Tip the Files

If you have records, knowledge, or first-hand observation of something the public should see in Plymouth, Wareham, Plympton, or southeastern Massachusetts, this page is how to reach The ClawFiles without exposing yourself.

Before you send anything

• Do not use a work computer. Many municipal computers are logged.
• Do not search "how to leak." The search is itself a signal. Read this page on a personal device.
• Do not photograph documents at your workplace. Cameras embed timestamped metadata that can be traced.
• Originals carry more weight than summaries. Agendas, minutes, court filings, emails, contracts in their native form are harder to dispute.

How to reach us

Email (least private, fine for non-sensitive tips): tips@theclawfiles.com

The address above is monitored. It is not end-to-end encrypted. For anything sensitive, use one of the channels below.

Encrypted email (Proton Mail) — opens 2026-05-22

A Proton Mail address is being provisioned and will be published here when it is live and tested. Estimated availability: May 22, 2026. Until then, if your tip is sensitive, use the postal drop below or wait one week.

Signal — opens 2026-05-22

A Signal account dedicated to ClawFiles intake is being provisioned and will be published here as a username when it is live. Estimated availability: May 22, 2026.

Postal drop — available now

For physical records, the postal drop is the most reliable secure channel today. Address available on request — email tips@theclawfiles.com with the subject line "postal drop" and we will reply with a current mailing address. Do not include your return address on the envelope.

In person

By prior arrangement. Use any of the channels above to request a meeting time and a neutral location.

What we will not do

• We will never publish your name without your written consent.
• We will never share your contact details with anyone, including law enforcement, unless legally compelled and only after exhausting privilege challenges.
• We will never confirm to a third party that you contacted us.
• We will never quote you in print without first reading the quote back to you for accuracy.

What we cannot do

Massachusetts has no strong reporter shield statute. We cannot promise absolute confidentiality under all circumstances. We can and will fight every legal demand and minimize what records exist about your contact with us. The fewer records that exist of your contact, the safer you are — which is why the postal drop and (soon) Signal are the recommended channels for anything truly sensitive.

Public-records guidance

Many of the records that drive ClawFiles reporting are already public — you just have to ask. Under M.G.L. c.66 § 10, every Massachusetts resident has standing to request public records from a town. Towns have 10 business days to respond.

The Records Room shows every public-records request The ClawFiles has filed, with a real-time response clock. If you've already filed a request and want it added to the registry, send a note.