What Blueprint for Free Speech does

Blueprint for Free Speech is an international non-profit charity established in 2014 and domiciled in the United Kingdom, dedicated to promoting Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — the right to freedom of opinion and expression. It serves three primary beneficiary segments: whistleblowers facing retaliation and SLAPP lawsuits, journalists engaged in investigative reporting, and human rights defenders/activists operating under surveillance risk. Its services are provided free of charge across at least five languages (English, German, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese).

The organization operates a portfolio of open-source technology products, legal-advocacy resources, and recognition programs. Its core technology products are Ricochet Refresh, a metadata-resistant peer-to-peer instant messaging application built on Tor onion services with bundled censorship-circumvention tooling, and Gosling, an open-source library enabling developers to add Tor-based anonymous peer-to-peer functionality to other applications. It also maintains one of the largest free libraries of original research on whistleblower laws and policies across countries, a Free Library of Laws, and operates the noslapp.de Anti-SLAPP contact point in Germany. Its Blueprint Whistleblowing Prizes recognize whistleblowers annually across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and global categories.

Blueprint funds operations through donations (accepted in multiple currencies/languages via its website) and institutional grants, including from the Open Technology Fund and the EU CERV programme via the STAIRS Consortium. It distributes services through digital channels and a coalition of over 20 international NGO partners, and has documented over 1,300 SLAPP cases across Europe since 2010. There are no traditional revenue mechanics such as pricing tiers or enterprise contracts; the operating model is grant-funded non-profit with community-led go-to-market through advocacy networks, coalition-building, prize programs, and free distribution of research and software.

Name

Blueprint for Free Speech

Legal name

Blueprint for Free Speech

Website

https://blueprintforfreespeech.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blueprint for Free Speech is a UK-domiciled international non-profit charity (founded 2014) that provides free legal resources, research, open-source Tor-based privacy tools (Ricochet Refresh, Gosling), and an annual whistleblowing prize program to support whistleblowers, journalists, and human rights defenders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts public donations through its website in multiple currencies and languages to support its mission of promoting freedom of expression and protecting whistleblowers internationally.
2. Grants and Funding: Blueprint receives grant funding from institutional donors and participates in crowdfunding campaigns such as the Tor Project's internet freedom initiative to sustain its operations and software development. The organization is also part of the EU CERV programme through the STAIRS project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blueprint for Free Speech is a non-profit charity that develops and freely distributes open-source privacy and anonymity software (Ricochet Refresh messaging and Gosling developer library), maintains an extensive free library of original research reports and legislation on whistleblower protection across countries, runs annual regional and international whistleblower recognition prizes, and operates an anti-SLAPP legal advisory contact point (noslapp.de) for Germany.

Product overview

Blueprint for Free Speech operates as a non-profit charity promoting freedom of expression and whistleblower protection internationally. The organization offers a portfolio of free software tools and advocacy resources. Its core technology products include Ricochet Refresh (anonymous peer-to-peer messaging using Tor) and Gosling (an open-source library for Tor-based anonymity). The organization also maintains educational resources including a free library of whistleblower law research reports and legislation across multiple countries, manages the Blueprint Whistleblowing Prizes program recognizing whistleblower courage globally, and operates the NoSLAPP Germany contact point providing legal support against abusive lawsuits. The software tools are open-source, decentralized, and designed to protect user privacy without relying on third-party infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ricochet Refresh: Open-source peer-to-peer instant messaging application that provides private and anonymous messaging using the Tor network, metadata resistant, designed for whistleblowers, activists and journalists.
• Gosling
• noslapp.de
• Blueprint Whistleblowing Prizes

