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I like this idea. Are there any journalists with experience using these sorts of tools that could give some more color to what features are needed to make something like this work well? nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpqlaql0fka3nxnxf63hj0pwz2k8xct4tle7scmkzz3n8ewhv2r28qqszgh4k8z0zgkhwrt72htyv6s7xkt47tz65scpugul06xq364zpc8sse3ttg

If you don't care about it being nostr-based, this already exists. It's called #FreeNet.

Freenet is a P2P oriented alterative to Tor. You can provide basically any webservice on Freenet but it’s not focused on leaking data securely.

How to verify if the leaks are legit?

Could zero knowledge proofs work to prove a web of trust without disclosing the user? I heard Amir Taaki talk about it with nostr:nprofile1qqs9qp2dql3vmuetzq6hw77eeaeej2j2ughers22wch0m2jm7c05w4gpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpr4mhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet5jw0vlm I think it allows users to prove they are in a web of trust without disclosing who they are.

It's by no means easy but one verifies authenticity with tools (e.g. metadata) or multiple people who do know better. In these days as we're being molded by bullshit in every step we're also getting better at spotting whether the material has been crafted to provoke a specific end/reaction in contrast to casual information. For more ambiguous yet seemingly important stuff, it needs a thorough check for contradictions and how well it ties with other factual information. One thing about actual knowledge is that it rarely contradicts what's already known/established and instead adds to the whole picture to provide a better/more holistic view. In short, truth is way easier to verify while its impossible to do that with bullshit since its a thing of its own.

Tor is about hiding your IP address. It doesn't store data. Freenet is a distributed data store.

A blind signature server might be helpful for this. Operator verifies the identity of the whiselblower, but cannot link this identity to the message he's signing, the audience subscribes to the operators npub for frequent news drops.

It's not a leak platform, that’s all I wanted to say.

there is no chance that such a web of trust would ever be so mainstream that a person who suddenly is in a position to become a whistleblower is actually also a member of said web of trust.

Yea good points. A good old low tech solution and some investigative journalism sounds like the way to go... if only we still had proper journalists and publications on this planet...

fiat has made lies and large scale crime profitable, bitcoin is doing the same for truth, we just haven't found the appropriate/sustainable models that work at scale with this yet but its just a matter of trial and error (and perhaps some luck or proper timing, too)

Ohhhh put a bounty on it. Call it “Snitches Get Riches!”