Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Open-Calls:Whistleblowing-Mechanism

💡 In simple words: When someone sees something very wrong happening in a company or a community, they should be able to speak up without fear. This call is to design the rules to protect those brave people, while also making sure nobody tells lies just to hurt others.

🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): This Wave 2 Open Call seeks proposals for a comprehensive Whistleblowing Policy and Governance Mechanism. Inspired by international models for whistleblower protection (such as those adopted in Iceland), this mechanism must cover the theoretical framework, practical reporting channels, listener bodies, and crucial safeguards against abuse (e.g., false reporting intended for harassment or competitive sabotage). The goal is to design a system that protects genuine whistleblowers while strictly preserving the presumption of innocence for the accused.

Context and Objective

A transparent, cooperative marketplace must have mechanisms to expose and address systemic abuse. The WikiDeal ecosystem requires a robust Whistleblowing Mechanism. This mechanism should draw inspiration from leading global frameworks for whistleblower protection (for example, the pioneering mechanisms established in Iceland).

The objective of this call is to design the end-to-end governance and operational mechanism for whistleblowing within the WikiDeal community. Because this involves long-term implementation and testing, this is a longer-term call that will include an implementation and accompaniment phase.

Scope of the Call

Proposals must address the following dimensions:

Theoretical Framework: The legal, ethical, and governance foundations of the mechanism.
Practical Channels: Accessible, free, and secure (potentially anonymous) reporting channels.
Listening Instances: The bodies or committees responsible for receiving, triaging, and investigating reports.
Scale and Degrees of Importance: A triage system to distinguish between minor interpersonal conflicts (e.g., an insult between a provider and a client) and major systemic threats or destructive mechanisms operating on a large scale.

Preventing Abuse and Safeguards

A critical requirement of this call is the integration of safeguards against the weaponization of whistleblowing. The mechanism must:

Prevent False Alerts: Include processes to identify and penalize false reports made with the intent to weaken competitors, defame, or harass.
Preserve the Presumption of Innocence: Ensure the data and reputation of the accused are protected until evidence is demonstrated.
Balance: The mechanism must not be so complex that it deters genuine whistleblowers, nor so permissive that it encourages defamatory abuse.

Implementation Proposals

Contributors are encouraged to not only propose the theoretical model but also offer to accompany its implementation. Any proposal for implementation must clearly state the required time, financial budget, and the accepted split between cash and Rewards (following the standard principle of prioritizing Rewards).

Status

Wave: 2 (Draft, under construction, not yet launched)
Rewards: To be defined (Combination of Rewards and cash for long-term accompaniment)

See also: Open Calls Main · Policies