Thread by @ErrataRob

The indictment for Daniel Hale leaking to Jeremy Scahill at The Intercept is below. I thought I'd mention a few things about it.
justice.gov/usao-edva/pres…

It starts with Hale looking up Scahill on Google from this work computer. This is the problem for leakers: They start by planning NOT to leak, and thus leave traces like this behind. By the time they change their mind and decide to leak, they've left a trail like this behind.

This is why you should just get into the habit of "incognito" browsing, using Tor, and using Signal for messaging, for everyday things. If you only use crypto when your life depends upon it, you are already hosed. You should use them when your life doesn't depend on them.

This poses a problem for a journalist like Scahill. They need to develop sources in much the same way the CIA develops their HUMINT sources. Ideally, for the sources own protection, Scahill would strongarm them early in the process, refusing to response to unencrypted text msgs.

But if he did that, then many sources would simply walk away rather than take the trouble to install Signal or use Jabber. Only when the source has committed themselves by the first illegal leaking of a document are they likely to take the trouble -- and then it's too late.

"The Intercept" is getting a lot of criticism in the way it's failing to protect its leakers, but on the other hand, they are dealing with leakers who don't take the necessary steps themselves. Such as Googling "The Intercept" from their work computers.

As long as The Intercept gets a large number of leaks, and it will, arrested leakers will be somehow tied to The Intercept.

By the way, the phone company keeps a record of all SMS messages indefinitely. Even if both sides delete the messages from their phones, all SMS messages are preserved and searchable by the government. Moreover, 4rth amendment doesn't apply -- they don't even need a warrant.

In other words, whenever a reporter publishes leaked classified documents, investigators will grab all the SMS messages to/from that reporter. They will also review their work computers for every employee who has googled that reporter or accessed their publication's website.

Let's talk about deleting files from thumbdrives. Remember that once you delete a file, it's not gone from the drive until that space is eventually overwritten, which can be never. This is especially true with thumbdrives where that space may not be overwritten even when full.