Everything from the very real threats journalists face from internet surveillance, to losing control of personal data through mobile messaging applications were all canvassed at DW Akademie’s Digital Safety for Journalists panel discussion at the ARD-Hauptstadtstudio in Berlin.

Joining DW Akademie’s Holger Hank on the panel were Anne Roth (Tactical Technology Collective), Zahi Alawi (DW Akademie), Malte Spitz (German Greens Party), John Goetz (NDR) and William Echikson (Google).

Along with discussing the need for media organizations to be proactive and train journalists to use encryption and secure digital communications, the data retention policies of governments and technology firms, and how the internet should be controlled were also lively debated.

The panel was conducted in both German and English and you can listen to and share the audio of the entire event via SoundCloud. A video will be made available shortly.

The conversation about digital safety for journalists continues on social media via #digisafe. Check out our Storify below highlighting a selection of quotes and comments from the event.

The revelations into the electronic surveillance activities of the US National Security Agency and its Prism system have shown that no one is safe from being spied on. However, journalists can still use some clever tools and open source programs to ensure more security browsing the web, sending emails and communicating with colleagues and sources.

Sandra Mamitzsch of re:publica, Germany’s largest conference on internet and society, offered useful insights on how to start securing your data during her workshop How to keep the NSA out of your Email – a Practical Guide to more Security for your Data at the DLDWomen conference.

“Everything you do online is only as secure as your passwords and your software” says Sandra Mamitzsch. “So use open source wherever possible.”

Here are her best tips:

Strengthening your mobile device

• Update frequently
• Make backups
• Full disk encryption (works for Android devices)
• Use a code/password to lock your device
• Change standard configurations, for example services which have the permission to track you and get your address book data on the iPhone
• Don’t jailbreak you device if you are not sure what you are doing. From the perspective of hackers, it’s more secure to use a standard operating system that is being updated frequently.

Browsing the web

• Always use secure encryption protocol HTTPS
• Use Tor anonymity network – it bounces your communications around a distributed network of relays and makes it impossible to track you
• Activate Do not track option in your browser
• Install blockers like Ghostery which is a plug-in for your browser
• You can use separate browsers, one for logging into your Facebook/ Twitter accounts and another one, where all trackers are blocked.

Email

• Use email encryption software GPG4win for Windows and GPGTools for OSX
• Use mail clients Thunderbird with the security extension Enigmail. Please note people you are communicating with should also install the program.

Chat

• To chat securely, use Adium (OS X), Pidgin (Windows, Linux), ChatSecure (iOS) or Gibberbot (Android)
• Use Threema instead of What’sApp. The app is available both for iOS and Android and ecnrypts your messages. Make sure that the person your are communicating to uses the app as well.

Useful tools for more security

• Tor anonymizer
• Tails – the amnestic incognito live system uses Tor anonymity network, helps you leave no trace on the computer you’re using and encrypt your files, email and instant messaging.
• PortableApps to use with a USB flash drive
• OS X portable applications
• 8 password manager options for Mac and iOS

Further reading on security and encryption:

Encryption Works: How to Protect Your Privacy in the Age of NSA Surveillance by Press Freedom Foundation

The workshop took place at this year’s conference DLDWomen (15-16th July) organized by the German publishing house Hubert Burda Media. DLD (Digital Life Design) is a global conference network devoted to the latest digital trends.

Author and photo: Natalia Karbasova

How encryption works

Let’s start with the basics. If you are storing personal files or files containing sensitive data on your device, the best practice is to encrypt files so that their content can’t be read. To put it simply, encryption means that your files are turned into an unreadable and/or inaccessible set of data, which can only be read using so-called encryption keys. There are many encryption algorithms such as AES, Serpent or Twofish which are known as data encryption standards and help cypher your data.

Encrypt your files and protect them with a password

The easiest way to get started with encryption is to use a “file archiver” and data compression utility such as WinRAR or 7-zip. Thus you can store important files in a single encrypted archive. This is a good method to protect files that you don’t need to access often and is also safeguarded with a password.

TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt

A more sophisticated way is to use open-source encryption software such as TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt is a widely acknowledged tool considered one of the most secure encryption programs existing at the moment. It can encrypt a file, an entire partition or a storage device such as USB drive or hard drive.

To get started with the program, have a look at the beginner’s tutorial. TrueCrypt performs on-the-fly encryption which means that your data is automatically encrypted right before it is saved and decrypted right after it is loaded. Encryption and decryption happens in small steps: while one part of the file is loading, the other is being decrypted. You don’t have to wait until the whole file is decrypted and you can open the file as fast as it would be the case without any encryption.

Please note that you need to choose a really secure and solid password (recommended length – at least 20 characters), otherwise all the efforts to encrypt your files may be a waste of time.

AxCrypt

Another tool to recommend is AxCrypt for Windows, which offers simple right-click encryption and decryption of files. It is a good altern alternative to encrypt files you need for everyday use which are not of major importance. There’s also a portable version of the programme which you can store on your USB device.

AxCrypt

After you have downloaded and installed the software, you can right-click any file and choose AxCrypt in the context menu. You then can choose the command “Encrypt”, after which the program will offer you to enter a password twice. The file icon will then change to a green AxCrypt icon and you will only be able to open it after entering the password. You can also use AxCrypt to create self-extracting archives to transport files.

You can also use AxCrypt to delete files permanently without moving them to trash. To do that, tight-click your file and choose AxCrypt -> Shred and Delete. The file will be overwritten with random data and permanently deleted from your computer.

Alternative encryption software

You can also use local file encryption software offered by the major corporations, such as Windows’ BitLocker or MacOS FileVault. Don’t forget to pick strong passwords . If you need to encrypt your data in the cloud service, such as Dropbox or Google Drive, you can resort to BoxCryptor.

Other software worth considering include:

• Disk Utility for Mac
• GNU Privacy Guard for Windows, Mac and Linux
• DisCryptor
• Cryptext
• RightClick-Encrypt
• Microsoft Private Folder
• Folder Access

Gizmo’s Freeware also has a list of  free security and encryption software .

Hide your data inside other files

Sometimes you need to not only encrypt a file but also to hide the very fact of its existence. That’s where such programs as S-Tools come in handy. The program allows you to hide your files and folders within other files, say graphics files (BMP, GIF) or WAV files (music). Those files can still be viewed or listened to and don’t differ from ordinary files in that format. The program uses a simple drag-and-drop method and lets you hide your files in a matter of minutes.

Steganos Security Suite supports more file formats, however the full version costs US$40. A free alternative is Disguise Folders.

Hide your files and folders in an invisible container

There are also a number of free tools that help you hide files and folders on your computer so that they remain invisible to other users as well as to your operating system. Let’s have a look at some of these free programs.

• WinMend Folder Hidden hides files and folders on local partitions as well as on removable devices.The data is invisible to other programs or on other operating systems.
• Easy file locker runs on Windows and helps you protect your files and folders. Other users will not be able to see, open, read, modify, delete, move or copy the locked file and folders.
• Wise Folder Hider is a tool to hide files and folders on local partitions or removable devices. The data can’t be accessed by other programs or on other operating systems such as DOS. The only way to access or un-hide data is to enter the valid password.
• Hidefolders is another hiding tool for Windows with password protection.
• Free Hide Folder, MySecretFolder and Secure Folder all work along the same lines.

Coming up in the next part of our online security series, Nathalia discusses protecting your email with security expert Jens Kubieziel.

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