Comms Risk Advisor
A web app that scores your current messaging stack against today's legal and platform risks, with a one-page 'what to change tonight' checklist tailored to your threat model.
freelance journalists, NGO field staff, and activists who rely on Telegram or WhatsApp for sensitive coordination
- three-minute threat-model quiz that maps your role and adversaries to a recommended tool stack
- live 'platform risk feed' that tracks legal actions, outages, and policy changes against the major messaging apps
- per-app hardening checklists (e.g., enable Secret Chats, set auto-delete, lock SIM) generated in printable form
- backup-channel templates — prewritten handover scripts for moving a group to Signal or a Matrix room if Telegram is blocked
Russia formally charging Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism is the kind of event that makes every Telegram-using journalist and activist reconsider their setup overnight.
Real, recent catalysts: Telegram reversed its privacy policy Sept 2024 after Durov's arrest, fulfilled 900 US law enforcement requests in 2024 affecting 2,253 users (vs 14/108 pre-policy), and an OCCRP/IStories investigation linked its infrastructure to FSB contractors — exactly the kind of events driving journalists/activists to reassess tonight.Telegram — Security Rating for Journalists | Fieldwork ↗Should Journalists and Activists Stop Using Telegram After Updated Disclosure Rules? ↗
Crowded adjacent space: Fieldwork.news already publishes per-tool security ratings and guides for journalists, and Access Now, EFF Surveillance Self-Defense, CPJ, UmbrellaX and the Secure Tools Guide all serve this audience with free content — only the personalized 'score your stack + nightly checklist' angle appears differentiated.Secure messaging Tools for Journalism | Fieldwork ↗Best Encrypted Communication For Activists | Secure Tools Guide ↗
Target audience is famously price-sensitive (freelance journalists, grassroots activists, grant-funded NGO staff) with strong free alternatives (Access Now Digital Security Helpline, EFF SSD, Fieldwork guides); Fieldwork's Business tier at $79/mo is already at the ceiling, suggesting consumer-side willingness-to-pay is weak — B2B via press-freedom/NGO org licensing is more realistic.Fieldwork Pricing 2026: Plans, Hidden Costs & Cheaper Alternatives ↗Secure messaging Tools for Journalism | Fieldwork ↗
Geopolitically durable: Telegram Russia restrictions (Feb 2026, full block planned April 2026), Durov's French indictment, OCCRP/FSB infrastructure findings, and ongoing bans in China/Iran/North Korea create a recurring, decade-long need rather than a fad.Telegram — Security Rating for Journalists | Fieldwork ↗Check and Protect: Analysis of Telegram Phishing Operation Targeting Exiled Activist ↗
A scoring engine + 'what to change tonight' checklist generator is straightforward to build (decision-tree over a curated app/policy database); main cost is ongoing curation of legal/platform-risk data, but the core product is well within reach for a solo or small-team build.Threat Modeling Cost: What It Really Takes to Do It Right ↗