Multi-platform character of communication
The digital migration to completely secure channels is often recommended in digital
security training. However, one notable issue experienced by journalists is the
delayed response when using secure but less conventional apps like Signal.
Journalists report that their colleagues and informants, despite being registered on
these platforms, often respond late. Journalist #1 observes that for such individuals,
regularly checking these apps is not a common practice, leading to delayed
notifications—with one instance involving a month-long wait for a reply. For personal
communication, journalists predominantly use Facebook, where our informants tend
to carefully navigate sensitive discussions to avoid manual surveillance (on manual
surveillance, see the “Perceived Threats and Risks” section).
While this tendency to rely on less secure communication platforms may be seen as
neglect of digital hygiene practices, this pattern illustrates that understanding
security practices involves understanding communication as a relational practice. The
preference for mediums like Facebook is rooted in their relational networks; individuals
gravitate towards platforms already populated by their contacts. The idea of a
complete migration to more secure apps like Signal, as often recommended in digital
security training, is impractical. Such a shift would sever journalists from the relational
networks essential not only in their professional lives but also personal ones.
Rather than a complete migration, journalists are tactically using different mediums
for different purposes. Journalist #4 revealed that while their communication
platforms with family and friends remained unchanged, they became more cautious
about sharing potentially harmful information on Facebook Messenger. The main shift
occurred in professional communication within their organisation. They switched from
Facebook Messenger and Viber to Signal and Telegram, adopting Protonmail due to
heightened awareness of digital security. There is a need to acknowledge this multiplatform character of communication practices. Their continued use of apps like
Facebook is also linked to a critical need identified by most journalists: to maintain an
appearance of normalcy.
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