Privacy / Anonymity Policy
Last revised — August 21, 2026
Our Approach
SOAPSzone takes privacy seriously, especially when people may face personal, professional, financial, or other consequences for speaking openly. We try to collect and publish only the personal information genuinely necessary for the story or public interest.
Named Sources When Possible
We prefer named sources when people are comfortable being identified and when identification adds useful context or credibility. No one should be pressured to go public simply because a named source would make a story easier to publish.
When Anonymity Is Appropriate
We may allow a source or contributor to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym when there is a legitimate reason to protect identity, including fear of retaliation, platform deactivation, harassment, safety concerns, privacy concerns, or other meaningful risks.
Verification Still Matters
Anonymity does not lower our standard for accuracy. Important factual claims from anonymous sources should be checked against documents, screenshots, other witnesses, independent reporting, or other reliable evidence whenever practical.
What We Protect
When we agree to protect someone’s identity, we make reasonable efforts not to publish names, contact information, account identifiers, exact locations, employer details, faces, voices, metadata, or other clues that could unnecessarily expose the person.
Confidentiality Has Limits
We do not promise protections we cannot realistically provide. Where a source’s safety or livelihood could be at significant risk, we discuss those risks as clearly as we can before relying on confidential information.
Return to Principles & Practices
Photos, Video, and Audio
Contributors may choose to obscure their face, voice, location, or other identifying details. SOAPSzone may crop, blur, edit, describe, or otherwise reduce identifying information when that can protect a contributor without undermining the truth.
Private Information in Documents
Evidence may contain personal information unrelated to the reporting. We redact private phone numbers, addresses, account numbers, payment details, and other sensitive information where practical.
Children and Vulnerable People
Extra care is taken when a story involves children or people who may have limited ability to understand or consent to public exposure.
Our Goal
Privacy protection should make it possible for people to contribute truthful, useful information without exposing them to unnecessary harm. Protecting privacy and protecting accountability can coexist.