Products and services

• Ricochet Refresh Open-source peer-to-peer instant messaging application that provides private, anonymous and metadata-resistant communication using the Tor network. It is designed to protect whistleblowers, activists and journalists from surveillance and includes Tor Project's censorship-circumvention tools for connectivity in constrained network environments, with unlimited file size transfer on a fully anonymised basis.
• Gosling Open-source library that enables software developers to add anonymous, secure and private peer-to-peer functionality to applications using Tor onion services. It serves as both a research project and a practical internet building block to create functional prototypes with improved privacy and anonymity that can be tested and verified.
• Blueprint Whistleblowing Prizes Annual awards program recognizing whistleblowers for bravery, integrity, commitment to the public interest and positive impact. Operates with regional prize categories for Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and an international category, with annual winners announced publicly.
• Reports and Research Library
• Free Library of Laws
• NoSLAPP Germany (noslapp.de)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,300 SLAPP cases documented across Europe since 2010
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FIBGAR (Fundación Ignacio Bilbao)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish foundation working on transparency and anti-corruption advocacy, partnering with Blueprint on freedom of expression initiatives in Europe and Spanish-speaking regions.
• GlobaLeakscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen-source whistleblowing software platform that enables anonymous reporting. Alignment with Blueprint's mission to protect whistleblowers through technology tools.
• Open Technology FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization funding internet freedom technologies and privacy tools. Supports development of secure communication tools for at-risk users.
• People's Action ZambiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZambian civil society organization focused on transparency and accountability, working with Blueprint on African whistleblower protection.
• EAT ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project consortium working on ethics and transparency issues in public life.
• Whistleblowing NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network focused on whistleblower protection and support, sharing resources and advocacy with Blueprint.
• ACREC (Anti-Corruption Research Centre Ukraine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian research organization studying corruption and supporting transparency efforts, partnering on Central/Eastern European issues.
• FiltralaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish digital rights organization working on transparency and accountability journalism.
• Centre for Free Expression (CFE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian centre at Ryerson University focused on free expression research and advocacy.
• Centre pentru Jurnalism Independent (CJI Romania)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRomanian centre for independent journalism promoting press freedom and media ethics.
• Media Center BulgariaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBulgarian media development organization working on journalism standards and press freedom.
• AtlatszominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHungarian investigative journalism organization focused on transparency and corruption reporting.
• OziveniminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCzech civic organization working on transparency and accountability issues.
• Transparency GreeceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek chapter of Transparency International working on anti-corruption and governance.
• The Good Lobby EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean organization connecting civil society with policy advocacy and lobbying transparency.
• Iniciativa 11minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean civil society initiative focused on transparency and democratic accountability.
• Electronic Frontier AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian digital rights organization working on privacy and free expression issues.
• PPLAAF (Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican whistleblower protection organization jointly supporting cases such as Nigerian whistleblower Nnamdi Emeh. Core strategic partner for African operations.
• Digital Rights WatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian digital rights organization focused on privacy and civil liberties online.
• Change of DirectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative focused on transparency and civic engagement in policy processes.
• International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNigerian investigative journalism organization reporting on Emeh case developments and court proceedings.
• Red Notice MonitorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent organization reviewing Interpol arrest warrants and raising concerns about politically motivated Red Notices against dissidents.
• STAIRS Consortium (Safeguard the Truth: AI Solution for Whistleblower Reporting Support)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU CERV programme-funded consortium of independent NGOs building free, open-source tools and capacity for whistleblower support grounded in EU Directive, independent of commercial incentives. Blueprint participates as a member working to create an independent information point for potential whistleblowers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Electronic Frontier Foundation: A large, well-established U.S. digital rights nonprofit that defends civil liberties in the digital world, including whistleblower and journalist source protection. Directly comparable mission (privacy, anonymity, free expression) with significantly greater resources and broader portfolio than Blueprint.
• Access Now: An international digital rights organization defending users' rights to privacy, expression, and access to information globally. Highly comparable mission and beneficiary base (activists, journalists, at-risk users) with a much larger operational footprint and policy influence than Blueprint.
• Transparency International: Global coalition against corruption with national chapters (e.g., Transparency Greece, a Blueprint partner). Blueprint's whistleblower protection and SLAPP-tracking work directly aligns with Transparency International's anti-corruption mission and similar policy research output.

Direct peers

• ARTICLE 19: International freedom of expression organization advocating for Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is exactly Blueprint's core framing. Highly comparable mission, international advocacy approach, and policy research focus.
• Open Technology Fund: Funds internet freedom technologies and secure communications for at-risk users. Listed as a core strategic partner of Blueprint and is one of the primary funders of its Tor-based tools, making it both a peer and a backer in the same niche.
• GlobaLeaks: Open-source whistleblowing platform enabling anonymous reporting, listed as a core strategic partner of Blueprint. Closely comparable as an open-source tool provider for whistleblower protection with overlapping beneficiary base.
• Tor Project: Nonprofit maintaining the Tor anonymity network on which Blueprint's Ricochet Refresh and Gosling are entirely built. Strongly comparable as a developer of open-source privacy tools for high-risk users and a direct technical dependency for Blueprint's products.
• Government Accountability Project: U.S. nonprofit dedicated to whistleblower protection through legal support, advocacy, and policy reform. Operates in the same whistleblower-protection niche as Blueprint, with overlapping beneficiary base and similar advocacy plus resource-publication model.
• PPLAAF (Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa): African NGO dedicated to protecting whistleblowers in Africa, listed as a core strategic partner of Blueprint. Operates in the same whistleblower-protection space with similar legal-advocacy approach and overlapping regional coverage.
• Freedom of the Press Foundation: U.S. nonprofit supporting cryptographic tools (including SecureDrop) and press freedom for journalists and whistleblowers. Closely comparable beneficiary base and tooling approach (open-source anonymity infrastructure) to Blueprint's Ricochet Refresh and Gosling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BPFreeSpeech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blueprint-for-free-speech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Blueprint for Free Speech