Topics
Jurisdiction
Fees
Anonymous intake?
Introduction:
What kind of cases are you the right organization for?
Psst offers an innovative service, the end-to-end encrypted ‘Psst Safe’, which allows insiders to either immediately speak pro bono to a Psst lawyer, or to ‘deposit’ their information and wait for a match. When a match occurs, only then does Psst Legal reach out and ask if the person would like advice on potentially moving forward collectively. Psst focuses on ‘collective’ whistleblowing through the Safe because it gives insiders protection in numbers and allows them to report concerns even when they do not have the entire story. Insiders also may remain anonymous through the entire process, if they desire.
Psst’s motto is “See something – save something”.
Psst is suited for individuals who want advice and support on how to disclose safely but with maximum impact.
Psst is also uniquely suited for individuals that feel like something is just ‘not quite right’, even if they are not quite certain about the scale of the wrongdoing, or they do not believe it is a major story just yet, or they would rather like to remain ‘in the background’.
Psst focuses primarily on the key power sectors in society: tech and government. Psst suggests sample areas of concern, including (but not limited to), AI Safety, Trust & Safety, Encryption, Financial Fraud, Discrimination/Harassment, Cyber security, Crypto, Environment or climate issues, Government accountability, Illegal government activity.
Why should AI whistleblowers come to you?
Psst has significant experience dealing with disclosures where the concern at play is perhaps not illegal, but it is nonetheless something the public or a regulatory body should know about, either because it could pose a public risk, or it is unethical or it is just plain wrong.
In AI, almost everything falls into this category as very little is regulated at the moment. In tech, what is of concern can sometimes be very unclear, its AI chat bots, social media content or even concerns around face recognition and copyright. A worker may not be sure whether they should be concerned and/or whether anyone else is concerned. Psst has significant experience helping in these types of cases. They often help people who never want to be a “whistleblower,” who may want to stay anonymous, or may just want to know if they should be concerned and importantly, what their options are. The collective approach is set up specifically for that reason, to enable more people to disclose while mitigating the risks that often come with it.
In addition, Psst also provides a small funding vehicle for supporting whistleblowers.
They are aligned to integrate expertise of OAISIS/Third Opinion experts on AI cases.
Why do you care about Whistleblowing in AI?
The team behind Psst has supported multiple tech whistleblowers in the past, including at Microsoft, Google, Meta, Twitter, Uber, etc. AI is a critical technology that deserves the public’s eye in line with Psst’s mission.
Get in Touch
Link to secure contact tool
Past cases of the team
Microsoft’s Hypocrisy on AI – The Atlantic
Psst helped ex-Microsoft employee Holly Alpine expose the staggering scale of Microsoft’s “Big Oil” AI contracts, which aim to dramatically increase fossil fuel extraction.
Wedding site The Knot hides a dark side
Three former employees at wedding giant The Knot expose practices that ripped off advertisers and created a culture of fear within the company.
The Militia and the Mole
Psst helped protect John Williams as he told his story exposing the inner workings of two of America’s most prominent militia groups.
Resources
Case Focus
Type of Cases
Clear law breaking
Possible law breaking
Significant public interest
Focus Areas
Tech
Government
Timing
As early as possible. The sooner a person reaches out, the easier it is to mitigate risk and put together a robust plan of support.
Barred in
California
New York
Washington DC
We may not be the best fit for…
Cases outside of tech or government, or those involving classified information. Likewise, cases that may not have strong public interest (e.g. individual labor issues) are not the focus of Psst, but they will help refer you to specialized attorneys.
Psst’s Safe does not accept document dumps.
Team:
Psst is founded by a team of whistleblower veterans who offer direct legal, story telling and advocacy support. The founders are listed below.
Additional Support: The team also includes staff attorney, Kristin Brown, and a team of communications and awareness consultants. To support its tech build, Psst works with a team of engineers and cryptographers based at a major university’s applied social media lab, and is contacted with operations and security engineer, Miach Lee. Their board comprises a Boeing whistleblower, an Uber whistleblower, and a veteran whistleblowing attorney.
Prior to founding Psst, Jennifer was the Legal Director of The Signals Network, providing holistic support to whistleblowers working with media. She worked closely with tech whistleblowers to help them navigate the often perilous journey and with journalists to ensure their sources were protected. Prior to The Signals Network, Jennifer spent a decade investigating, litigating and advocating against human rights abuses committed as part of the War on Terror, where she benefited enormously from the brave national security whistleblowers who risked everything to shed light on the harms US and European governments were committing.
She holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.
Amber has years of experience guiding people through the process of telling their stories, both as a ghostwriter and as co-founder of the whistleblower org Lioness. She has helped sources in rehab centers, workers at retail jobs, and employees at high profile tech companies bring forward information / publish stories that sparked government investigations, changed corporate culture, and exposed fraud and sexual misconduct. Amber experienced the power a story holds first hand after her infant son, Karl, died on his first day in childcare. Her writing and activism around parental leave in the wake of his death mobilized parents around the country and changed laws. Amber holds a BA from Hunter College in NYC and is a Dean’s fellow at Harvard Divinity School. She is also author of the memoir Leaving the Witness (Viking Press).
Rebecca has a long career in building start-up non-profits from the ground up. Prior to Psst, she was the Director of Operations of The Signals Network, where she handled strategy, development and communications. She previously served as director of the Geneva-based H2H Network, overseeing the inception, strategy and sustainability of the network and its fund for small humanitarian technical agencies. From 2010 to 2019 she served as deputy director of Translators without Borders (TWB) where she oversaw global operations of the international NGO of which she was a founding board member. Before her humanitarian work, Rebecca was a journalist and a marketing executive. She holds an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a BA in Philosophy and German from the University of Michigan.
Support Offerings
This organization offers the following support offerings to (potential) whistleblowers along their journey.
If you are looking for more details on what might be included in each category, scroll further below. If you have questions on their exact offerings, please get in touch with us.
Offerings*
Offered?
Comment
Initial Support & Intake
Inhouse
Via the Psst Safe
Legal Support
Inhouse & Network
Inhouse Attorney available. Wide support network for referral available to cover specific requirements.
Technical & Evidence Support
Network
Security
Inhouse
Financial support
Inhouse
Psst has a small defense fund
Media Support
Inhouse
Psst offer direct advocacy work
Psychosocial support
Network
Post-Resolution Support
Not focus
Detail Reference for Support Offerings
For your reference, the following table details what might be included in the above outlined offerings.
They are a general indication for your understanding and not necessarily offered in full by they organization.
If you require more details on a specific organization’s detailed offerings, please get in touch with us.
| Service | Sample Details |
| Initial Support & Intake | Free initial consultation |
| Attorney-client privileged consultation | |
| Secure/encrypted communications channels | |
| Anonymous reporting option | |
| Multi-language support | |
| Initial risk assessment | |
| Legal Support | Direct legal representation |
| Attorney referral network | |
| Legal fee coverage/pro bono services | |
| Contingency fee arrangements | |
| Legal research support | |
| Filing assistance with relevant agencies | |
| Legal document preparation | |
| Representation in retaliation cases | |
| Seal/confidentiality protection | |
| Immunity negotiation | |
| Technical & Evidence Support | Secure document collection methods |
| Digital evidence preservation | |
| Metadata protection | |
| Technical evidence analysis | |
| Expert witness coordination | |
| Forensic accounting support | |
| Legal document preparation | |
| Technical validation of claims | |
| Data anonymization | |
| Security & Protection | Digital security assessment |
| Device security measures | |
| Online identity protection | |
| Counter-surveillance support | |
| Physical security assessment | |
| Safe housing/relocation assistance | |
| Family protection measures | |
| Identity change support (extreme cases) | |
| Temporary relocation | |
| Long-term security planning | |
| Financial Support | Living expenses during proceedings |
| Career transition assistance | |
| Job search support | |
| Reward/bounty program guidance | |
| Financial planning support | |
| Emergency funds | |
| Loan arrangements | |
| Insurance coverage guidance | |
| Fundraising assistance | |
| Media & Public Relations | Media strategy development |
| Interview coaching | |
| Statement preparation | |
| Media contact vetting | |
| Controlled release coordination | |
| Social media management | |
| Public narrative development | |
| Crisis communications support | |
| Platform coordination | |
| Psychological & Wellbeing | Individual therapy/counseling |
| Support group access | |
| Family counseling | |
| Stress management training | |
| Resilience building | |
| Trauma-informed support | |
| Health insurance coordination | |
| Wellness program access | |
| Long-term mental health support | |
| Post-Resolution Support | |
| Case outcome analysis | |
| Policy reform advocacy | |
| Ongoing security monitoring | |
| Public recognition support | |
| Community integration | |
| Long-term financial planning | |
| Record sealing/expungement |