So much of what goes into blowing the whistle — the act of speaking up in order to improve a situation for others — is left on the cutting room floor when articles are written, interviews are recorded, and the story is told by someone else. Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) worked with tech workers to help them tell their stories in their own words. Our hope is that reading about a whistleblower’s journey from their own perspective encourages others to break the silence that is contributing to so much harm.
If you would like to contribute to this guide, please reach out to [email protected]. Everything included in this Handbook can be reposted and repurposed freely with proper attribution (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Whistleblowers’ Corner is an initiative of Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) specifically designed to give individuals who have found themselves blowing the whistle an opportunity to tell their stories in their own words and to share their reflections on their journey.
The role of whistleblowers is crucial in exposing wrongdoing and misconduct.
In recent years, whistleblowers have been instrumental in exposing some of the most egregious forms of misconduct in tech, revealing serious systemic problems in a fast growing industry over which there has been little oversight or regulation.
These stories are from whistleblowers who did go public or who are prepared to speak publicly about their experiences. Each of them hopes that their stories will be helpful to others who may find themselves in the same position, and helpful to the many people and organizations out there who could support whistleblowers better and help them make the difference they seek. Some have raised issues that you too can now play a role in ensuring they get addressed.
The Whistleblowing International Network is a non-profit network organization that aims to strengthen the capacity of NGOs around the world to advise and support whistleblowers locally and across borders. Our network acts as a hub for information on the issues and impact of whistleblowing on the people involved and is a center of civil society expertise on public interest whistleblowing as a vital institutional and democratic accountability mechanism.
WIN’s small and dedicated team works with a committed international Board of Trustees. WIN has over 32 Members and Associates – all non-profit organizations working in various parts of the world to support whistleblowers by offering direct legal advice, investigating disclosures, advocating for policy changes, and campaigning on whistleblower cases and rights.
John Devitt, Chair CEO of Transparency International Ireland
Cathy James, Vice Chair former CEO of Protect and Lay of the Employment Tribunal, London
David Hutton Senior Fellow, Centre for Free Expression, Canada
Annegret Falter Chair, Whistleblowers-Netzwerk, Germany
Tom Devine Legal Director, Government Accountability Project, USA
Vladimir Radomirović Editor-in-Chief, Pištalkja, Serbia
Giorgio Fraschini Whistleblowing Programme Manager, Transparency International Italy
WE ARE
Anna Myers
FOUNDER + EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Anna is a lawyer with 20+ years working in the field of whistleblowing. She was Deputy Director of Public Concern at Work (now called Protect) in London for 8 years, worked for the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) in Strasbourg and the Government Accountability Project in Washington, DC. She has advised hundreds of whistleblowers, and run workshops on whistleblowing for NGOs, companies, universities, professional bodies, and organizations around the world. She writes on the challenges of protecting whistleblowers and appears on radio and television.
Verity Loughlin
Communication Officer
Verity leads WIN’s communications program. She is a graduate of Glasgow Caledonian University with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism. Her background is in broadcasting and podcast production. She previously presented the Off The Record Podcast and currently hosts and produces the show Weekly Obsessions on Subcity Radio.
Statement of transparency
This entire project is worthless if the tech workers who come to it cannot trust where the information is from, who is behind its creation, and who manages the site. For that reason, I have identified every organization and individual who has been instrumental in its development.
The time and resources required to put together the Handbook were funded by Omidyar Network. This is a wholly independent project owned and managed by me. No identifying data will ever be collected or shared about who accesses this site — with anyone. That said, I do NOT advise accessing this from a company device. Your employer can, and will likely, track visits to a resource like this Handbook.
You can find a list of the data WordPress automatically collects about site visits here.
— Ifeoma Ozoma, Founder of Earthseed, Creator of the Tech Worker Handbook