Whistleblower-Netz

What Whistleblower-Netz does

Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.V. (WBN) is a Berlin-based, nonpartisan nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2006 with the mission of improving the legal protection and social standing of whistleblowers in Germany. It operates a confidential, volunteer-driven counseling service for individuals considering or undertaking disclosures of workplace misconduct, legal violations, environmental hazards, and human rights breaches, and runs an anonymous reporting portal accessible via both Tor (.onion) and the clearnet, built on the open-source GlobaLeaks platform with encrypted return-channel communication. The organization complements this with a separate organizational consulting line for companies, public authorities, and NGOs that must implement internal whistleblowing systems to comply with the German Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz (effective 2 July 2023) and the underlying EU Whistleblower Directive, and it convenes a joint NGO whistleblowing initiative whose internal reporting office is managed by an external attorney. Public-facing programs include an online magazine, a traveling exhibition on whistleblowing, educational workshops for schools and youth organizations, and the annual Ellsberg Whistleblower Award.

The organization's technology stack is deliberately built on proven, open-source, privacy-preserving foundations rather than proprietary platforms: GlobaLeaks for the reporting portal, Tor and PGP/GnuPG for transport-layer anonymity and email encryption, Signal and Threema for messenger contact, Matomo (self-hosted) for anonymized web analytics, and MailPoet for newsletter distribution. It maintains a referral network with major German media organizations (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, FAZ, Die Zeit, taz, Correctiv, Stern, ZDF Frontal, ARD broadcasters) to provide public-interest disclosure pathways when appropriate.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit construct: free advisory and portal services for individuals, fee-based organizational consulting, annual membership fees (EUR 90 regular / EUR 30 reduced), donations (the organization explicitly states "Wir leben von Spenden"), and court-assigned fines. It is governed by an executive board (Annegret Falter, Robert Bungart, Dr. Detlev Böttcher as Treasurer, Klaus Bergmann) with Kosmas Zittel as Managing Director, and it is registered in the German lobby register for interest representation before the Bundestag and Federal Government. It is also exploring adjacent work through the AIWI (aiwi.org) AI project.

Name

Whistleblower-Netz

Legal name

Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.V.

Website

https://whistleblower-net.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Whistleblower-Netzwerk is a Berlin-based nonprofit association founded in 2006 that provides confidential counseling and an anonymous GlobaLeaks-based reporting portal for whistleblowers, alongside organizational consulting, policy advocacy, and educational programs on whistleblower protection in Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Whistleblower Protection Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (81393)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethics, Integrity & Whistleblowing Program Advisory (BPAHAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whistleblowing, Speak-Up Culture & Investigations Training (EDABADAL), Policy Management, Training & Ethics/Whistleblowing (BPAEAPAI)

Keywords

• Whistleblower advisory
• Whistleblower protection
• Compliance consulting
• Anonymous reporting
• Civic advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from active members; regular fee of 90 EUR and reduced rate of 30 EUR available.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: Donations from supporters; the organization explicitly states 'We live from donations' (Wir leben von Spenden). Also receives fines and monetary penalties assigned by courts.
3. Organizational Consulting Services: Consulting services for companies, authorities, and NGOs on implementing and optimizing whistleblowing management systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.V. is a German nonprofit association that provides confidential, volunteer-based advisory support to (potential) whistleblowers through a multi-stage counseling process and an anonymous GlobaLeaks-based reporting portal accessible via Tor. It also offers fee-based organizational consulting to companies, authorities, and NGOs on implementing HinSchG-compliant internal whistleblowing systems, alongside policy advocacy, public education, and the annual Ellsberg Whistleblower Award.

Product overview

Whistleblower-Netzwerk (WBN) is a non-profit association founded in 2006 that operates a single integrated service offering centered on whistleblower protection and support. The core offering is its confidential counseling service for (potential) whistleblowers, which is complemented by an anonymous reporting portal (built on GlobaLeaks), organization consulting for companies and public authorities on implementing whistleblowing systems, a joint internal reporting office for NGOs, and public-facing programs including an online magazine, educational workshops, a traveling exhibition, and the annual Ellsberg Whistleblower Award. The organization does not offer a commercial software product; instead, it provides advisory, consulting, and advocacy services supported by an open-source digital reporting infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ellsberg Whistleblower Award: International award presented by Whistleblower-Netzwerk to honor individuals who expose wrongdoing in the public interest
• AIWI

Products and services

• Whistleblower-Netzwerk Beratung (Whistleblower Counseling)

Quantifiable outcome

• Development and publication of comprehensive FAQ on the German Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz) effective July 2023

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Various German Media OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhistleblower-Netzwerk maintains a network of partnerships with major German media organizations including Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Zeit, taz, Correctiv, Stern, ZDF Frontal, and various ARD broadcasting organizations (NDR, WDR, BR, SWR). These partnerships provide whistleblowers with options for media disclosure when appropriate.
• Joint NGO Whistleblowing Policy InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhistleblower-Netzwerk has partnered with other NGOs in a joint initiative to implement comprehensive internal whistleblowing measures. This includes a shared internal reporting system managed by an external lawyer. Other civil society organizations are invited to join this initiative.
• AIWI (AI Whistleblowing Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the AIWI project (aiwi.org), which appears to focus on artificial intelligence applications in whistleblower protection or analysis.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• GlobaLeaks: Open-source whistleblowing platform whose software underpins WBN's reporting portal. Relevant as the technology enabler behind WBN's service and as the foundation of competing nonprofit reporting portals globally.

Broad incumbents

• NAVEX Global: Largest commercial provider of ethics and compliance SaaS including whistleblower hotlines (EthicsPoint, WhistleB). Directly competes for the same HinSchG compliance budget that WBN's organizational consulting targets, but serves enterprises at global scale.

Direct peers

• EQS Group (Integrity Line): German-headquartered provider of whistleblower reporting systems and compliance software (Integrity Line). Directly competes with WBN's organizational consulting service for German companies and authorities needing HinSchG-compliant reporting channels.
• Transparency International Deutschland: German chapter of the global anti-corruption NGO. Comparable as a Berlin-based civil society organization operating in the transparency and accountability space, with overlapping donor base and policy advocacy scope.
• Whistle (WhistleB / NAVEX WhistleB): Originally an independent Nordic whistleblower SaaS vendor (now part of NAVEX), historically a direct competitor for HinSchG-style compliance mandates across European mid-market customers.
• SpeakUp (People Intouch): European provider of whistleblower hotline and case management services competing for the same HinSchG compliance mandates. Comparable target market (mid-market and enterprise German employers) and overlapping consulting-channel approach.
• Reporter ohne Grenzen (RSF Germany): German branch of Reporters Without Borders. Comparable as a Berlin-based nonprofit advocating for press freedom and source protection, with overlapping donor base, media partnerships, and policy advocacy mission.
• Netzwerk Recherche: German association of investigative journalists. Comparable as a nonprofit, membership-based organization supporting investigative journalism and whistleblowing, with overlapping media partnerships and donor ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Europäisches Zentrum für Pressefreiheit (ECPMF): European press freedom center. Comparable as a nonprofit advocacy and advisory organization operating in the press freedom and source protection domain relevant to WBN's media referral work.
• Blueprint for Free Speech: International nonprofit focused on whistleblower protection reform. Comparable as a mission-driven organization developing legal frameworks and advocacy capacity in the same global whistleblower-rights space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Whistleblower_N
• Facebookfacebook.com/WhistleblowerNetzwerk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whistleblower-netzwerk-e.v.
• Instagraminstagram.com/whistleblowernetzwerk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whistleblower-Netz