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Contacting Us Safely

Some of the people who reach us face real risk for doing so. This page explains, plainly, how we handle what you share with us — and how you can contact us more safely. We would rather tell you the honest limits than make promises we cannot keep.

Our commitments to you

  • We keep sensitive contact confidential. We will not publish or disclose the identity of a source or a confidential contact without your explicit, informed consent.
  • We ask for only what we need. Please do not send us identifying details, documents, or metadata that are not necessary. The less you share, the less there is to protect.
  • We do not keep more than we must. We delete sensitive messages and materials when they are no longer needed, and we do not retain lists of at-risk contacts longer than necessary.
  • We do not sell, rent, or trade your information, and we do not share it with any government or third party except where we are genuinely compelled by law. Where we can lawfully do so, we will resist improper demands and let you know.
  • Access is limited. Only a small number of trusted people can read the secure inbox.

The honest limits

No one can promise perfect security, and we will not pretend otherwise.

  • No channel is perfectly safe. Even when the content of a message is encrypted, metadata — the fact that a message was sent, when, and between which accounts — can still exist and may be visible to others.
  • Visiting this website is not anonymous by default. We use Google Analytics and our host keeps standard server logs, so ordinary browsing can be recorded. If you are at risk, take precautions before you browse or contact us — for example, use the Tor Browser and, where appropriate, a trusted VPN.
  • We are based in Japan and subject to its laws. We cannot guarantee protection against every possible legal process. This is precisely why we hold as little as possible: so that there is little to compel.
  • We do not control third-party platforms. Email providers, messaging apps, and networks have their own practices and vulnerabilities.

How to reach us more safely

  • Prefer the secure channel. Write to llhk-sec@protonmail.com, our confidential inbox on Proton Mail. For end-to-end encrypted mail from any provider, encrypt to our PGP public key (fingerprint on the Contact page).
  • Protect yourself first. Where possible, use a device and account that are not tied to your real identity, and consider the Tor Browser and a VPN.
  • Share only what is necessary. Remove metadata from files and photos before sending, and avoid identifying yourself unless it is essential to what you are telling us.
  • If your risk is very high, tell us so — without sensitive detail — and we can discuss a safer arrangement, such as an encrypted messenger or contact through a trusted intermediary.

If you are a Hongkonger, journalist, researcher, or anyone whose safety — or whose family's safety — could be affected by contacting us, please take a moment to read this page before you write. We would rather you reach us safely than quickly.

This page is practical guidance, not a guarantee of security, and it is not legal advice. We review it periodically as tools and risks change. Last updated: July 2026.