[Web4lib] "anonymous" online form

[Hankinson, Andrew]

 In addition to legal advice and disclaimers, you may also look into hosting it on a secure server.  While the IP address may be traceable, the content of the "anonymous post" would be encrypted so that even the systems folks couldn't read it.

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Keith D. Engwall
Sent: August 4, 2006 10:23 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] "anonymous" online form

In order to maintain a balance, you may want to include a disclaimer.  The U of Virginia Women's Center Anonymous Report Form has a disclaimer that you might be able to use as an example:

http://womenscenter.virginia.edu/sdvs/legalrights/report.htm

Such a disclaimer would be a good idea in any case, since there's always the potential for unforseen circumstances.  But particularly if you want the ability to trace abuses, you'd have to deliberately allow the form to be traceable.

Good luck,

Keith

----- Original Message -----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of robin
Sent: Fri, 8/4/2006 9:59am
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] "anonymous" online form

Not only an administrative headache but, I suspect, a potential liability nightmare as well. I do think you should have some legal advice on this.

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Stacey Kimmel
Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 7:37 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] "anonymous" online form

Hi,

Our Student Affairs office has asked us to create an online form that permits students to anonymously submit reports of harassment/intolerance on our campus. We're finding this request to be somewhat problematic. It seems misleading to claim the report is anonymous if sender info can be traced by our systems office. Also it is the sort of thing that is likely to be abused in some way. In those intstances we could be asked to trace the source of the abuse -- an administrative headache.

I'm interested to hear if anyone out there has fielded this kind of request and/or developed a solution that satisfies the needs of the requesting client.

Stacey Kimmel-Smith
Lehigh University
sek2 at lehigh.edu

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