'The stories that change the country for the better usually have at their heart whistleblowers courageously providing journalists with information,' said 7.30 executive producer Justin Stevens. The ABC takes no editorial stance other than its commitment to fundamental democratic principles including the rule of law and freedom of speech. The Act makes it very clear, it is the ABC's function to inform Australians and to develop and maintain an independent news service. Introducing SecureDrop and doing whatever we can to protect sources is fundamental to the purpose of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It's our responsibility to tell difficult stories 'In many cases, even when journalists think they're doing everything they can to protect their source, metadata from their communications can land them in hot water - SecureDrop reduces that risk,' said Alice Brennan, Background Briefing executive producer.

To put it another way: if someone asks us where items on SecureDrop came from, we won't be able to tell them because we won't know. What SecureDrop does is make it almost impossible to trace the person who sends information because even the ABC won't know the source of the item on SecureDrop. 'Without sources willing to risk their careers and sometimes their freedom, Four Corners wouldn't have been able to broadcast many of the stories that have changed the face of Australia,' said Sally Neighbour, Four Corners executive producer. Its primary aim is to allow people with important information to contact the ABC without being identified.

The system is already in use by organisations such as NBC, The New York Times, the Washington Post, The New Yorker and The Guardian. You can learn how to access the ABC version of SecureDrop on this page. Craig McMurtie speaks to the media outside the ABC's Ultimo headquarters during the AFP raid in June.

Is tor safe for whistle blowing