• Legal

Partners, Websites, & Books

  • Written By: The Signals Network

Partners

  • Government Accountability Project: Government Accountability Project (GAP) is the US leader in whistleblower protection — from advocacy to litigation. GAP’s effective methodology uses whistleblower revelations to have a meaningful impact on civil society and governance and know how to win whistleblower cases in the court of law and public opinion. They conduct educational outreach, pursue legislative initiatives, litigate whistleblower cases, and investigate public and private corruption.
    • The organization’s website also hosts an extensive list of resources and a section on “Survival Tips” for potential whistleblowers.
    • GAP Legal Director Tom Devine is co-author of the book: The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide: A Handbook for Committing the Truth
  • Constantine Cannon LLP: Founded in 1994 in New York City, Constantine Cannon has more than 65 attorneys working coast to coast – in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco – and in London. Their global practice supports clients throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Far East, across more than a dozen languages. The firm’s whistleblower attorneys help clients expose wrongdoing and have brought clients $350 million in whistleblower rewards.
    • The firm’s website hosts a blog on whistleblowers as well as an extensive Q&A section for any potential whistleblowers who are thinking about speaking out and want to know more about their options and what to expect.
  • Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto Law Firm: Founded in 1988, the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has won numerous landmark decisions for whistleblowers and the largest financial rewards in history. The whistleblower lawyers at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto helped write key whistleblower protections into the Dodd–Frank Act, the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, among other laws.
    • The website also hosts an extensive Q&A section on various whistleblower pathways and laws.
    • Firm co-founder Steve Kohn is author of the book: The New Whistleblowing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What’s Right and Protecting Yourself
  • Tim Schwartz, author of the book A Public Service: This is a book for anyone who has thought about disclosing information, those who are interested in protecting their identity and researching anonymously, or people who just generally want to understand safe ways to stand up to power.

Websites

  • National Whistleblower Center
  • Whistleblower Network News: It provides information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. It focuses on the SEC, IRS, and Commodities whistleblower programs, qui tam and False Claims Act litigation, and anti-corruption programs. 
  • Whistleblower and Source Protection Program (WHISPeR): WHISPeR at ExposeFacts provides critical legal support for whistleblowers and media sources in the national security and human rights arena. This encompasses affordable legal protection, public advocacy, investigative journalism, and the latest in encryption technology. WHISPeR made history as the first project of a journalistic non-profit, ExposeFacts, to provide affordable legal representation to sources. Launched by the Institute for Public Accuracy in 2014, ExposeFacts promotes whistleblowing with a unique blend of independent journalism, methodical organizing, and public outreach, and houses an advisory board of the most prominent and courageous journalists and whistleblowers of our time.
  • Caught Between Conscience and Career (Project on Government Oversight): Is it possible to fight wrongdoing from within without sacrificing your career? This survival guide, intended to help and empower conscientious government employees when they encounter wrongdoing in the workplace, covers why whistleblowing is important and professionally dangerous; how to blow the whistle anonymously; how best to protect your identity in the digital age; how to navigate the bureaucracy of making an official disclosure; how to work with the press; and the legal protections against retaliation and the limits of these protections.
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The EEOC has jurisdiction over the anti-retaliation laws governing traditional employment discrimination matters such as race, sex, or age. The website provides detailed instructions on filing complaints, analysis of legal rights, and the text of major employee protection laws.
  • Inspectors General: The IGnet/Federal Inspectors General website contains a central point of contact for all 57 Offices of Inspector General and contact points for OIG oversight bodies. The Inspectors General have responsibility for investigating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs.
  • OSHA Whistleblower Programs: The OSHA website contains information regarding worker complaints and resources under DOL-administered whistleblower statutes. OSHA has a special whistleblower rights web page published by the office of federal whistleblower laws for which OSHA is responsible, along with controlling regulations.
  • US Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ): The OALJ conducts administrative adjudications under numerous federal whistleblower laws (including corporate and environmental). This site contains copies of DOL OALJ rulings, administrative procedures, and a periodic newsletter highlighting DOL whistleblower decisions. It is a key online resource for all whistleblower laws administered by the Department of Labor.

Reports and explainers that help interpret the laws

More information

Books

  • A Public Service: Whistleblowing, Disclosure and Anonymity by Tim Schwartz
    • A detailed, easy, and concrete look at best practices for whistleblowing anonymously and digital safety tips, among other issues.
  • The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide: A Handbook for Committing the Truth by Tom Devine & Tarek F. Maassarani
    • This is a great book that has a plethora of real-world examples of previous whistleblowers from across various industries. It provides more of a “gut check” to potential whistleblowers to think through their decisions, but also helps them navigate the moral, personal, and practical aspects of the whistleblower journey once they do. It is especially useful in its “What to Know Before You Blow” chapter with 13 survival tips. The appendices also include many external resources.
  • The New Whistleblowing: A Step-By-Step Guide To Doing What’s Right And Protecting Yourself by Stephen Martin Kohn. This is a comprehensive handbook designed for employees who need to know the rules for whistleblowing, how to qualify for whistleblower rewards, and how to protect themselves from retaliation.

Disclaimer

The Signals Network does not request, encourage or counsel potential whistleblowers to act unlawfully. This section covers some key information to be aware of based on the experience of other whistleblowers who have been through this before and the people who helped them. This section doesn’t offer legal advice, and potential whistleblowers are encouraged to consult with counsel about their particular situation.

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