17 CFR 165.1 – General
Section 23 of the Commodity Exchange Act, entitled “Commodity Whistleblower Incentives and Protection,” requires the Commission to pay awards, subject to certain limitations and conditions, to whistleblowers who voluntarily provide the Commission with original information about violations of the Commodity Exchange Act. This part 165 describes the whistleblower program that the Commission intends to establish to implement the provisions of Section 23, and explains the procedures the whistleblower will need to follow in order to be eligible for an award. Whistleblowers should read these procedures carefully, because the failure to take certain required steps within the time frames described in this part may result in disqualification from receiving an award. Unless expressly provided for in this part, no person is authorized to make any offer or promise, or otherwise to bind the Commission with respect to the payment of any award or the amount thereof.
Terms Used In 17 CFR 165.1
- original information: means information that—
(1) Is derived from the independent knowledge or independent analysis of a whistleblower;
(2) Is not already known to the Commission from any other source, unless the whistleblower is the original source of the information;
(3) Is not exclusively derived from an allegation made in a judicial or administrative hearing, in a governmental report, hearing, audit, or investigation, or from the news media, unless the whistleblower is a source of the information; and
(4) Is submitted to the Commission for the first time after July 21, 2010 (the date of enactment of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010). See 17 CFR 165.2
- whistleblowers: means any individual, or two (2) or more individuals acting jointly, who provides information relating to a potential violation of the Commodity Exchange Act to the Commission, in the manner established by § 165. See 17 CFR 165.2