The Guardian, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, has launched 'Secure Messaging,' a new open-source tool within its app designed to protect journalistic sources by making confidential communication indistinguishable from regular app data. This 'world-first' innovation aims to safeguard investigative journalism and public interest globally, especially as threats to journalists increase.
The Guardian launches Secure Messaging, a world-first from a media organisation, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️The Guardian, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, has launched 'Secure Messaging,' a new open-source tool within its app designed to protect journalistic sources by making confidential communication indistinguishable from regular app data. This 'world-first' innovation aims to safeguard investigative journalism and public interest globally, especially as threats to journalists increase.
Trending- 1 2022: University of Cambridge researchers wrote 'CoverDrop' paper
- 2 After paper publication: Guardian started work to make Secure Messaging a reality
- 3 June 9, 2025: The Guardian launched Secure Messaging
- 4 Guardian published the open source code for Secure Messaging
- 5 Guardian will continue to develop the platform in coming months
- Enhanced protection for journalistic sources
- Easier and safer story-sharing for the public
- Open-sourcing of technology for other media organizations
- Strengthening of investigative journalism globally
What: The Guardian launched 'Secure Messaging,' a new open-source tool for confidential story-sharing and source protection within its app. This technology, developed with the University of Cambridge, conceals the fact that messaging is taking place, making it indistinguishable from regular app data. The source code has been published for other media organizations to adopt.
When: Today (June 9, 2025), 2022 (paper written by Cambridge researchers).
Where: The Guardian (London, UK), University of Cambridge (Cambridge, UK), US (where journalists are under pressure), globally.
Why: To protect journalistic sources and underpin the Guardian’s commitment to investigative journalism, especially given increasing threats to journalists globally. It aims to make it easier and safer for the public to share tips with journalists.
How: The Guardian's product and engineering team, in partnership with the University of Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology, built Secure Messaging. The technology works by making confidential communication indistinguishable from data sent to and from the app by regular users, providing 'cover' for sources. The source code has been released as open source.