When someone leaks information, they are then labeled as a whistleblower. A whistleblower is a person who informs on another person or an organization engaged in an illicit or illegal activity. No matter how meaningful or little the information is, the person who leaks it, will be considered a whistleblower. No matter who the information is on, whether it be a large company, a single person, or the United States Government, the person who leaked the information is labeled a whistleblower. Most people believe that being labeled a whistleblower could be a very dangerous thing, or is it?
One of the pros of being a whistleblower is that exposing fraudulent activity is morally the right thing to do. The information being provided could expose an illegal activity that could save hundreds of lives. Even if the information is small, it could still help someone get out of a toxic relationship or could help someone realize that they are dating someone who they shouldn’t be. Another positive of being a whistleblower is that if the whistleblower doesn’t remain anonymous, they are protected from retaliation from the party that they whistle blew against due to the False Claims Act. This is a massive factor in when people are debating whether to leak information against someone, as people do not realize this and people think that as soon as they are figured out that they are going to be attacked by the people that the information is on. Another pro for whistleblowers, there is a possibility for monetary gain. If the information that is being provided is useful enough or provides a link to a missing piece, the whistleblower is able to receive up to 30% of a reward.
With positives do come negatives as well. While the organization you whistle blow against cannot retaliate against you, the people within the company and the people who know you will think very differently of you. Recently in life there have been a few instances where I have come to the realization that people aren’t all that nice. If you have just angered a lot of people by whistleblowing towards a company, then they will have a lot of people who will no longer think highly of you, and it could affect both your personal relationship and your career. Which is why it is important to know the rules of whistleblowing. It wouldn’t be out of the cards for someone to want to try to get revenge on you, and there is also the famous saying, “Snitches Get Stitches”. Not everyone will be out for revenge, but since you are human and you couldn’t hurt a lot of people’s feelings and maybe even your bosses reputations, the people you’ve blown information against won’t be too happy.
Overall the effects on whistleblowing really depends on a lot of things, What is said, Who the information is about, What the information is, and Who is saying the information. If you are going to whistle blow information against someone, you need to make sure that the information is correct and you need to know the rules and if you are protected.
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