Share tips securely & anonymously

From left to right: Ben Smith, Editor-in-Chief; Janine Gibson, Editor-in-Chief, UK; Shani O. Hilton, Head of News, US; and Mark Schoofs, Investigations & Projects Editor. Jon Premosch for BuzzFeed News

Tell us what you know

Have you come across evidence of corruption, crime, or wrongdoing? Do you believe members of the public are being harmed, exploited, or misled? Investigative journalism relies on people who have the courage to blow the whistle when they come across evidence of serious wrongdoing. A great tip will provide specific evidence of wrongdoing — not just a hunch, speculation, or personal grievance. Often, documentation is what sets a tip apart from a hunch: Do you have memos or videos or records that show some powerful person, company, or government agency abusing their powers, such as fleecing people of money or causing bodily or emotional harm?

Protecting your identity

We can investigate most effectively if we know who you are and have a chance to discuss your information with you, even if you prefer to talk in confidence. We know that sources often risk serious reprisals, so we frequently agree to keep sources confidential. If we agree to keep you anonymous, that agreement is sacrosanct to us, and we will do everything possible to prevent ourselves from being forced to hand over your identity.

Of course, sometimes sources are only prepared to disclose evidence without revealing their identity even to journalists. If you prefer to use a secure method that keeps your identity hidden from us, you can use our SecureDrop system. SecureDrop is the world standard for sending documents anonymously. When you interact with SecureDrop, we don’t have access to information that may personally identify you. Everything from your IP address to your physical location will be masked by the onion network (Tor). SecureDrop allows for us to communicate with you without knowing who you are.

You can also use an old-fashioned method that can be remarkably effective: the postal service. You can send mail to us in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Australia — our addresses are on this page.

You may wish to send us information without revealing your identity and then contact us directly to have a discussion, either on-the-record or in confidence, without leaving a paper-trail. On this page, you will find ways to get in touch with us.

Our promise to you

Investigative journalism relies on people who have the courage to blow the whistle when they come across evidence of serious wrongdoing. But no system is 100% secure, so we cannot absolutely guarantee your security. For example, if the computer you are using to submit documents is already compromised, any activities, including communications, could be compromised as well. SecureDrop is state-of-the-art, but like all software, it could have security bugs that could be exploited by attackers. Ultimately, you use the service at your own risk.

Still, if you take the brave step to blow the whistle on major wrongdoing, we’ll do everything in our power to see that the public interest is served by investigating your information and bringing the truth to light.