I need to send a 100% anonymous whistleblowing email

[WhistBl]

I’m going to send the email whatever happens but I’m trying to make it as untraceable as possible. I know nothing is 100% but as good as it gets.

Yes I know I could follow process but the process isn’t working and is broken. There are any number of people who could be reporting this so it won’t be traced back to me. I’m 100% not a covid denying loon and it’s not anything to do with that (I’m NHS)

Plan so far is gmail account with no backup email or phone number (which I think you can do?)

Open account and send email through a VPN.

Vague/generic name for the email address

Anything I haven’t thought of?

Use this.
www.emailondeck.com/

No other address needed. No phone number needed.

CQC have a webform on their website which enables you to report concerns anonymously. You don’t have to give your details. They won’t trace it back to you.

@Lemonpiano

Basically you want a way to soothe your conscience whilst remaining complicit in the NHS culture of covering up failings, harm, neglect and abuse?

Or she wants to publicise a terrible failing whilst still being able to put food on the table and step outside her front door without fear of repercussions.

Who are you intending to send it to? That seems pretty key to me.

I wouldn't send the timeline attachment, just include it underneath your message.

Use Proton mail to send your email...don't go mainstream google, yahoo, hotmail etc as for web browser try Brave, no tracking on it..and of course if you can a good VPN..Nordvpn, PIA or ExpressVPN...if its that serious

@DayBath

If you're NHS you should have a whistleblowing policy, it should say in that who to contact and how to do it.

Mwahahahaha

It might say it in the policy. It doesn’t mean that policy will be followed, sadly.

Could you Cc an outside agency as cover? The RCN CQC or your MP spring to mind.

If you are going to the press, send it to The Times. Their investigative journalism is brilliant at the moment.

A named complaint will get you faster action. They have a point of reference to gather more info. An anon one can be ignored as it may simply be false.

When I had issues that I felt I had to escalate, I also had no faith in the whistleblowing policy (also NHS)

I sent letters to key players, including the chief executive via recorded mail from a post office that I had to go out of my way to get to.

Surely whistle blowing only really works if it’s reported outside the body that would seek to suppress it or who’s reputation the information would affect?

I don’t know enough to confidently recommend it but I was going to suggest proton as it has both an email and a vpn service.

If you're on Twitter there are many journalists (eg, Shaun Lintern of the Independent - Lewis Goodall or Deb Cohen of BBC's Newsnight) who would be open to a relevant disclosure via any of the means they put in their bios.

DMs on Twitter, emails, Signal etc.

Could you send it as a letter? Send it to the big bosses who need to see it, mark it as urgent but ultimately it would be anon.

Good luck, I hope you manage this. You're doing the right thing.

@amitoooldforthisshit

Use Proton mail to send your email...don't go mainstream google, yahoo, hotmail etc as for web browser try Brave, no tracking on it..and of course if you can a good VPN..Nordvpn, PIA or ExpressVPN...if its that serious

and also try to avoid sending it on a windows device

I know someone who opened a twitter account, dm'd a couple of journalists with information/emails/photos, and then deleted their account, worked for them.

I second sending it to The Times if you go to press.

Could you copy and paste the timeline into the email, rather than sending as an attachment? I'm no expert but I do think files can be traced down to what time they were uploaded and IP address sort of thing.

Surely whistle blowing only really works if it’s reported outside the body that would seek to suppress it or who’s reputation the information would affect?

That's the first thought which occurred to me, though it's only fair the "body" get a copy
But I agree with PPs that, if OP wants to carry on working, putting her name to it would be unwise

I would try and get some advice from some of the places mentioned.

I work somewhere that receives anonymous allegations. It can be really hard to deal with when we can't speak to the person to follow up. There is also often a counter allegation that the whistle blower is being malicious and that's why it's not being done "properly". Are you part of a union? Do you have a professional body that represents you?

If you think your organization are crap and don't follow the whistle blowing process anyway then making it anonymously might not make much difference to something being done about it. I'd just really encourage you to get as much advice as possible.

@Lucieintheskye

Could you send it as a letter? Send it to the big bosses who need to see it, mark it as urgent but ultimately it would be anon.

Good luck, I hope you manage this. You're doing the right thing.

2 things wrong with this...first, handwriting can be detected if they try hard enough ...second, printing the letter is near suicide as all printers embed metadata on the page that the information is being printed on (they scatter very small pale yellow dots all over the page in a morse code like sequence)

I see whistleblowing reports as part of my job. There are inevitably follow-up questions and when anonymous reports are made with no contact details, it's almost impossible to get the additional information that is required to properly investigate.

I would recommend you at least provide a way for them to get back in touch with you or you risk doing all this for nothing. So basically use an email account that isn't going to disappear, even if you use an alias.

The trouble with anonymous reports is that unless you provide very clear evidence with specifics-times, dates etc it’s harder for workplaces to act even if they want to-which it doesn’t sound like yours does. I’ve experienced anonymous concerns being raised at work but done through a formal process. Initially they were too vague (ie:manager is a bully) so I needed to use the intermediary to get more detail in order to address them.
I understand that you are concerned about potential repercussions but if you stay anonymous make sure what you share has enough detail that there has to be a response to it. And as others said be careful as it can be easy to recognise language and writing style if you work with the people you are raising concerns about. We all have our own ways of saying things which can stand out to people who know us. Good luck to you.

Use the VPN at all stages, even to create whatever account you will need, not only to send it

@DayBath

If you're NHS you should have a whistleblowing policy, it should say in that who to contact and how to do it.

This made me lol so hard

Aren’t you worried about posting on a public Internet forum, given that you are going to such great lengths? 🤔

All printers embed metadata on the page that the information is being printed on (they scatter very small pale yellow dots all over the page in a morse code like sequence)

Good grief, you live and learn ...

@Puzzledandpissedoff

All printers embed metadata on the page that the information is being printed on (they scatter very small pale yellow dots all over the page in a morse code like sequence)

Good grief, you live and learn ...

it was implemented more to trace counterfeited money