Tip Sheet on maintaining confidential digital dialogue during humanitarian emergencies

Confidentiality in communications with affected populations, other humanitarian partners, parties to a conflict and other interlocutors is essential to carry out humanitarian operations. Breaches of the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of these communications could raise harmful consequences for affected populations, give an advantage to opposing parties to an armed conflict or adversaries in other situations of violence, pose a very real threat to the safety of humanitarian workers and the continued provision of humanitarian services. Any of these could also threaten the perception of neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian actors.

Maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of communications is essential in these situations. Humanitarian actors will have often spent many years establishing and building the trust of interlocutors. Breaches of confidentiality could undermine these relationships, with potentially harmful consequences for affected populations. Were the breach to present – or be perceived to present – an advantage to opposing parties to an armed conflict or adversaries in other situations of violence, it could also pose a very real threat to the safety of humanitarian workers and the continued provision of humanitarian services. Such events could also threaten the perception of neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian actors. Many interlocutors are already well aware of the risks of surveillance and intelligence-gathering and have developed working methods to maintain confidentiality. In-person meetings with authorities or affected people have traditionally allowed organizations to obtain and protect confidential information or sensitive personal data.

The current COVID-19 health crisis, with its movement restrictions and social distancing rules, makes in-person meetings difficult to arrange. Maintaining contact with affected populations, other humanitarian partners, parties to a conflict and other interlocutors is increasingly reliant on digital communications, e.g. instant messaging, videoconferencing and email. More generally, with digital communications becoming more common in humanitarian work, confidentiality and the secure transfer of information and data via digital means is essential.

This tip sheet offers:

• an overview of the threats to confidentiality associated with digital communications in higher risk humanitarian contexts, including physical and covert surveillance, metadata, interception and hacking 
• recommendations to mitigate those threats, including communication protocols, countermeasures, digital security, choice of application and digital hygiene 
• a set of resources that can be used to help identify suitable communications tools.