5 ms·

I'm surprised that journalists wouldn't go to more effort to erase data like that. If I had a source whose confidentiality I cared about I would erase records l

• paranoidrobot 6y ago
  Erasing physical records doesn't stop you from being deposed as to the identity of that person. While perhaps you could say that you don't know their name, you would be pushing the limits of believability if you were to say you remembered no identifying details about the person - what communication method(s) you used, their appearance, their aliases, email addresses or domains, etc.
  • asdfasgasdgasdg 6y ago
    Right, and there are remedies for people who refuse lawful orders to give up information (contempt of court, which means you're jailed and potentially fined until you comply).
  • Causality1 6y ago
    If you properly disposed of records there'd be no way to tell you're lying about who it is. Especially if construed it in such a way as to open the possibility your source was impersonating someone else with access to the same information.
    • paranoidrobot 6y ago
      > there'd be no way to tell you're lying about who it is. Lying to a court that you recall nothing about the person who contacted you with information about a public figure is something that I'll leave for you to discuss with your lawyer. You might want to have them discuss with you the repercussions of getting caught. Something about perjury.
• tixocloud 6y ago
  It feels like there would be some law to get you, the journalist, instead. Maybe something along the lines of "obstruction of justice".