Academic project Journalist’s Resource published in May 2020 a list of 13 security tips for reporters who report online hate groups and the platforms where they convene.
The digital age has transformed how hate groups operate, and has led to the growth of forums and websites where members discuss their views and spread hate. Journalist’s Resource published in May 2020 a list of 13 security tips for reporters covering on online hate groups and the platforms through which they communicate. The main contents are:
Before Publishing :
- Use a secure password manager to ensure that your passwords are complex and distinct, and always opt for two-factor authentication to safeguard your online accounts.
- Search for your name online and make aliases. Ensure that your address and contact information are not publicly available, and do the same for people you live with, especially if they share the same last name. There are also services that can scrub your online presence for you, namely Privacy Duck, Deleteme and Onerep.
- Use a VPN when visiting web pages you are investigating in order to minimise the risk of disclosing your IP address and location to the site’s owners.
- Tighten your social media privacy to ensure as little information about you is publicly available.
After Publishing:
- Ask someone to monitor social media for you in order to shield yourself from the alienating nature of being harassed and being on the receiving end of threats, obscenities, and bigotry.
- Search for your name online in order to monitor if your personal details are being spread online.
- Don’t delete evidence of harassment to be able to prove, if necessary, that you were the subject of a targeted campaign.
A project of Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center and the Carnegie-Knight Initiative, Journalist’s Resource aims to connect journalists with information about recently published high-quality academic studies on newsy public policy topics.
