Fool Me Once

Chapter 8

Vigilante Whistleblowers

Vigilante whistleblowers go against a large system. Think Erin Brockovich, who in 1993 helped build a case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which had contaminated drinking water in Hinkley, California. Or Jeffrey Wigand, who blew the whistle on tobacco tampering at Brown & Williamson, where he was a vice president, in 1996. Or former FBI agent Terry Albury, who leaked classified “national defense information” about post-9/11 surveillance tactics in 2021. Albury was sentenced to four years in prison. The story was a cause célèbre and got an enormous amount of attention.

Unlike noble whistleblowers, who tend to prefer anonymity, vigilantes are fine with publicity. The more attention, the better, especially ...