Impact
Since 2017, The Signals Network has been protecting dozens of whistleblowers who have shared corporate wrongdoing and human rights violations with the press.
The Signals Network is committed to maximizing the impact of these whistleblower revelations and journalism investigations. The Signals Network publishes the fruits of its media collaborations on its own platforms and builds advocacy coalitions and campaigns on major wrongdoings revealed by its partner media organizations.
Below are case studies and testimonials of some of our work.
Impact Highlights
Mark MacGann: Uber Files whistleblower
“We recognize that whistleblowing based on the principles of transparency and integrity is essential for the good functioning of our democracies”.
– Dragoș Pîslaru, Committee Chair of European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee
Mark MacGann, former head of public policy at Uber and the whistleblower behind the Uber Files, testified before the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee on October 25th, in what Committee Chairman, Dragoș Pîslaru called, “a historic moment for the Parliament.” The Uber Files refers to the 124,000 documents MacGann provided to The Guardian this year and a subsequent series of stories by The Guardian and The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) 42 media partners in 29 countries.
At the hearing, MacGann made a powerful case for the need to right the ship and provide employment protections for the tens of millions of people working for digital platforms in the EU, and around the world. The committee is currently debating the Platform Work Directive, a policy that will help govern the employment relationship between workers and the platforms.
The hearing drew international media attention due to the significant revelations and Platform Work Directive’s potential impact for tens of missions of workers. Coverage included stories in Politico (Global), The Guardian (UK), El Pais (Spain), ICIJ (Global), Euractive (EU), EuroNews (EU), ANSA (Italy), and others.
The Signals Network is providing legal and advocacy support for Mark MacGann. READ MORE
Daniel Motaung: Facebook content moderation whistleblower
“I once was dead inside. To live again, I needed to speak out– but because I had no one in my corner before The Signals Network, I couldn’t, and so I was dying a silent death. One day, just when I thought it was all over for me, The Signals Network came along and gave me the support and protection I needed to speak out, and I began to live again!”
The Signals Network protected Daniel by providing legal support which allowed him to safely share major public interest revelations with Time reporter Billy Perrigo regarding content moderation conditions for employees hired by Sama, Facebook (Meta) contractor. TSN continues to provide Daniel with ongoing psychological support to deal with the PTSD he suffered from working as a Facebook content moderator in Kenya and supports him building his new career to better support content moderators.
Following Daniel’s revelations, TSN works with a coalition of civil society organizations, including Foxglove, People vs Big Tech, and Amnesty International to push for change in global content moderation practices. READ MORE
EdTech Exposed: Human Rights Watch media collaborative investigation
The Signals Network coordinated a collaborative investigation with over 25 investigative journalists on six continents and seven languages, creating a consortium that had early access to Human Rights Watch’s report, data, and technical evidence on alleged violations of children’s rights by governments that endorsed education technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
TSN manages and oversees media consortia as a way to broaden the impact of critical public good information and initiate global change. READ MORE
“Media working together on a coordinated investigation increases the number of people reached by the critical information and allows media to focus on different aspects of the story. Importantly, we believe that major stories impacting people around the world should be reachable and readable by people impacted by them.” –Delphine Halgand-Mishra, Executive Director of The Signals Network.
Hugo: Électricité de France nuclear plant whistleblower
“In addition to logistical and financial support and its network of media and lawyers, The Signals Network provides me with essential psychological support, without which I would not have had the strength to continue… for all of that: thank you!”
In June, a judicial investigation was opened to investigate the security concerns raised by Hugo. In October, Mediapart reported that the plant was raided by police as part of the ongoing investigation. More in the Mediapart article.
The Signals Network worked with Hugo to provide him legal support (William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth) and manage media coverage (including Le Monde, Mediapart, France Television, Radio France, etc).
Testimonials
Edward Snowden
Whistleblower and President of the Board of the Freedom of the Press Foundation
“When I came sources had to forward with the mass surveillance revelations in 2013, 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.”
Tyler Shultz
Theranos whistleblower
“Deciding what to tell and to who can be paralyzing, and whistleblowers should not have to navigate these decisions in a vacuum. You need someone you can trust, who can connect you to resources, and who can help navigate through the legal, ethical, and personal issues associated with whistleblowing. I wish The Signals Network existed back in 2014.”
Stéphanie Gibaud
UBS leak Whistleblower
“Since I blew the whistle at UBS ten years ago, I have been exposed to many different levels of pressure. Being identified as a truth teller in our democracies means nothing else but retaliation, ostracization and loneliness. I wish I could have been provided support from an organization such as The Signals Network Foundation. Because exposing wrongdoings is in each citizens interest.”
Antoine Deltour
The Luxleaks whistleblower
“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.”
John Kiriakou
Ex-CIA Analyst / The waterboarding whistleblower
“Telling the truth can not be a crime in a democratic society. The Signals Network Foundation, by providing support to whistleblowers and tied partnership with the medias will encourage it. That is what we need.”
Rui Pinto
Whistleblower, Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks
“The journey I’m going through is surely less difficult because of the impressive work of the Signals Network. The Signals Foundation has been by my side throughout this last year, never giving up on me, namely compensating my lawyers who work tirelessly to defend my rights.”
Anar Sabit
Chinese authorities whistleblower
“[Others] shouldn’t feel alone if they do the right thing. There’s always nice people out there helping them if they’re in a situation like mine, and I really appreciate how The Signals Network has helped me.”
Frances Haugen
Facebook Whistleblower
Facebook has expanded faster than they can keep their platform safe. We need change. Thank you to the whistleblowers who took great risk & @TheSignalsNetw for supporting them. I urge the passage of strong whistleblower protections, so people can continue speaking out.
