Confidentiality and privacy

Understanding the topic

Names, photographs, attendance, conversations, and links between online and offline identities can reveal sensitive information. Trust depends on explicit decisions about sharing.

Confidentiality concerns how private information is handled; privacy concerns a person's control over access to themselves and their information. Community participation can reveal sensitive details even without an explicit statement about interests. A name, photograph, location, or connection may be identifying.

People may use different names in different settings or limit who knows about their participation. Respect those choices without demanding explanations. Digital messages and shared images can be copied, and a private group is not a guarantee that information cannot leave it.

Privacy expectations should be specific enough to follow. “Keep this private” may leave questions about a trusted friend, a partner outside the encounter, or an anonymized story. Discuss what is permitted rather than discovering different interpretations after disclosure. Be honest where a reporting process has limits to confidentiality. A person can decide not to share a detail if the available protection does not fit their needs, and should not have to accept vague reassurance as a substitute for information.

Consent and communication

Ask before disclosing another person's identity or community involvement.

Ask before identifying someone, forwarding messages, sharing attendance details, or describing an encounter to others. Agree on practical expectations and be honest about limits. Reports and safeguarding processes may have confidentiality limits that should be explained rather than hidden.

A practical example

A community friend recognizes another member at a workplace. They use the name appropriate to that setting and avoid mentioning the event they attended. Later they ask privately how the person prefers recognition to be handled outside community spaces.

Common misunderstandings

“They attended publicly, so their involvement is public information.” A venue's visibility is not blanket permission for disclosure elsewhere. “A private message cannot be shared” also overstates technical protection; trust and clear expectations matter, but copies remain possible.

Safety and risk awareness

Avoid promises of absolute secrecy; explain necessary safeguarding or reporting limits clearly.

Questions to consider

Which information is private?

How should names and recognition be handled elsewhere?

What can we realistically promise about copies and disclosure?

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