HinSchG-compliant whistleblower channel for SMEs
Anonymity by default. GDPR-aligned. Free starting at €0. Meet §12 HinSchG requirements in under 10 minutes.
- HinSchG §12-compliant
- GDPR + EU-hosted
- Anonymous 2-way dialogue
- No annual contracts
What does the German Whistleblower Protection Act require?
Since December 17, 2023, every company with 50+ employees must operate an internal reporting channel. Here are the core requirements.
50+ employees → mandatory
All companies with 50 or more employees - sector-wide - since December 17, 2023.
Anonymity allowed + recommended
§7 HinSchG: anonymous reports may not be ignored. The law explicitly recommends anonymous channels to lower the reporting threshold.
7-day acknowledgment
§17 HinSchG: whistleblowers must receive an acknowledgment of receipt within 7 days.
3-month feedback
§17 HinSchG: feedback on action taken must be provided within 3 months.
Confidentiality + anti-retaliation
§8 HinSchG: whistleblower identity must be protected. §36: protection from retaliation (dismissal, transfer, etc.).
Documentation + retention
§11 HinSchG: reports must be documented persistently, at least 3 years after case closure.
Why Anonymeter for HinSchG?
Anonymeter was built ground-up for anonymous feedback - not retrofitted as a feature. That makes us the right choice for HinSchG-compliant whistleblower channels.
Real anonymity - not a marketing slogan
We store no IP addresses and no user-agent fingerprinting from respondents, and public form pages set no cookies by default - the only one is optional, and only if the respondent asks for a reply channel. Verified in our code (`schema.sql` - `// No user_id, no IP address`).
Anonymous two-way dialogue
You can ask follow-up questions and the whistleblower can reply - both stay anonymous. Satisfies §17 HinSchG (3-month feedback) without breaking anonymity.
Free = HinSchG-compliant
Our free plan includes 1 reporting channel with unlimited reports - meets §12 HinSchG (internal reporting channel). For SMEs 50-249 employees who don't want to pay €70-99/month.
GDPR rights, honoured
Data hosted in Toronto, Canada. GDPR Art. 17 (erasure), Art. 20 (portability) and Art. 28 (DPA) implemented. We sign a DPA on request.
Monthly cancellable - no lock-in
Unlike Formalize (annual prepay + 30-day cancellation notice) or hintbox (€99/month from day one): we're monthly. Try it out without commitment.
Ready in 5 minutes - no consultants
Self-service setup. No consulting hours, no implementation workshops. You sign up, pick the HinSchG template, share the link - done.
HinSchG template: ready to use
Pre-configured form with the mandatory fields per §17 HinSchG. Use it with one click and customize as needed.
- Confidential report content
- Date / time period of incident
- Attachments (evidence) - up to 10 MB
- Optional: anonymous pseudonym for follow-up dialogue
- Auto-acknowledgment within 7 days (§17 HinSchG)
- Retention period: 3 years (configurable)
Anonymeter vs Formalize vs hintbox - the honest SME comparison
Three of the most-known HinSchG solutions compared directly. As of April 2026 - all data from public pricing pages.
| Anonymeter | Formalize | hintbox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free (1 channel) | €70/month | €99/month |
| Pro plan starts at | €9/month | €80/month | €99/month |
| Monthly billing | ✅ | ❌ (annual only) | ✅ |
| Cancellation notice | Immediate | 30 days | 30 days |
| Anonymous 2-way dialogue | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Slack / Teams integration | ✅ (webhook) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Setup without consultant | ✅ (5 min) | ⚠️ (45 min consulting) | ⚠️ |
| ISO 27001 / ISAE 3000 | 🟡 in process | ✅ | ✅ |
| EU hosting | Canada (Toronto) | ✅ | ✅ |
Two rows above do not go our way, and we leave them in. If an EU-only hosting location or a certificate on file is a procurement requirement for you, we are not your tool today - better you read that here than three weeks into a DPA review. What we do instead is hold less: no respondent IP address is ever written down, so there is less data to locate in the first place.
Sources: whistleblowersoftware.com/en/pricing, hintbox.de - as of April 2026.
HinSchG whistleblower channel - frequently asked questions
When does HinSchG apply to my company?
What happens if we don't have a reporting channel?
Must we accept anonymous reports?
Who can manage the reporting channel?
Can we use Anonymeter as a third-party provider under §14 HinSchG?
Where is our data stored?
How is anonymity technically ensured?
How long must we retain reports?
Become HinSchG-compliant - in under 10 minutes
Free plan + HinSchG template = ready to publish. No credit card required. No consulting calls.
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