Suffrago: Protecting your anonymity by default
We want you to feel safe when sharing your views and opinions. This is how we do it.
We get it. It's hard to trust tech companies when they say "we keep your data anonymous", but Suffrago only works when people feel free, confident, and safe to share their views without the fear of recrimination, targeting, or the invasion of your privacy.
So, on this page we have outlined how we deal with your interactions, data, and statements on Suffrago; and perhaps most importantly the circumstances in which we will share your information.
We can't make you trust us, but hopefully this will help you feel more confident that Suffrago protects your anonymity by default.
How can I be anonymous when I need to sign in?
Yes, you are never 100% anonymous within Suffrago. We ask for your name, location, and e-mail address; we also ask for more demographic information to help us understand the voices of groups. This is to ensure: we have real people in our platform, we can provide our services effectively, and to provide alternatives to invasive solutions other companies may offer.
However, we strongly limit what we store your user ID against, which enables you to be directly identified. The table opposite shows which functionalities in Suffrago you are easily identifiable.
In any case the only people who can identify you are directly involved with Suffrago. Your privacy on Suffrago is our priority; we won't sell your individual data, or freely give access to your information.
Are you directly identifable with this functionality?
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| Whether you answered a question | How you answered a question |
| Statements you have submitted |
Why do you ask for protected characteristics under data legislation?
The answer, perhaps rather ironically, is that it helps us to protect your anonymity. Politicians, marketers, and other people who want to know what the people think, care mostly about the collective rather than the individual.
When you answer a question on Suffrago, we don't how you responded only that you have answered the question. Through asking you for information about who you are, we can store these values against your responses on Suffrago instead of your unique user ID. Meaning your anonymity is protected through joining your voice with others.
This means we can tell decision makers what groups are saying. If a group or combination of characteristics is too small (<50 users on Suffrago) we will not allow it to be reported on. Meaning if you want the voice of a group important to you to be heard, encourage people to join Suffrago.
You are always able to use Suffrago without giving this information, but it will help your voice be heard by decision makers when you do.
I've given you personal information, how do you keep it safe?
Firstly, we store your data in "encrypted at rest" database solutions, meaning it is more secure against bad actors from a supplier level.
Second Suffrago takes this one step further, any personally identifiable information you provide is "double encrypted". What this means is we apply an encryption when we store the data, so unless the person or service accessing it has the correct decryption key, all they will see is an unintelligible string.
Finally, we monitor who accesses the data within Suffrago's databases; ensuring that when your information is accessed, it is done so with a reasonable purpose.
Jane Smith
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When will we break anonymity?
In two cases: when you do something you shouldn't, or when we are forced to by legislation. We will only break anonymity in response to your actions; in order to protect the users of our platform and the public.
Anonymity should never be abused for criminal or anti-social purposes. If you use Suffrago to threaten, harass, or intimidate anyone, or encourage others to do so – we will take action. This action may involve divulging information to the relevant law enforcement agencies.
In other situations we will never divulge your information without a legal order to do so, or if we deem doing so is in the best interests of the other users on our platform. In the latter case doing so will be assessed by our board of directors, and relevant advisors to ensure we are acting in a fair and balanced manner.
