John Scott-Railton Shares Tips and Tools to Protect Yourself Digitally

Senior researcher John Scott-Railton speaks with GIJN about strategies journalists can employ to improve their digital hygiene and protect themselves from targeted attacks. He recommends concrete steps like turning on protective phone and messaging app settings, enrolling in advanced protection programs, and reaching out to security helplines.

Scott-Railton notes that these measures are not “silver bullets,” but can be helpful for security and peace of mind, like “putting a second steel door on your apartment.” He emphasizes that no one has to navigate the “morass of good and terrible advice on how to be safer online” alone.

The practices Scott-Railton recommends can protect both reporters and their sources, but he notes that it’s crucial to keep learning new strategies and to “think about security as a group process.”