Can anonymity revolutionise whistle-blowing?

Whistle-blowers need protection. Many countries adopt whistle-blowing legislation aiming to protect the whistle-blower and facilitate the process of blowing the whistle. A major question that emerges is if this offered protection is enough for the whistle-blower. Several studies have demonstrated that, especially in the banking and financial sector, whistle-blowers are not protected. As a result, fearing that there is no protection, they do not blow the whistle. What whistle-blowers need is anonymity. Not confidentiality, but anonymity. By remaining anonymous, the whistle-blower can report and continue his or her professional and personal life. The point should be on the information submitted not on the person providing this information. New technologies can ensure that the whistle-blower will remain anonymous. The aim of this paper is first to discuss the remits of confidentiality and anonymity in order to highlight the importance of the second over the first. Then, the discussion will move to the use of new technologies and in which can they revolutionise anonymity and whistle-blowing.