How Web Tips Works

The technology used to keep tipsters anonymous while sending Web Tips to Police is called Tipsoft WebTips. Tipsoft is utilized by over 500 Crime Stoppers, law enforcement and government agencies worldwide and is recognized as the leading application of its type. This “WebTip” technology strips the identifying information of the tipster away from the tip so the identity of the tipster remains completely unknown. A unique code number and password are assigned to the tipster during the submission process. The investigating officer receives the WebTip and can even respond back to it via the secure server. The tipster may log back in at any time to provide follow-up information or to read what the investigating officer may have replied with. The tipster is anonymous the entire time they are communicating with the officers.

Just How Secure Is Tipsoft?

Anytime the tipster accesses the WebTip form, the connection to the Tipsoft server is done through a secure socket which forces 128 bit encryption of the tip information passing through that connection. The identity of these connections are, by design, not being logged by the Tipsoft server. When a tip is submitted, the data is immediately encrypted with an AES 256 bit algorithm.

Tipsoft has taken great measures to insure the WebTip routine is as secure as possible and that the tipster's identity is not traceable. To date, the processes Tipsoft is using have not been compromised and the encryption algorithms used are the same as those used by the banking industry and governments worldwide on a daily basis.

Tipsoft's transaction server is audited daily by ScanAlert, the world's largest and most prominent server security auditing firm and any potential vulnerabilities are immediately flagged and addressed if found. This level of auditing insures compliance with some of the highest levels of security possible. Through ScanAlert, Tipsoft's server is certified Secure & Hacker Safe and is fully compliant with the following server security standards:
Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
Government Information Security Reform Act (GISRA)
Gramm Leach Bailey Act (GLBA)
Statement on Auditing Standards Number 70 (SAS-70)
International Standards Organization (ISO) 17799
Europe's EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC
Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
U.S. Department of Homeland Security's published recommendations

ANDERSON SOFTWARE, LLC

Kevin Anderson of Anderson Software is the owner and developer of Tipsoft. Kevin has been continuously improving the tip management capabilities of Tipsoft for approximately ten years and hundreds of thousands of tips have been managed by Tipsoft during that time. Tipsoft's ability to collect anonymous Web Tips is three years old. Thousands of Web Tips have successfully been delivered to Police while keeping the identity of the tipster secret. Tipsoft's ability to collect anonymous Text Tips began in January of 2008. Kevin has worked with Crime Stoppers at the local, state, national and international level for ten years and is the two-time recipient of the Crime Stoppers International President’s award for his technical contribution to the Crime Stoppers mission.