8 Best Whistleblowing Sites

Whistleblowers are individuals known to expose information or activity within an organization that is deemed illegal or immoral. The topic itself is highly controversial as it infringes upon the privacy and secrecy of organizations, and the information can be highly detrimental for everyone involved in a scandal. It is not surprising that the internet has been the origin of various whistleblowing platforms or “leaks” where more than one controversy and secrets were revealed to the public.

Join us in a tour of the best whistleblowing sites of past and recent times. To this day, these sites are prominent in revealing the darkest and most alarming secrets within the most unexpected organizations.

1. Wikileaks

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The infamous site that comes to mind whenever we think of online whistleblowing. WikiLeaks is a non-profit organization dedicated to the public exposure of secret information. Although it is primarily centered around government entities’ actions, it is an excellent platform to leak documents and disseminate them, leading to whistleblowing within an anonymous well-known platform. The exposure of the diplomatic USA Cablegate was one of the most prominent cases of whistleblowing that brought the site to the light of the public. To this day, Wikileaks still remains one of the top popular option for any form of leaking confidential information.

2. Ninja Anon

Partnered with humanID, Ninja Anon is a multi-language whistleblowing platform created for migrant workers to raise grievances about their working conditions. Migrant workers are often vulnerable to workplace exploitation and and human rights abuses. As such, the platform helps workers from all types of backgrounds to make anonymous violation reports.

Using humanID’s technology to guarantee privacy and anonymity, Ninja Anon enables anyone to leave QR codes in strategic spots in migrant-frequented workplaces to make reports. This method of whistleblowing is easy and safe for workers and a modern take on how technology can be used as a method of exposure rather than deception.

3. SecureDrop

SecureDrop is a platform that uses the anonymous Tor network as a dropbox of sorts to communicate with whistleblowers, journalists, and the press. It is a free and pretty popular communication tool. The technology encrypts submitted data within its secure drop server (which can only be accessed by the sender and receiver/source), guaranteeing that anything that goes in does not come out in the wrong place.

4. National Whistleblower Center (NWC)

The NWC is a leading non-profit organization fighting corruption and protecting people and the environment. It contains an extensive FAQ on whistleblowing with different current events, current reports in whistleblowing cases, and, most importantly, various resources regarding whistleblowing action. It is a pretty helpful website for anyone intending to commit to whistleblowing for a good cause.

5. Report It

Also a humanID partner, the report it® app and website allow users to report anonymously and confidentially by using codes to quickly contact organizations. Once the report is sent to the database tip, the information can then be viewed, managed, or imported into any incident management system utilized by the institution. This site is an excellent way to connect to organizations that take anonymous tips in terms of whistleblowing. 

Fair warning, while report it® might have local organizations or entities as site members for tip-offs, not all shown are part of the network. Mostly as some are part of public local services (such as police stations). Thus, the whistleblower should be careful and responsible of anonymity or any information provided in the app.

6. WildLeaks

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WildLeaks is the world’s first whistleblowing initiative dedicated to environmental crime by receiving and evaluating related anonymous information. This information can range from reports of illegal poaching activities to unauthorized deforestation; anything that is both unlawful and harmful toward nature. Previously, whistleblowing on these types of activities could lead to corruption and authorities not acting accordingly and even putting the whistleblower’s life in danger. Though with WildLeaks’ anonymous platform, concrete actions can be made to benefit the environment.

7. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Online Whistleblower Complaint Form

OSHA’s personal whistleblowing website. Whistleblowers can submit a complaint regarding OSHA violations and request a call for an investigation, all while being protected by inside law. However, due to this being a government entity and the sites warn that a whistleblower complaint filed with OSHA cannot be filed anonymously. If OSHA proceeds with an investigation, OSHA will notify your employer of your complaint and provide the employer with an opportunity to respond”.  Some may want to avoid this approach because of the non-anonymous nature of the procedure, but it’s always a direct option if the whistleblower wants a more head-on approach.

8. Whistleblowers of America (WoA)

WoA is a non-profit organization that assists whistleblowers suffering retaliation for their actions. The organization uses an evidence-based peer support system that matches mentors and mentees (whistleblowers) to create and follow a WoA mediation plan. This plan is ultimately designed to reduce stress and assist in decision-making for affected whistleblowers. WoA’s site also provides the certification necessary to become a mediator yourself. WoA is a great resource for those whistleblowers that have suffered the consequences of their actions in retaliation.

Protect Whistleblowers with humanID

Anonymity is imperative for whistleblowers, as consequences could follow if they are found to be leaking sensitive information from organizations. Providing an anonymous outlet can incentivize users of whistleblowing platforms to be more transparent and more likely to report wrongdoing. Single sign-on (SSO) technology can pair with these platforms to help ensure privacy protection for whistleblowers. One such SSO that ensures anonymity and user privacy is humanID, which some of the whistleblowing sites listed have already partnered with.

How humanID ensures anonymity is by never storing personal information in the first place. Upon login, the software will only ask for a user’s phone number for initial authentication. Afterwards, the number is immediately hashed then deleted, allowing users to navigate platforms without the risk of information being leaked and tracked back to them. With its technology, humanID actively works to protect those bringing justice to the forefront.