ACCESS

    • Freedom of Information Activists rely on a tiered access system to protect the confidentiality of existing investigations and to uphold our community culture.
    • New users may engage with the community by starting new cases, but will have no access to cases started by other users (this is called provisional access).
    • Users may eventually be awarded access to new cases started by other users, but will have no access to old cases started by other users (this is called forward access).
    • Particular users have access to moderate all cases - including new and old cases (this is called moderator access).
    • This tiered access approach allows new users to earn the trust of the community by engaging with existing users.

Whistleblowers

When might I use the form on this page?
It is often the case that honest and conscientious citizens are privy to objectionable conduct, but may be unable to report it for fear of reprisal. They may lack confidence in the protections offered by whistleblower laws or may dread the media attention that follows current affairs.

Other times, they have suspicions of wrongdoing, but not the means to investigate the matter or sufficient evidence to appeal to the authorities. They may also be unable to demonstrate any detriment to justify private legal action in their particular case.

Should you find yourself in a similar situation and you are at liberty to lawfully disclose the matter, we urge you to listen to your conscience and to allow others to take action. We will share your disclosure with our website users, who will inquire into the matter for the sake of civic engagement.

Is there anything that I should know?
Making a public disclosure is an irreversible step that requires thorough consideration. For this reason, we ask that you allow yourself at least 14 days to consider whether you truly wish to make your disclosure.

You may also wish to seek legal advice to rule out any contractual or statutory obligations that may prevent you from whistleblowing. For example, you may risk disclosing information that falls within the legal scope of a confidentiality agreement, or that may be exempt from whistleblower protections as a matter of national security.

Please keep in mind that sometimes a disclosure, by its nature, may identify the discloser. For example, if only two persons are privy to a secret, then each would know if the other had disclosed that secret. In such cases, you may wish to disclose only the information to which you are not exclusively privy. For example, rather than disclosing that you are one of only two people who know that toxic material was dumped at an undisclosed location, you may instead disclose to be one of 100 people who know that the toxic material had mysteriously disappeared from a warehouse.

Last but not least, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with whistleblowing literature and do your own research such that you may come to an informed decision. We strongly advise you to discuss your plans with a counsellor who may raise pertinent considerations and offer different perspectives. This is especially important if you have privacy concerns or apprehensions that may impact your mental health.

How would I proceed?
Should you decide to proceed, you may use a pseudonym with a special-purpose email address, and potentially a VPN service to disguise your identity. Even if you have obtained legal advice and you are certain that your actions are wholesome, it is unnecessary to divulge your identity.

If you understand and agree to the Disclaimer, fill out the form on this page and click the "I agree to the Disclaimer" button to submit your disclosure. After you have submitted your disclosure, you may send follow-up correspondence or attachments from your nominated email address to whistleblower@foia.org.

We will let you know if your case has gained traction and we may periodically contact you with any inquiries from our users.

Disclaimer:
By clicking the button "I agree to the Disclaimer" you indicate that you agree with each of the following statements as true and correct representations of your understanding.
  • You are over 18 years of age.
  • You have allowed 14 days to consider whether you wish to disclose information in the public domain.
  • Information you enter on this web page or email to whistleblower@foia.org will be unconditionally disclosed to members of the public.
  • Nothing on this page or by virtue of any disclosure of information creates a contract between you and any other party.
  • Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice.