Anonymous email…help

[Scarybutnecassary]

I have got the point in my job where the only positive changes will involve a very high organisation to monitor and investigate my workplace . For obvious reasons I do need to report anonymously for now! How do I do this .Thank you for any helpful replies.X

Printed documents cannot be 'traced back' to a device. That's complete nonsense.

They can be matched to a device by forensically comparing ink etc but that is not tracing as they would need to already have a letter and a printer.

Those of you talking about the higher organisation tracking the op down with IP addresses and printed documents 🙄 that's not what they will be spending their time doing. They need to be investigating the complaints op has raised

@scarybutnecessary I would set up a g mail account and monitor it as they may ask for additional information or clarification
If then it feels like it would be outhing then it is ok to say that you dont feel comfortable giving them.
You want the complaint investigated so may need a dialogue with them

If you do need to use a work or pesonal computer you can use a VPN.(Virtual Private Network) There are lots that have a free trial period and are easy. You just search for free trial VPN.

When its open, a VPN will hide your IP address, which is the code that people can look up to see where the computer is and who owns it.

If you open a VPN and then set up an email account and send the emails, the emails will from an unsearchable source.

@SoftwareDev

Good point. I always use a VPN for everything and forget sometimes that some people don't.

[quote SoftwareDev]@CatherinedeBourgh it’s not that simple.

If the OP does this from a workplace computer IT will be able to trace it to her.

In terms of sending it outside of the workplace there are considerations such as setting up a VPN so that you don’t leave a traceable digital footprint. To be truly untraceable you need to hide your IP address. Other considerations include your language nuances for example.[/quote]
You can set up a new email account from a mobile phone, doesn’t need to be a work computer.

@SoftwareDev

Re: libraries / printing

All of the libraries in my local area require you to login using your library card barcode which is of course traceable.

Printed documents can, in the right hands, be traced back to the machines they were printed from.

No they can’t. Are you sure you’re a software developer?

How have you got this far in life never having to set up an email account?

Bear in mind if you set up a brand new email address it might hit spam so never get to the person it's sent to

Machine Identification Code (MIC) can, in some instances, be used to gleam information about a printed document such as the make and serial number of the device it was printed on. What day and time it was printed.

Some sources suggest it was used by intelligence services to identify whistleblower Reality Leigh Winner. Of course due to the nature of her leaks we will never know for sure!

Emails can be traced very easily. They can see which computer it has been sent from. So use a public computer maybe?

What is your company’s whistleblowing policy?
This all sounds very convoluted.
I appreciate the perceived reason for secrecy, but it depends on what you are reporting.

If you do report something, then I agree you need to be as specific as possible to allow the investigation. The vaguer you are the harder it will be to do something about it.

@SoftwareDev

Machine Identification Code (MIC) can, in some instances, be used to gleam information about a printed document such as the make and serial number of the device it was printed on. What day and time it was printed.

Some sources suggest it was used by intelligence services to identify whistleblower Reality Leigh Winner. Of course due to the nature of her leaks we will never know for sure!

So for the OP to be “traced” the company would need to know a huge amount of information about where exactly the printer originated and is located, so your run of the mill Canon from Curry’s will be so anonymous it’s like finding a microscopic needle in a billion tonne haystack. Unless this OP works for GCHQ I would expect their printed and posted letter would be fairly safe. Watch out for fingerprint residue and postmarks though 😏

@MyCommentWasDeleted

If you read back your posts you will note that you have been rude and dismissive of my posts.

You have stated I am wrong yet at one point you suggested the OP could use their phone to set up an anon email. If they did it could easily be traced to them.

I am leaving this thread as per Mark Twain's famous quote I don't wish to be dragged down to your level.

@SoftwareDev

Re: libraries / printing

All of the libraries in my local area require you to login using your library card barcode which is of course traceable.

Printed documents can, in the right hands, be traced back to the machines they were printed from.

It’s possible to trace which networked printer within an organisation has been used but someone in receipt of a totally anonymous document wouldn’t even know where to start AND even if by some miracle they traced the document to the library the library aren’t going to say “Yes, it was scarybutnecassary “

@SoftwareDev

Machine Identification Code (MIC) can, in some instances, be used to gleam information about a printed document such as the make and serial number of the device it was printed on. What day and time it was printed.

Some sources suggest it was used by intelligence services to identify whistleblower Reality Leigh Winner. Of course due to the nature of her leaks we will never know for sure!

Unless OP works for MI5 I think they will be ok

[quote SoftwareDev]@MyCommentWasDeleted

If you read back your posts you will note that you have been rude and dismissive of my posts.

You have stated I am wrong yet at one point you suggested the OP could use their phone to set up an anon email. If they did it could easily be traced to them.

I am leaving this thread as per Mark Twain's famous quote I don't wish to be dragged down to your level.[/quote]
Just a bit miffed that you’ve used “easily” in a number of your posts. It actually takes a bit of effort and there is always the cost element to consider in whether those resources would be better deployed elsewhere rather than trying to trace an annoyed employee who’s concerned the quality of teabags used in the office aren’t what they used to be! (No offence to OP, I’m sure your complaint is probably rather serious)

Op, they're watching you already. They've seen all your posts on mumsnet and are waiting for your complaint to arrive.

Keep an eye out for the black helicopters. Trust no-one.

