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Psst

Psst offers an innovative service, the end-to-end encrypted 'Psst Safe', which allows insiders to either immediately speak pro bono to a Psst lawyer, or to 'deposit' their information and wait for a match. Supporting whistleblowers for safe AI with expertise in tech and government sectors.

Topics

Tech
Government

Jurisdiction

US
UK

Fees

No Fees

Anonymous intake?

Yes

Overview

What kind of cases are you the right organization for?

Psst offers an innovative service, the end-to-end encrypted ‘Psst Safe’, which allows insiders to either immediately speak pro bono to a Psst lawyer, or to ‘deposit’ their information and wait for a match. When a match occurs, only then does Psst Legal reach out and ask if the person would like advice on potentially moving forward collectively.
Psst focuses on ‘collective’ whistleblowing through the Safe because it gives insiders protection in numbers and allows them to report concerns even when they do not have the entire story. Insiders also may remain anonymous through the entire process, if they desire.
Psst’s motto is “See something – save something”. Psst is suited for individuals who want advice and support on how to disclose safely but with maximum impact.

 

Why should AI whistleblowers come to you?

Psst has significant experience dealing with disclosures where the concern at play is perhaps not illegal, but it is nonetheless something the public or a regulatory body should know about, either because it could pose a public risk, or it is unethical or it is just plain wrong.
In AI, almost everything falls into this category as very little is regulated at the moment. In tech, what is of concern can sometimes be very unclear, its AI chat bots, social media content or even concerns around face recognition and copyright.
In addition, Psst also provides a small funding vehicle for supporting whistleblowers and is aligned to integrate expertise of AIWI’s Third Opinion experts on AI cases.

 

Why do care about Whistleblowing in AI

Psst has significant experience dealing with disclosures where the concern at play is perhaps not illegal, but it is nonetheless something the public or a regulatory body should know about, either because it could pose a public risk, or it is unethical or it is just plain wrong.
In AI, almost everything falls into this category as very little is regulated at the moment. In tech, what is of concern can sometimes be very unclear, its AI chat bots, social media content or even concerns around face recognition and copyright.
In addition, Psst also provides a small funding vehicle for supporting whistleblowers and is aligned to integrate expertise of OAISIS/Third Opinion experts on AI cases.

Past Cases of the Team

Microsoft’s Hypocrisy on AI – The Atlantic

Psst helped ex-Microsoft employee Holly Alpine expose the staggering scale of Microsoft’s “Big Oil” AI contracts, which aim to dramatically increase fossil fuel extraction.

read more →

Wedding site The Knot hides a dark side

Three former employees at wedding giant The Knot expose practices that ripped off advertisers and created a culture of fear within the company.

read more →

The Militia and the Mole

Psst helped protect John Williams as he told his story exposing the inner workings of two of America’s most prominent militia groups.

read more →

Case Focus

Type Of Cases

Clear law breaking

Possible law breaking

Significant public interest

Focus Area

Tech

Government

Timing

As early as possible. The sooner a person reaches out, the easier it is to mitigate risk and put together a robust plan of support.

Barred In

California

New York

Washington DC

We may not be the best fit for…

Cases outside of tech or government, or those involving classified information. Likewise, cases that may not have strong public interest (e.g. individual labor issues) are not the focus of Psst, but they will help refer you to specialized attorneys. Psst's Safe does not accept document dumps.

Team

Psst is founded by a team of whistleblower veterans who offer direct legal, story telling and advocacy support. The founders are listed below. Additional Support: The team also includes staff attorney, Kristin Brown, and a team of communications and awareness consultants.

To support its tech build, Psst works with a team of engineers and cryptographers based at a major university's applied social media lab, and is contacted with operations and security engineer, Miach Lee.

Their board comprises a Boeing whistleblower, an Uber whistleblower, and a veteran whistleblowing attorney.

Co-Founder & Legal Director

Jennifer Gibson

Prior to founding Psst, Jennifer was the Legal Director of The Signals Network.

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Co-Founder & Director of Storytelling

Amber Scorah

Amber has years of experience guiding people through the process of telling their stories, both as a ghostwriter and as co-founder of the whistleblower org Lioness.

read more →

Co-founder & Principal Officer

Rebecca Petras

Rebecca has a long career in building start-up non-profits from the ground up.

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Support Offerings

This organization offers the following support offerings to (potential) whistleblowers along their journey. If you are looking for more details on what might be included in each category, scroll further below. If you have questions on their exact offerings, please get in touch with us.

Offerings*

Offered?

Comment

Initial Support & Intake

Inhouse

Via the Psst Safe

Legal Support

Inhouse & Network

Inhouse attorney available. Wide support network for referral available to cover specific requirements.

Technical & Evidence Support

Network

Security

Inhouse

Financial support

Inhouse

Psst has a small defense fund

Media Support

Inhouse

Psst offer direct advocacy work

Post-Resolution Support

Not Focus

Psychosocial support

Network