Module Learning Objective

distinguish the purpose of each institutional contact

1. Regulatory Concept & Core Standards

In this video we will work through a concrete decision: distinguish the purpose of each institutional contact. The aim is to explain the criterion used and apply it to a workplace situation. We will start with the concept, move to the procedure and finish with a case to solve. Authorities have different powers. Receiving reports, advising reporting persons, investigating breaches and collecting statistics are different functions. This course explains recipient selection and information preparation. Demonstrations use fictional data and send no real reports.

The National Whistleblower Scheme at Datatilsynet receives and assesses reports and may refer relevant information to competent authorities. It does not itself issue criticism or impose sanctions for the reported matters. Its work is separate from Datatilsynet’s other functions. A data-protection complaint, a whistleblowing report and public activity information therefore serve different purposes.

Apply the following rule: Den Nationale Whistleblowerordning, administered by Datatilsynet, is the general external scheme. Special external schemes also exist. A person may report externally directly without a general requirement to report to the employer first. Protection for public disclosure requires a separate assessment under section 5(2).

2. Practical Implementation & Procedure

State the intended result: reporting a breach, obtaining advice, requesting protection or meeting a reporting duty. Consult the official page and legal remit. Identify minimum necessary data. Where an authority has several roles, select the matching procedure and keep the source consulted. Do not reuse a form merely because it is familiar. Before moving on, turn this procedure into a sequence you could explain to a colleague. Identify the first check, the action that depends on its outcome and the record that allows the decision to be reconstructed. Follow the sequence on screen and identify the point where an error would change the result.

3. Case Study & Compliance Action

A team has a procurement suspicion and annual channel statistics. A colleague suggests sending everything through one public form. The manager separates the report from statistics, identifies the competent recipient and removes identifying details from indicators. Now read the case carefully. Separate established facts from information you would still need to confirm. Do not add motives or events that have not been described. This distinction matters when choosing a response proportionate to the information available.

The exercise is as follows: Does a statistics request authorise sending complete case files? Choose an answer and write one sentence explaining it. During the pause, compare your choice with the criteria we have just considered. Also think about the material you would retain to explain the decision later.

No. Purpose and legal basis delimit the data. Identify requested information, verify the authority's power to receive it and use the correct procedure. Aggregated figures do not justify attaching identities or evidence from every case.

One mistake to avoid is: confusing an advisory authority with the investigator of every subject.

Now apply the national rule to a second decision. An advice page is presented as the sole destination for every report. What check is missing?

The recipient's powers and role must be confirmed. Advice, external receipt, investigation and protection may belong to different bodies. Also check the national conditions for the selected route. User information must help people find the correct procedure without requiring steps that do not exist in law.

National Legal Framework: Lov om beskyttelse af whistleblowere, transposing Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law.