Some situations require privacy practices that the rest of this series cannot deliver. This is the guide for those situations — written carefully, with the gravity such circumstances demand.
There is a category of privacy need that the rest of the ShannonGuides series does not fully address: people whose disclosure of certain information could result in their imprisonment, their job loss, their physical safety, or the safety of others. Whistleblowers exposing corporate or governmental wrongdoing. Journalists protecting sources. Activists in repressive environments. People in genuine high-stakes circumstances where the cost of a privacy failure is severe.
This guide is for those situations specifically. It does not promise invisibility or anonymity beyond what is achievable in practice — in fact, it is honest about what determined state actors can and cannot do, and where the limits of civilian privacy practice lie. It covers high-stakes threat modelling, secure document handling, communications discipline at a level the rest of the series does not require, source protection (for journalists working with people who took serious risks to come forward), how to submit sensitive material (SecureDrop and the alternatives), the legal landscape across jurisdictions, and — critically — when to bring in professional help and how to recognise that you should.
Written with real care. This is the guide where acting on the contents alone is most dangerous, and the guide that most clearly says when to stop and consult professionals. The depth such circumstances actually require, written by someone who takes the gravity of the topic seriously.
A narrowly drawn audience: whistleblowers, journalists with sensitive sources, activists in repressive environments, and others in genuine high-stakes circumstances. If you are unsure whether you are in this category, you are probably not — the rest of the ShannonGuides series will serve you better. Please read the guide’s opening pages carefully.
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