Tails in your workplace

  • Some laptops, Chromebooks in particular, won’t allow Tails to boot

  • Using Tor as an app on your laptop or desktop will leave traces, so consider the security of your device if you are not using Tails.

Call for information

If you work in the technology industry, and have information suggesting the public is being harmed, exploited or misled by powerful corporations, we want to hear from you.

The Telegraph (UK), together with the international news organizations Die Zeit (Germany), El Mundo (Spain), Information (Denmark), McClatchy (USA) and Mediapart (France), welcomes information from whistleblowers within the technology industry.

This sector has enhanced and transformed our lives. Technology companies wield extraordinary influence, holding some of our most personal secrets, sometimes working hand in hand with intelligence agencies or other private corporations, and generating ever-greater sway over the democratic process.

Do you have information about a tech firm doing something wrong or mishandling data? If you believe in good faith that the public is being harmed, exploited or misled, we want to hear from you, whether the data in question is being used for social media, marketing, healthcare, law enforcement, machine learning/AI, or any other field. 

Concerns have arisen in recent years about tech companies manipulating users, misusing their data, or inappropriately targeting children. Corporations and governments have been accused of harnessing data to manipulate the democratic process, and tech companies have been criticised for helping authoritarian regimes quash dissent. 

A great tip provides specific evidence of wrongdoing – not rumour or speculation.

How can whistleblowers answer the call for information?

If you want your story to potentially reach a global audience of more than 150 million in five languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Danish), then get in touch with us in the following ways.

Please be aware each way offers a different level of privacy and anonymity, and no method of communication is 100 percent secure.

Here is additional advice, from Freedom of the Press Foundation, on how to share sensitive information: https://freedom.press/news/sharing-sensitive-leaks-press/.

Signal Messenger

You can reach our journalists via the encrypted app Signal at +45 30 96 12 66

Journalists of the media partners are monitoring this Signal account. 

Signal is an encrypted instant-messaging and phone-call app. Signal stores your number, but it doesn’t store a log of who you communicate with, or who communicates with you. You can also set it to erase messages so that they no longer exist on your phone, the recipient’s phone, or in the cloud. You can download Signal for Android or iPhone. Consider using a phone number on Signal that your employer cannot connect to you. Understand that Signal is not designed to facilitate complete anonymity. 

Using Signal is pretty easy.

Here’s how:

Open the Signal app and tap the pen icon (in the top-right on an iPhone, in the bottom-right on Android) to start a new message. Type our phone number in the search box, +45 30 96 12 66. From there, you can send us an encrypted Signal message. Only written messages and documents should be sent through Signal. No phone calls will be answered. No classic text messages will be monitored. 

Send Us Mail

Regular postal mail can also be a secure way to communicate, especially if you put the mail in a drop box rather than go inside a post office.

Keep in mind that USPS monitors the packaging of everything sent through the postal system. This includes the location from which you send your parcel, and it might include a sample of your handwriting. If law enforcement searches your parcel before it reaches us, they’ll be able to see whatever you’re sending, which could include your fingerprints, as well as tracking information embedded in documents, such as printer tracking dots. Drop it in a public mailbox (do not send it from home, work or a post office) with no return address. 

Die Zeit

Karsten Polke-Majewski
Buceriusstrasse Eingang
Speersort 1
20095 Hamburg
Deutschland

El Mundo

Pablo Herraiz
Avenida de San Luis, 25
28033 Madrid
Espana

Information

Sebastian Gjerding
Store Kongensgade 40C
1264 København
Denmark

McClatchy / Miami Herald

Casey Frank
11410 NW 20th street
Suite 222
Miami, FL 33172

Mediapart

Yann Philippin
127, avenue Ledru Rollin
75012 Paris
France

The Telegraph

Claire Newell
111 Buckingham Palace Road
London, SW1W 0DT
United Kingdom

The Signals Network

The Telegraph, together with Die Zeit, El Mundo, Information, McClatchy and Mediapart are partnering with The Signals Network — an American 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting media collaborations, to maximizing the social impact of published investigations and to providing support to selected whistle-blowers. You can learn more about The Signals Network here.


The main media and journalists involved in this call for information are:

Die Zeit (Germany): Holger Stark, Karsten Polke-Majewski, Sascha Venohr, Luisa Hommerich

El Mundo (Spain): Pablo Herraiz 

Information (Denmark): Sebastian Gjerding

McClatchy/Miami Herald (USA): Casey Frank, Ben Wieder

Mediapart (France): Yann Philippin, Fabrice Arfi

The Daily Telegraph (UK): Claire Newell, Sophie Barnes, Katherine Rushton

Independent journalists Sylke Gruhnwald, (Switzerland)

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