Start protecting your digital security and help advocate for the rights of others in the age of mass surveillance with how-to guides and resources.
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From FPF
Passkeys: Passwordless logins for beginners
A beginner-friendly guide for learning about and setting up passkeys for secure logins.
From FPF
Security considerations for newsrooms using TikTok
Let's talk about maximizing organizational security settings within TikTok.
From FPF
Phishing prevention and email hygiene
Journalists and newsrooms are increasingly being targeted through their email. Virtually every "sophisticated" hack of an individual reporter or entire news organization starts with a relatively simple attack: phishing and spear phishing. Prepare yourself for this eventuality with our email hygiene guide.
From FPF
What to do if your phone is seized by police
So, you’ve been arrested at an event. You’re taken to the police station and your phone is confiscated. When you’re let out, you realize someone has gone through your digital belongings. What now?
From FPF
Everything you wanted to know about media metadata, but were afraid to ask
Take a crash course in some of the tools you can use to analyze, manipulate, and scrub media metadata.
From FPF
Three types of passphrases
From song lyrics to rolling dice, here's a quick reference guide for making it easier to choose a safe passphrase based on the devices and applications you're using.
From FPF
An in-depth guide to choosing a VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an essential tool for protecting your online activity. Figuring out which VPN to use and finding security among the snake oil can be a challenge. This guide will show you what to look for.
From FPF
Your smartphone and you: A handbook to modern mobile maintenance
If there’s one item in your possession housing the most information about you, it’s probably your phone. Keeping your information safe depends on learning a little more about how to choose your small computer, and how to care for it long term.
An FPF Graphic
Mobile security tips: Nine steps to prepare your phone before an action
Need to bring your phone to a protest, but worried it may be confiscated? Our infographic lists nine steps you can take to secure your mobile phone before you walk out the door.
An FPF Graphic
Mobile security tips: How to respond to confiscation and compromise
While attending an organized action, your mobile device is at risk of being tampered with by authorities. You can minimize the consequences of a mobile phone confiscation by following the steps in our visual guide.
From FPF
Redacting photos on the go: A field guide
Photos and how we share them can present risks to the people and sensitive information that’s been captured in the process. In this guide, we discuss how to safely redact photos on the go.
From FPF
OnionShare for beginners
Learn how to get started using OnionShare to anonymously chat with sources, transfer files, and even host a website.
From FPF
Signal, the secure messaging app: A guide for beginners
Learn how to get started using Signal, the encrypted messaging app, for secure voice, video, and text chat.
From FPF
Locking down Signal
Concerned about the privacy and security of your communications? Follow our guide to locking down Signal.
From FPF
Upgrading WhatsApp security
If you use WhatsApp, you can take a few steps to make it much more safe and secure.
From FPF
Keybase for beginners
How to get started using Keybase, a tool for secure chat and file sharing.
An FPF Series
Encryption toolkit for media makers
This collection features an intro to encryption with pro tips and a technical glossary, as well as step-by-step guides for Disk Utility, VeraCrypt, and Bitlocker To Go.
From FPF
Taking private photos with Signal
Normally when you take a photo on your smartphone, the photo is copied to the camera roll, making it available to other apps and backup services. By sending photos within Signal you can ensure your most sensitive photos are only visible to the person you send them to.
From FPF
So you want a second Signal account
Let's say you want to talk to someone on Signal, but you don't want to give them your real Signal number. Wouldn't it be great to have a second Signal number to give them?
From FPF
Verifying open source software
In this guide, we walk you through verifying the legitimacy of an open source software package before installation. As the old adage goes, "Check yo sigs before you wreck yo gigs."
From FPF
Two-factor authentication for beginners
One of the best ways to secure your accounts during login is to require a second factor — a second piece of information — beyond the password.
From FPF
ProtonMail like a pro
ProtonMail is a Switzerland-based email client that offers end-to-end encryption between its users by default. We cover some of its more advanced uses and configurations, and tackle some of its main issues head-on.
From FPF
Encrypting email with Mailvelope: A beginner's guide
The browser extension Mailvelope provides users with a simple and accessible means to encrypt the content of their emails. This guide features the essentials you need to get started with your own Mailvelope setup.
From FPF
An in-depth guide to choosing a web browser
Prioritize privacy and security when surfing the web. Most of your internet usage happens through a web browser, so it's important to pick one that defends you online. In this guide, we'll go over different browser features, and which ones you should look for.
From FPF
Responding to a password breach while preparing for the next one
If you've ever been notified of a data breach involving your credentials for a website or app, you may already know that you need to change your password for that account. In this guide, we'll dive into why your password needs to change and what to change it to in order to prepare for the next breach.
From FPF
Pretty great privacy with PGP smartcards
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is an open standard for encrypting and signing data, including email, between two PGP users. In this guide, we’ll go through the process of securely generating, storing, and using a PGP key pair in a hardware token.
From FPF
Choosing a password manager
So you've heard you should use a password manager to make and safely store strong passwords. But there are so many, you say, how do you choose? This guide shows you how.
Request Training Information
We offer in-person training on various privacy and security tools for media organizations and individual journalists. If you're interested in getting some help, please put in a request through this form.
Security Blog
Understanding every one of Signal’s identifiers
We often talk to journalists in the field about how to use Signal, the encrypted messaging app. Along the way we’ve heard some confusion about Signal’s recent addition of usernames …
Advice column: Why trust Signal?
Welcome to “Ask a security trainer,” the column where the Digital Security Training team at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) answers your burning questions at the intersection of journalism …
Setting up a secure tipline on a budget
Whether you are an independent journalist or a newsroom manager, there may come a time when you need to set up a dedicated tipline. Which platform you choose may help …