Digital Trust Model for Blockchain-based Whistleblowing Solutions

Abstract

The numerous cases of unethical behaviors, misconduct, and fraud within organizations in recent years have resulted in an intense awareness of social issues and an emphasis by governments on identifying any misconduct on time. The focus is to encourage people to report unethical behavior within organizations while ensuring that the reporters are protected from adverse outcomes. Whistleblowing is currently an effective measure to help authorities deal with organization misconduct. Nevertheless, owing to the cases in which whistleblowers face adverse outcomes, there is a need to protect reporters by providing a trusted and secure channel for reporting misconduct. Owing to these challenges, whistleblowers require a trusted and reliable reporting channel that ensures their anonymity and communication safety. A serious threat to successful whistleblowing concerns retaliation against whistleblowers, which can harm people and their livelihoods. Thus, a key component of handling whistleblowing reports is to develop a secure channel that ensures the protection and confidentiality of whistleblowers.