SecureDrop is employed by many of the world’s leading news organizations to handle sensitive information shared by sources whose safety may depend on complete anonymity. It is used to report about matters of local, national or international significance; sometimes, submissions may concern matters of life and death. How we communicate should reflect the seriousness and importance of these objectives.

The concept of “Voice” reflects communication goals that do not change. “Tone” is how the “Voice” varies, given a user’s context.

• Voice
  Use active voice; be precise and direct. Ambiguity can create security risks (e.g., if it is unclear whether a step we ask the user to take is required or optional for their security). It is important to keep written language simple and concise, in service of users' specific goals. This also aids faithful translation and understanding by non-native speakers.


• Tone
  Tone should be neutral, nonjudgmental, and crafted to influence action without inciting panic or indifference. Try to manage a user’s expectations and to inform their choices with empathy for the context of their activity. Sources and journalists engage with SecureDrop because of trust in it and the media organizations that install it. It is paramount to honor and respect that trust. For example: a severe or urgent security issue should be toned differently than guiding text. Whether in the user interface, the documentation, or support communications, phrases like “Important”, “Action required”, “Tip”, “Further reading”, should always be used deliberately. Empathize in a manner consistent with our voice. For example, if you want to communicate that a certain part of the installation process will take 3 hours (respecting our users’ time), there is no need for long prose—instead, give a simple indicator in the documentation to that effect.