Tech whistleblower launches site for tech whistleblowers
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Ifeoma Ozoma, who raised pay discrimination and other issues before leaving Pinterest last year, today launched the Tech Worker Handbook — a new web site aimed at providing resources and information for other potential tech whistleblowers.
Why it matters: It's not easy for workers to understand all the things they have to do and not do when calling attention to problems they see at their companies, particularly when they are obligated to protect their employers' trade secrets.
Details: The site aims to help people find legal representation, file a complaint with a government entity and work with the media while also protecting their privacy and personal safety.
- It was funded by Omidyar Network and aims to offer insights to workers of all levels who are considering speaking out on everything from working conditions to consumer harm to other types of abuse and wrongdoing.
- Ozoma said she worked with a variety of individuals and organizations on the content, including The Signals Network, Lioness, Whistleblowing International Network, Elite Strategy Global and security expert Matt Mitchell.
What they're saying: ""Deciding to go toe-to-toe with a powerful and well-resourced corporation is difficult for many reasons," Ozoma writes on the site. "Rebalancing power through the distribution of resources is not the sexiest work of tech accountability, but it’s sorely needed."
Yes, but: Ozoma said her site isn't a set of instructions on speaking up, nor is she calling on everyone to do so.
- "Whistleblowing is an individual decision that should be made after a careful consideration of risks, options, and intended outcomes," she writes. "My hope, though, is that those who do decide to take great risks in coming forward — for all of us — are better prepared and supported. To that end, this Handbook is akin to a resource guide for building and using a slingshot, there when needed for battle with a Goliath."
