noun
General term for a person who provides information, often in journalism, research, or investigation contexts.
記者は情報提供者から内部告発の証拠を受け取った。
The reporter received evidence of whistleblowing from an informant.
警察は匿名の情報提供者の通報で犯人の居場所を突き止めた。
The police located the suspect thanks to a tip from an anonymous informer.
noun
Information Provider
Computing term for an entity or system that supplies data or services, often in network or database contexts.
このシステムでは、情報提供者が定期的にデータを更新する。
In this system, the Information Provider updates the data periodically.
Compound of 情報 (information) + 提供者 (provider). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows standard Sino-Japanese compounding patterns.