Journalists, researchers, and activists · 10 min read
Photo safety checklist for journalists
A threat-aware workflow for source protection, location review, device identifiers, visual clues, derivatives, and secure handoff.
Begin with the threat model
Identify who may seek the location, source identity, device history, or capture time and what other information they can combine with the image. A generic clean label is not enough for high-risk reporting.
Separate originals from publication copies
Preserve evidentiary originals in an appropriate secure system. Create a distinct derivative for publication, and document what was removed without placing the private values in the report.
Use layered verification
Combine automated metadata checks with a second-person visual review when consequences are high. Follow organizational security and legal procedures rather than treating a browser utility as a complete operational-security system.
Review checklist
- ✓ Define the adversary and consequence
- ✓ Protect the original
- ✓ Create a cleaned derivative
- ✓ Perform independent visual review
- ✓ Verify the exact publication file
Put it into practice
Check the exact photo you plan to share
The scanner works locally and does not add your filename or extracted metadata to an analytics request.
Open the privacy check