Jerome Marot
Well-known member
Chloe is an investigative journalist working for an international broadcast service; we will call the TV show she works for The Inquirer. She travels around the world to work with local journalists on uncovering stories that make the headlines: from human trafficking to drug cartels and government corruption. While her documentaries are watched by many and inspire change in the countries she works in, you would not know who Chloe is if we were to tell you her real name. That is because Chloe works hard to protect her anonymity.
Chloe does not appear on screen and has a very restricted use of social media. No one would know from searching her name that she works for The Inquirer. She values this anonymity, which allows her to approach sources without raising suspicions or concerns. When necessary, it also allows her to engage in undercover reporting.
In February 2019, Chloe travels to a country in West Africa. She expects to be there for a while and knows she will have to return many times over the course of the year. She needs to gain the trust of several sources who are in extremely vulnerable positions.
Upon arriving in the country, Chloe buys a local SIM card. She will be using this to communicate with her sources. She has carefully considered her threat model and she knows that, in this particular case, the people she is investigating are not state actors and have no tech resources. She is therefore reassured she does not need to worry about state surveillance of her communications.
Chloe starts working. She makes phone calls to her sources telling them clearly who she is, who she works for and what she is trying to achieve. One day, Chloe needs to meet with a source. She uses her local phone to order a cab from a cab company. Her number is shared with the driver, who calls her to confirm he has arrived. When she enters the cab, the driver greets her “So… you work for The Inquirer?”
The driver points at his phone. Her number is registered on the driver’s phone as “Chloe The Inquirer Journalist.” Chloe takes a picture of the phone, leaves the car and calls the information security team at The Inquirer to try and find out what has happened and how she has been exposed.
Do you want to know the end of the story and how Chloe was uncovered? The original article is at privacy international.
Chloe does not appear on screen and has a very restricted use of social media. No one would know from searching her name that she works for The Inquirer. She values this anonymity, which allows her to approach sources without raising suspicions or concerns. When necessary, it also allows her to engage in undercover reporting.
In February 2019, Chloe travels to a country in West Africa. She expects to be there for a while and knows she will have to return many times over the course of the year. She needs to gain the trust of several sources who are in extremely vulnerable positions.
Upon arriving in the country, Chloe buys a local SIM card. She will be using this to communicate with her sources. She has carefully considered her threat model and she knows that, in this particular case, the people she is investigating are not state actors and have no tech resources. She is therefore reassured she does not need to worry about state surveillance of her communications.
Chloe starts working. She makes phone calls to her sources telling them clearly who she is, who she works for and what she is trying to achieve. One day, Chloe needs to meet with a source. She uses her local phone to order a cab from a cab company. Her number is shared with the driver, who calls her to confirm he has arrived. When she enters the cab, the driver greets her “So… you work for The Inquirer?”
The driver points at his phone. Her number is registered on the driver’s phone as “Chloe The Inquirer Journalist.” Chloe takes a picture of the phone, leaves the car and calls the information security team at The Inquirer to try and find out what has happened and how she has been exposed.
Do you want to know the end of the story and how Chloe was uncovered? The original article is at privacy international.