I don't really understand how a printed sheet can be traced - can someone explain?

Are invisible machine markers printed onto every sheet or something?

Watch out for fingerprint residue and postmarks though 😏

You joke but...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-59597801

"NHS doctor who was pursued for fingerprint and handwriting samples as hospital bosses hunted a whistleblower..."

If you are concerned about not being traced the best thing is to do all of the following:

1. Use a live operating system that is booted from a USB stick. TAILS is my preferred option. No trace is left on your computer once you switch it off, you can then reformat and preferably physically destroy the USB stick afterwards.
2. Use a VPN.
3. Use a secure browser like Tor. If you must use Firefox or Chrome, make sure it's in private/incognito mode.
4. Use an encrypted email service like Proton Mail. ONLY use it for this purpose, don't start using it for general emails in future.
5. Don't write the password down or store it anywhere in your head. My preferred option, if you can't remember the password, is to pick a particular page of a particular book (that you'll remember) and make the password the first letter of every line, or something like that.
6. Make the user account of the email something completely unrelated to any account you've ever had elsewhere. "[email protected]" for example would be a terrible choice given that you've used this username here.
7. Ensure your communication has nothing that could be used to identify you.
8. Every person has their own writing style so it's a good idea to use a thesaurus to change words to ones you'd never normally use.

Obviously you shouldn't use a work device to send the email. Personally I don't recommend using a public machine eg in a library or internet cafe (if they still exist?) simply because they are usually loaded with filters to prevent anonymity, and there are CCTV cameras all over the place. If you can't use TAILS then why not buy a PAYG phone or sim card (paying cash) and send the email via the phone's web browser, then destroy the sim card.

@Nicholethejewellery

If you are concerned about not being traced the best thing is to do all of the following:

1. Use a live operating system that is booted from a USB stick. TAILS is my preferred option. No trace is left on your computer once you switch it off, you can then reformat and preferably physically destroy the USB stick afterwards.
2. Use a VPN.
3. Use a secure browser like Tor. If you must use Firefox or Chrome, make sure it's in private/incognito mode.
4. Use an encrypted email service like Proton Mail. ONLY use it for this purpose, don't start using it for general emails in future.
5. Don't write the password down or store it anywhere in your head. My preferred option, if you can't remember the password, is to pick a particular page of a particular book (that you'll remember) and make the password the first letter of every line, or something like that.
6. Make the user account of the email something completely unrelated to any account you've ever had elsewhere. "[email protected]" for example would be a terrible choice given that you've used this username here.
7. Ensure your communication has nothing that could be used to identify you.
8. Every person has their own writing style so it's a good idea to use a thesaurus to change words to ones you'd never normally use.

Obviously you shouldn't use a work device to send the email. Personally I don't recommend using a public machine eg in a library or internet cafe (if they still exist?) simply because they are usually loaded with filters to prevent anonymity, and there are CCTV cameras all over the place. If you can't use TAILS then why not buy a PAYG phone or sim card (paying cash) and send the email via the phone's web browser, then destroy the sim card.

Someone is into some dodgy shit

I don't really understand how a printed sheet can be traced - can someone explain?

I’m not an expert on printers but each machine will have tiny differences in the finish of a printed sheet based on unique flaws on the individual components.A slight misalignment somewhere. You wouldn’t be able to look at the page and know where it was printed but if you narrowed down a location by other means you could identify the machine based on those individual characteristics. You would need a forensic expert to prove the link and an actual reason to do so. The police don’t use that routinely so your average whistleblower isn’t going to trigger that kind of enquiry. Someone releasing state secrets is another matter.

@ClaudiaWankleman

I don't really understand how a printed sheet can be traced - can someone explain?

Are invisible machine markers printed onto every sheet or something?

Off the top of my head the obvious answer is that a printer can be set up to store a copy of everything that is sent to it. Outside the home most places have network printers rather than a printer plugged into each computer. To print, the document has to be sent over the network. This can be intercepted and stored, either by the IT person or a hacker.

A legitimate use of this would be in a business where communications need to be archived for a certain period of time by law.

The risk of the OP being identified this way is slim if she uses a printer somewhere public like an internet cafe, because someone would have a hard time guessing which town the document was printed in, let alone the cafe. Then they'd have to hope the business owner stored the documents printed on their machines, and further persuade them to break the law and divulge this information.

If the OP was stupid enough to print it at work, this complication would be averted because all it would take would be a little arm-twisting of the IT people to find it out.

PS I'm sure the OP isn't "stupid enough to print it at work" - hence her asking for help before doing it.

@Scarybutnecassary

Well obviously a separate email account is the way forward but as someone who is not confident with IT generally I was hoping for some simple pointers in how to set it up . Thank you for the lovely people who have posted helpful suggestions.

I wouldn't use Gmail in a million years. Not secure or confidential.

Yes, you can open a free Protonmail account and email from there using their free VPN, or use another free VPN - Tunnelbear is easy. Then close Protonmail account. You could use a burner phone with false registration details and dispose of afterwards. If you don't know what you are doing though, and you are afraid to be traced, don't do any of this as it doesn't seem you have a full grasp on the security aspects.

You could just send a typed letter marked " Private - For the Personal attention of..."
put a stamp on it and post it (from a different town to your own) to the named person.