Sources and journalists
Some conversations should begin privately.
The first contact with a source is the most fragile part of a story. Before there's any trust, asking someone for a phone number or an email already asks them to put their name on the line. Satori lets that first conversation start without either side handing over a phone number, an email or a name.
The usual way
What you give away.
Most first contact leaves a trail long before anything sensitive is said.
- 01
Contact details identify people
A phone number or a work email can lead straight back to a source, even if the messages themselves are never read.
- 02
Accounts outlive the story
Social and messaging accounts stay linked to a real person for years after the conversation is over.
- 03
Trust takes time to build
Sources often want to test the water first. Asking for their details up front can end the conversation before it starts.
How Satori helps
Talk first. Share later.
No personal details on either side
Neither of you needs a phone number, an email or an account. A Satori ID is all the other person sees.
An inbox link you can publish
Share your Satori ID or invite link where sources can find it, so they can reach you first, on their terms.
Verify before anything sensitive
Compare safety numbers through a channel you already trust before the conversation goes further.
Keys stay on the device
Messages are encrypted on each device, and private keys never leave it. Satori's servers only ever see the message text in encrypted form.
- QuietSource7113:Are you free to talk briefly?
- You:Yes. Share only what you're comfortable with.
- QuietSource7113:I have some details that may help verify the information.
- You:Let's take it one step at a time.
end-to-end encrypted
example conversation
Getting started
Four steps.
- 1
Publish your Satori ID
Put your ID or invite link on your profile, your byline or your tips page so sources can start the conversation.
- 2
Let the source go first
They open Satori in a browser, get an ID of their own and message you. Nobody asks who they are.
- 3
Verify the connection
Compare safety numbers over a call or in person before anything sensitive is shared.
- 4
Close it when the story is done
Revoke access once the conversation has served its purpose.
Good to know
The honest part.
What Satori does well, and where you still need to look after yourself.
Satori encrypts what you say, not the fact that you're talking. Which Satori IDs are in touch, and when, isn't protected yet, and like any website Satori's servers can see the network address each connection comes from.
Satori doesn't yet use rotating keys. If someone later gets hold of a device's private key, they could read that device's past conversations. Lock the device and keep the recovery phrase offline.
Don't rely on Satori yet where a source's safety depends on staying unidentified. In that case, follow your organisation's source protection guidance and use tools that have been independently reviewed.
More use cases
Start in your browser
Talk first.Reveal less.
Open Satori, get your ID and send it to the one person you want to talk to. On iPhone, tap Share and then Add to Home Screen so Satori is always one tap away.
