Asked by: Francho Ilyas
business and finance human resources

What is the legal definition of a whistleblower?

Last Updated: 5th January, 2020

29
Legal Definition of whistleblower
: an employee who brings wrongdoing by an employer or other employees to the attention of a government or law enforcement agency and who is commonly vested by statute with rights and remedies for retaliation — compare qui tam action.

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Hereof, what is a whistleblower?

A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person who exposes secretive information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within a private or public organization. Some third-party groups even offer protection to whistleblowers, but that protection can only go so far.

Also Know, what is an example of whistleblowing? Whistleblower Examples Include Employees Who Report Corruption, Discrimination, Harassment, and Fraud. Examples of whistleblower cases cover considerable territory, from accounting irregularities and government fraud to racial discrimination and sexual harassment.

In this way, is whistleblower a legal term?

Broadly, the term “whistleblower” can be defined as someone who speaks out against perceived wrongdoing. Our representations focus primarily around two types of whistleblowers: Employees who are retaliated against as a result of reporting ethical or legal violations internally.

What are the types of whistleblowing?

There are two types of whistleblowing. The first is internal whistleblowing. This means that the whistleblower reports misconduct to another person within the organization. The second type is external whistleblowing.

Related Question Answers

Neven Pelzers

Professional

Do whistleblowers get paid?

How much Whistleblowers Get Paid? In cases where the government steps in and takes primary responsibility for the suit, a whistleblower is only entitled to 15-25 percent of the proceeds. Of course, the penalty for defrauding the government may vary from $5,500 to $11,000 per charge, so the charges can stack up quickly.

Dorca Frombgen

Professional

Is whistleblowing ethical?

The ethics of whistleblowing is a tricky matter. Responsible people blow the whistle when they believe more harm than good will occur if the whistleblower stays silent. A virtuous whistleblower acts in an ethical manner if she truly believes a responsibility exists to protect the public interest.

Micol Adonis

Professional

Who is an eligible whistleblower?

An “eligible whistleblower” is a person who voluntarily provides the SEC with original information about a possible violation of the federal securities laws that has occurred, is ongoing, or is about to occur.

Tegaday Widmaier

Explainer

Who can Whistleblow?

A whistleblower could be an employee, contractor, or a supplier who becomes aware of any illegal activities. To protect whistleblowers from losing their job or getting mistreated there are specific laws. Most companies have a separate policy which clearly states how to report such an incident.

Ludovic Undabarrena

Explainer

What is another word for whistleblower?

Words related to whistle-blower
spy, hypocrite, renegade, deserter, conspirator, impostor, turncoat, informer, defector, blabbermouth, tattler, double-crosser, sneak, betrayer, squealer, source, fink, stoolie, snitch, tattletale.

Ela Bordonaba

Explainer

How does a whistleblower report?

An employee, or his or her representative, can file a whistleblower complaint with OSHA via mail, fax, telephone, in person, or online, against an employer for unlawful retaliation. Regardless of the statute under which the complaint is filed, the conduct of the investigation is generally the same.

Gennaro Brancal

Pundit

What is internal whistleblowing?

An internal whistleblower is someone who discovers some type of illegal misconduct in a workplace and decides to communicate their discovery to a supervisor. That supervisor would then follow protocol in addressing the alleged misconduct within the company.

Vianey Aiel

Pundit

Can a whistleblower be anonymous?

Making your claim anonymously or confidentially
You can tell your employer or a prescribed person anonymously but they may not be able to take the claim further if you have not provided all the information they need.

Nandi Abugov

Pundit

What are whistleblower protections?

A whistleblower is a worker who reports certain types of wrongdoing to the authorities. Whistleblowers are protected by law to stop them being treated unfairly or losing their job because they "blew the whistle".

Liseth Nitu

Pundit

Is whistleblower identity protected by law?

National security protections
Under this framework, intelligence- community whistleblowers are not protected from retaliation if they raise "differences of opinions concerning public-policy matters," but are protected if they raise violations of laws, rules, or regulations.

Darci Samhi

Pundit

Who wrote the whistleblower law?

Whistleblower Protection Act
Nicknames Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989
Enacted by the 101st United States Congress
Effective April 10, 1989
Citations
Public law 101-12

Fredrick Mansell

Teacher

What is the importance of whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing is incredibly important as it stops companies from operating as they please, without regard for others. The practice promotes transparency, compliance and fair treatment. Disclosures should be made in good faith, based on your honest perceptions and without malice.

Diocelina Lambea

Teacher

What is whistleblowing in ethics?

Whistle blowing means calling attention to wrongdoing that is occurring within an organization. The Government Accountability Project lists four ways to blow the whistle: reporting wrongdoing or a violation of the law to the proper authorities.

Joannie Cataloo

Teacher

How do I complain to Whistleblower?

Visit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's whistleblowing site at www.whistleblowers.gov. You can file most whistleblower complaints with OSHA, but you'll need to make sure your case is covered because you don't want to waste valuable time. Search the website for the list of whistleblower statutes.

Renato Colomar

Teacher

What is the Ukraine whistleblower name?

Rudy Giuliani. Since at least May 2019, Giuliani has been pushing for Volodymyr Zelensky, the newly elected president of Ukraine, to investigate Burisma, as well as to check if there were any irregularities in the Ukrainian investigation of Paul Manafort.

Manolita Mols

Reviewer

How do you protect yourself from whistleblowing?

How to protect yourself as a whistleblower
  1. Document everything. Document all of the information you have gathered and store it in a safe place.
  2. Be reliable and credible. Make yourself a reliable and credible source.
  3. Raise the issue.
  4. Be careful who you disclose to.
  5. Choose a trustworthy journalist.
  6. Transmit safely.
  7. Know your rights.

Dunya Habriev

Reviewer

What is a whistleblower in the workplace?

An individual “blows the whistle” when they disclose information which relates to suspected wrongdoing or dangers at work. Whistleblowing concerns usually relate to the conduct of managers or staff, but they may sometimes relate to the actions of a third party, such as a customer, supplier or service provider.

Ascendina Ott

Reviewer

Who are some famous whistleblowers?

1960s–1970s
Year Name Organization
1971 Vladimir Bukovsky Soviet abuse of psychiatry
1972 W. Mark Felt Federal Bureau of Investigation
1973 Stanley Adams Hoffmann-LaRoche
1973 A. Ernest Fitzgerald United States Department of Defense

Arielle Campas

Reviewer

What do you mean by whistle blowing?

whistle-blowing. also whistleblowing. uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun] Whistle-blowing is the act of telling the authorities or the public that the organization you are working for is doing something immoral or illegal. It took internal whistle-blowing and investigative journalism to uncover the rot.

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5th January, 2020

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