Whistleblowing can be a valuable tool for businesses, providing
an early warning system against corporate malpractice and
demonstrating a compliance culture. Hotlines are now established as
an important tool in the whistleblowing process. Hotlines typically
involve the personal data of both the reporter (e.g. name, location
and the fact that he/she made the report) and the
"wrongdoer" (e.g. name and allegation). Introducing
hotlines therefore requires careful consideration as regulatory
compliance steps must be taken prior to implementation to ensure
adherence to data protection laws.
Whistleblowing hotlines are often rolled out on a global basis.
Whilst EU data protection laws have been harmonised, to some
extent, by the EU Data Protection Directive, Member States have
interpreted the laws slightly differently and each country's
data protection authority (DPA) takes a different approach to
regulation and enforcement. It is therefore important for
multinational
