Coordinated Investigation on Misuse of Big Data
UPDATE – San Francisco, June 6 2019 – The Signals Network is proud to announce that The Miami Herald and its parent company McClatchy are joining the call for information on the theme of misuse of big data. Die Zeit, Mediapart, Miami Herald/McClatchy, El Mundo, The Daily Telegraph, The Intercept and Republik have a combined audience of more than 144 million people across the world.
UPDATE – San Francisco, January 30, 2019 – The Signals Network is proud to announce that El Mundo and Republik are joining the call for information on the theme of misuse of big data. Die Zeit, Mediapart, El Mundo, The Daily Telegraph, The Intercept and Republik have a combined audience of more than 66 million people across the world.
San Francisco, June 21 2018 – The Signals Network is proud to support the first international investigation launched by the following prominent international media groups: Die Zeit (Germany), Mediapart (France), The Daily Telegraph (UK), The Intercept (US) and WikiTtribune (Global).
These major media chose to investigate and to call for information collaboratively on the theme of misuse of big data. Collectively, the journalists leading the project consider the misuse of sensitive personal data at scale to be of great public interest with major global, human and financial impact.
These media groups are working together to maximize the impact of their investigations for the benefit of the public interest. They agreed to identify topics for investigation that are considered of high public interest and are potential threats to democracy, freedom and justice; and to publicly make known their interest in receiving valuable information on these topics. They will share the information they receive, investigate collaboratively, coordinate the nature and format of the publications and respect a common embargo.
Potential whistleblowers who believe in good faith that the practices of corporations with access to big data are harming the public interest should contact these media directly through the appropriate channels: Die Zeit (Germany), Mediapart (France), The Daily Telegraph (UK), The Intercept (US), The Miami Herald (US), El Mundo (Spain) or Republik (Switzerland)
“It is time to create a proactive dynamic towards whistleblowers. We believe that the people have the right to know and the duty to tell when major wrongdoing occurs. Whistleblowers who risk everything to reveal the truth need more support. That’s what The Signals Network is committed to do”Gilles Raymond, the Founder and Chairman of The Signals Network.
“When I came forward with the mass surveillance revelations in 2013, sources had to try and patch together this kind of reporting infrastructure journalist by journalist, in total secrecy, and with crude tools. Protecting the public shouldn’t be that hard. The Signals Network is sending a message to whistleblowers that this time, the newsroom is ready. Exposing wrongdoing has never been easier.”Edward Snowden, whistleblower and President of the Board of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
“I’m proud that WikiTribune has joined this important call for information and partners with The Signals Network. I always have been committed to free and open knowledge, as Wikipedia demonstrates. I believe that The Signals Network and the initiatives it supports can contribute to more transparency and to the people’s right to know when major injustice occurs.”Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and WikiTribune.
“The misuse of private information is a particularly important issue right now given how much personal data is in corporate hands and how poorly it has been secured. So we are excited to be part of the appeal to big-data whistleblowers and to be working with this distinguished group of publishers.”Betsy Reed, Editor-in-Chief, The Intercept.
“It is quite natural for an online media like Mediapart to join, accompanied by prestigious international colleagues, The Signals Network. Journalists are nothing without their sources, that is to say without those who sometimes take risks to give back to the public what belongs to it: information. That’s why democracy needs whistleblowers, who, in turn, need more protection than ever before.”Fabrice Arfi, Investigations Editor, Mediapart.
“The Signals Network is serving a major international public interest. At the Telegraph we have a long established history of investigative journalism and we are delighted to be working with this group of other world class publishers to bring to attention any wrongdoing.”Claire Newell, Investigations Editor, The Daily Telegraph.
“As someone who worked with material provided by Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, I know how much investigative journalism is depending on the courage of whistleblowers.”Holger Stark, Head of Investigations & Member of the Editorial Board, Die Zeit.
“Collaborative investigations are no longer an option for journalism, but a necessity. That’s why initiatives like The Signals Network, which promotes and supports this kind of projects, are key for today’s media.”Paula Guisado, Journalist, El Mundo.
“It is our duty to hold the powerful accountable. People exposing alleged wrongdoing or misconduct are valuable sources to us. And it is our duty to protect our sources. The Signals Network takes this a step further and provides a safety net for people willing to share information.”Sylke Gruhnwald, Editor in Chief, Republik
“The Signals Network offers to selected whistleblowers six levels of protection: legal support, confidentiality, psychological support, media relations management, advocacy, and temporary retreat. I wish I could have benefitted from such support.”Antoine Deltour, the Luxleaks whistleblower.
The Signals Network
The Signals Network is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in the United States. Its aim is to advance the public interest by encouraging transparency, accountability, reporting and whistleblowing.
One of its main programs focus on supporting such international media collaborations that are taking the lead on reshaping the news agenda. The Signals Network can play an upstream project management role in collaborative efforts of media organizations, help devise and implement confidentiality protocols using existing technological resources that enhance the privacy and security of information shared between journalists and sources, provide its partner media organizations access to a network of lawyers to which they can refer putative whistleblowers who are in need of legal counsel, and help create new resources for journalists and whistleblowers.
Contact: Delphine Halgand-Mishra – delphine@thesignals.org
