Fox Exec to Launch Harassment Reporting App

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Spurred by the current storm of sexual harassment charges in the entertainment industry, politics and elsewhere, Claire Schmidt, vice president of technology and innovation at 20th Century Fox, today announced plans to launch AllVoices, a tool that enables employees to anonymously report harassment or related issues directly to their company chief executive and board.

Schmidt, who plans to leave her position at Fox this week to become chief executive of Santa Monica-based AllVoices, said the tool will launch nationwide within the next few weeks.

She said the company is in the process of closing a $2 million funding round led by Zillow Group Chief Executive Spencer Rascoff, Tinder co-founder and Chairman Sean Rad, and Silicon Valley-based law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, which recently opened offices in downtown Los Angeles.

Rad was demoted from his position as Tinder chief executive in 2015 following a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe. The case was settled with no admission of wrongdoing.

Schmidt would not comment on the Rad lawsuit, focusing instead on his tech background.

“Sean has been an adviser and investor, and really instrumental in helping us think through a program that is easy to use and can reach millions of people,” she said.

The program is designed to allow employees of any company to file information via the AllVoices website. If it receives a significant number of reports of harassment on a company that is not part of the AllVoices platform, AllVoices will contact the company to let them know that information is available and offer the company its services.

Schmidt said the program will encourage bystanders and witnesses to report instances of harassment they observe firsthand. She said at launch the company seeks to provide data, rather than solutions.

“Our main objective is to give them the data, give them that transparency to solve a problem that they don’t fully understand,” she said.

Media and entertainment reporter Diane Haithman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @dhaithman.

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