Anonymous hotline
Definition
A reporting channel that accepts information without recording the reporter's identity. Effective hotlines use third-party operators so that the employing organisation cannot identify callers through call records or IP logs. Anonymity increases reporting rates, particularly where fear of retaliation is high.
Related terms
- Dodd-Frank Act (2010)
- United States federal legislation that created the SEC Whistleblower Program, authorising awards of ten to thirty percent of sanctions exceeding one million...
- EU Directive 2019/1937
- The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, requiring organisations with fifty or more employees to establish internal reporting channels, acknowledge reports within seven days,...
- Retaliation
- Adverse action taken against a reporter in response to a protected disclosure. Common forms include dismissal, demotion, harassment, pay reduction, and exclusion...
- Tone at the top
- The ethical stance, values, and behaviour modelled by an organisation's senior leadership. When executives consistently enforce standards and address misconduct regardless of...
- Whistleblower
- An individual, typically an employee or former employee, who reports suspected misconduct to an internal hotline, audit committee, regulator, or law enforcement...
Explained in
- Whistleblower Programmes, Hotlines, and Anti-Fraud CultureA reporting channel that accepts information without recording the reporter's identity. Effective hotlines use third-party operators so that the employing orga...