Psst

Description

Psst is a non-partisan, non-profit public service. It helps people bring forward public interest information without having to become a full whistleblower. Individuals can deposit pieces of information, even a single document or partial account, and receive help figuring out what to do with what they know.

The organization built a tool called The Safe. It is based on the open-source Hush Line platform, using hardware-based trusted execution environments to keep depositors’ identities protected. Psst says it has worked with many people concerned about wrongdoing they witnessed at work. It aims to counter the legal threats and corporate tactics that keep such information from becoming public.

Psst operates as a virtual organization with staff in the United States and Europe. Its Legal Director is a US lawyer based in the United Kingdom. Its other co-founders and directors are based in Washington DC and New York City.

The team was founded by veterans of whistleblower support, media relations and non-profit development. It provides direct one-on-one support to whistleblowers, case management, legal and policy research, and outreach to journalists aimed at strengthening protections for whistleblowers. It also drafts educational and policy materials, including work on nondisclosure agreements and amicus briefs, and advocates to improve the legal environment for whistleblowers.

Its board and staff include lawyers and advisors with backgrounds in competition law, human rights litigation, fraud investigation and corporate whistleblowing. Among them is a whistleblower who served as a source for a major journalistic investigation into a technology company. Psst recruits volunteers for social media campaigns, security testing and software development. It periodically hires contract engineers and unpaid legal fellows to help build and staff its programs.