A new platform designed to help whistleblowers in Africa pass sensitive information securely to journalists launched this week. AfriLeaks, a joint project of the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting and the Hermes Centre for Transparency and Digital Human Rights, aims to strengthen investigative journalism across the continent by giving sources a safe and anonymous route to reach trusted media organisations.
The platform operates as a bridge between whistleblowers and journalists, who are responsible for the verification and analysis of any material passed to them. Unlike WikiLeaks, AfriLeaks will not publish information directly — its role is to make the connection securely and discreetly. Khadija Sharife, one of its founders, drew the distinction clearly: WikiLeaks discloses confidential information to the public, which has its own powerful impact; AfriLeaks is an investigative tool that serves the public interest by connecting sources to media, not by publishing itself.
The need for such a platform is not hard to understand. Corruption and human rights abuses across Africa are widespread and systematically underreported. Governments and corporations have become increasingly sophisticated in their surveillance of journalists and sources alike. In some cases, people who have released sensitive information have subsequently disappeared.
AfriLeaks will also work to train journalists across the continent in investigative skills and security practices — acknowledging that many reporters currently have little understanding of the risks they and their sources face when working with leaked material.
The full platform is available at afrileaks.org.
