Do you have a tip you'd like to share? Information about a company, individual or government agency we should follow up on? Contact us in whatever method you feel comfortable. You can pass along information or documentation through any of the methods below. There is no way to guarantee a connection is completely secure, so check out the tools below and decide for yourself.
Here are some guidelines for what makes a good tip, but please remember we can't act on every tip sent to us:
It's not just opinion or conjecture. We're looking for more than just conspiracy theories. We're looking for facts and evidence.
Considers the subject from a perspective beyond yourself. Does this impact a lot of people?
Be as specific as you can, and if you have it, please send actual documented evidence.
Good tips often shed light on a systemic issue—the harm represents something that could be happening to many people, but can also show corruption, unethical behavior or disregard for human life. Obviously, tips about public officials and government agencies are newsworthy, but tips can also pertain to corporations, non-profits, public institutions (like museums) or even your local sports teams or college.
Postal mail is always an easy, anonymous option. Be sure to use a public mailbox, not an actual Post Office.
Address:
CBS News Investigative Unit
514 W 57th Street, 6th FloorSuite 207
New York,
NY10019
Signal
Signal is a messaging app with end-to-end encryption. While Signal is confidential, it is not anonymous (similar to PGP). Beyond the phone number you use to register for this service and the date of your most recent activity, Signal says no metadata related to your communications with this app are recorded. A self-destruct feature in this app means you can set your message to disappear after we’ve seen it.
PGP is a type of software that enables you to send documents and emails that have been encrypted, which means they are converted to code in order to prevent unauthorized access. One easy-to-use PGP service is Mailvelope, a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that works with Gmail. Please note that while Mailvelope is intended to encrypt the body of your email and any attachments, information such as sender, recipient, subject and time stamp may be accessible to your email provider.
SecureDrop is an encrypted submission system intended to protect your identity, location and the information you send. We don’t and are unable to track any information about those who contact us using this method. SecureDrop uses Tor software to facilitate anonymous online communication. Please scan your computer for malware before communicating with us using SecureDrop. You should consider using a public Wi-Fi network, instead of your home network, for this option.
Instructions for using SecureDrop:
CBS News’ SecureDrop page is only accessible via the Tor browser. Use of the Tails secure operating system is recommended.
Boot Tails and open the Tor browser. You’ll immediately notice that it is slower than a typical browser; that’s because of the extra lengths being taken to hide your identity. Wait for a page confirming you’ve connected to the Tor network, then copy and paste the following URL into the Tor address bar:
Tor URL:
Once there, you will be given more instructions from SecureDrop about how to communicate confidentially.
