The protection of personal information is crucial for ensuring the rights of whistleblowers. You can report corruption anonymously or provide your details while maintaining confidentiality.
It is essential to recognize the distinctions between anonymity and confidentiality when making a report.
The confidentiality of a whistleblower involves prohibiting the disclosure of information about the whistleblower, their relatives, or any identifiable data. The organization receiving the corruption report is obliged to safeguard this information.
Confidential information includes:
name, surname, patronymic; date and place of birth; employment and position; military service details; education/internship location; information identifying the whistleblower as a business entity; marital status; residence and work addresses; phone numbers, postal addresses, and other personalized communication channels; photos of the whistleblower; social media account information, etc.
Disclosing such data may result in disciplinary, administrative, or criminal liability, although in certain cases, it is not considered a violation under the Law on “Prevention of Corruption”.
The right to anonymity allows individuals to report corruption without disclosing any personal information. Anonymous reports are also considered. However, to obtain whistleblower status and protection, individuals must reveal their identity and provide evidence that they made the anonymous report. Measures such as ensuring confidentiality or closed court proceedings may be taken to protect the personal data of anonymous whistleblowers.
Everyone has the right to choose how to report corruption based on their motives, circumstances, and concerns. It is important to consider these distinctions to avoid misunderstandings.