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Whether you are an activist, journalist, member of a marginalized group, or just a regular citizen, you need online protection. In this age of data selling, theft, and surveillance, privacy is under siege. Our encryption products can help you stay safe and anonymous. Get our apps here.

Protecting journalists during potentially violent elections

South African elections take place on 8 May 2019. The Committee to Protect Journalists has published a safety kit for journalists to prepare for the elections. It guides journalists through such things as physical safety, basic device preparedness, identifying bots, dealing with online harassment and trolls, securing and storing materials (our specialty!), and psychological safety and dealing with trauma. These tips do not apply only to South Africa, but across the world.

Some highlights, and where we come in:

"Journalists should check the content in messaging applications, such as WhatsApp. They should save and then delete any information that puts them at risk. Media workers should be aware that WhatsApp backs up all content to the cloud service linked to the account, for example iCloud or Google Drive." Our advice: Don't use WhatsApp at all. Use SumRando Messenger. You can even destroy your messages on the receiver's phone, ensuring there is no trace of your message.

"Think about where you want to back up information. You will need to decide whether it is safer to keep your materials in the cloud, on an external hard drive or on a USB." Our advice: Store your info in SumRando Stash, a secure document storage app that requires a secure key and password to access and automatically deletes your documents after a certain number of days of your choosing.

"It is a good idea to encrypt any information that you back up. You can do that by encrypting your external hard drive or USB. You can also turn on encryption for your devices." Our advice: One thing they did not mention is using VPN encryption to secure your info and protect your privacy. You can download SumRando VPN for Windows or Android free or get the openVPN config to use with other systems with a subscription.

If you are not a journalist but want to help, purchasing a subscription to SumRando VPN helps us provide these free apps to journalists and activists across the globe.

Lies, lies, lies

What incredible, vomit-inducing propaganda coming out of MBS's Saudi Kingdom. That a state-run media channel could lie so blatantly is testament to the perpetual state of cloudiness that Saudi citizens must endure when it comes to Truth.

The Saudi news channel claims MBS was awarded Time's Person of the Year, when the reality was that Jamal Khashoggi and other hero journalists, together called "The Guardians," were presented on four different covers. MBS is Mr. B.S.

 

The world of authoritarian propaganda is treacherous. If you control the information, you control the people. Using outright lies is a part of the dictator repertoire. Censorship and blocking the internet is another. Is Time blocked in Saudi Arabia? We don't know. But if MBS is going to lie about who's on the cover, the lie can be enhanced by blocking the truth from the Saudi people.

Fortunately, there is a way to circumvent the lies on the internet. If a site is blocked, you can use a  VPN. We have had a million people across the globe download our VPN in 2018 alone, including tens of thousands of Saudis who are interest in the truth, not the lies of the MBS regime. (You can download it free here.)

 

At least 16 Saudi journalists were in prison as of December 1, in what the New York Times has declared The New Normal. More than 250 journalists were jailed worldwide in 2018 alone. Now, more than ever, is it imperative for journalists to take precautions to protect themselves online. First step, always always always use a VPN. Second step, secure all communications with a safe messaging app. Third step, transfer all documents using a secure file transfer app. 

R.I.P. Jamal Khashoggi and the hundreds of other journalists who have lost their lives in pursuit of truth. You are our true Guardians.

Protect journalists

Rob Hiaasen. Wendi Winters. Gerald Fischman. John McNamara. Rebecca Smith.

Yesterday, these people went to work in the morning. They never came home.

They are the 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, and 34th journalists and media workers killed this year in the line of duty. Telling the truth is a deadly job, with more than 1300 journalists losing their lives since 1992. This time seems a little different, though. While people in the many parts of the world are sadly used to hearing about the deaths of journalists, these five people were sitting in a newsroom in the United States of America.

We can argue about the merits and hypocrisies of U.S. foreign policy all day long, but one thing that the world has never had to question was the commitment of the U.S. to the principles of press freedom. Just three days after the current U.S. president used authoritarian language in calling journalists "enemies of the people," a man shot up a newsroom. Americans of a certain political persuasion wear t-shirts that call for the murder of journalists. Rightwing personalities actively have called for vigilantes to gun down those who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of truth.

The world weeps for you, America.

Here at SumRando Cybersecurity, we are committed to do our small part in protecting journalists from the sociopaths who would do them harm. While we can't provide physical security, we offer encryption tools to help protect their identities and information online. SumRando Messenger is a secure messaging app that also gives you the ability to destroy your messages forever, even on the phone of the person you sent it to. SumRando STASH is a secure file transfer service where you can exchange documents anonymously. SumRando VPN protects your online privacy and security. We currently offer journalists a year of unlimited VPN data for $20.18, nearly $50 off the regular price.