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Whistle-blowers get tech

Patricia Pieterse
By Patricia Pieterse, iWeek assistant editor
Johannesburg, 26 May 2008

Whistle-blowing in SA has come of age, says Guy Brazier, CEO and co-founder of Tip-offs Anonymous.

According to Brazier, people are more comfortable with exposing unethical behaviour due to the anonymity technology allows and legislation making provisions for whistle-blowers, such as the Protected Disclosures Act 26 of 2000.

Tip-offs Anonymous is a Deloitte-owned service that provides a platform for people to anonymously inform a third party of any illegal or unethical behaviour in a company.

It receives approximately 12 000 to 15 000 contacts per month. This includes e-mail, phone calls, faxes and a new service that allows the person to send a please-call-me message.

Crimeline, another platform for whistle-blowers, was created by Primedia and allows people to anonymously provide information on any suspicious activity.

It has facilitated 459 arrests and the seizure of approximately R20 million worth of stolen property, drugs and counterfeit goods since its inception in June last year.

Anonymity tech

According to Yusuf Abramjee, head of news and talk programming for Primedia: "There are always individuals who, for some or other reason, have concerns about reporting criminal activity directly to a law enforcement agency."

The technology used for Crimeline and Tip-offs Anonymous, such as e-mail or SMS, allows whistle-blowers to remain anonymous.

Initiatives such as Crimeline "give people the opportunity to provide information without directly speaking to the police," says Abramjee.

In future, Brazier would like Tip-offs Anonymous to expand to more advanced forms of electronic communication, such as anonymous chat. He would also like to see a facility for people to upload video clips of the offence in progress.

Both men addressed a fraud conference organised by the Institute of Internal Auditors SA and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners at Emperor's Palace last week.

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