Independence and privacy · Autessa Ethics Hotline
Leave out committee members
Autessa Ethics Hotline lets a reporter keep any member of the ethics committee from seeing their report. The excluded person can’t open the case, isn’t emailed about it, can’t be assigned it, and gets the same “not found” as a case that doesn’t exist, so they can’t even tell it is there.
Why it matters
Sometimes the problem is someone on the committee
A hotline that sends every report to every committee member fails exactly when it matters most: when the concern involves one of them. Reporters need a simple, visible way to route around that person, and the committee needs a guarantee the exclusion is enforced, not just a polite request.
What you get
- On step two, reporters see each committee member’s display name with “Don’t show this report to …”.
- At least one member must remain, so the report always reaches someone.
- Excluded members don’t see the case in Cases, can’t open it, and get “not found” if they try a direct link.
- They are never emailed about it and are never offered as an assignee.
- Access log entries for the case are removed from their view of the log.
- The case page tells the remaining members who was left out, and asks them not to share it.
How it works
How does leave out committee members work?
The reporter checks a name
The review page confirms “Hidden from: …”, or “No one (the whole committee can see it)”.
The hotline enforces it on the server
Every list, case, email and log the excluded member could reach leaves the case out.
Remaining members are told
A “Left out by the reporter” card lists who can’t see the case and why it matters.
Every option
What an excluded member can’t do
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| See the case in Cases | Never listed. |
| Open the case | Same “We couldn’t find that case” as a missing one. |
| Get emails about it | Never: new report, reporter message and assignment emails skip them. |
| Be assigned it | Never offered in the Assignee list. |
| See it in the access log | Entries for the case are removed from their log. |
| Count it in metrics | Metrics and exports cover only cases the viewer can see. |
Permissions
Who can do what?
The hotline’s access rules are enforced on the server for every request, not just hidden in the interface.
| Who | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Reporter (anyone with the hotline link; no account, no sign-in) | Exclude any committee member, as long as at least one remains. |
| Ethics committee member | See who was left out on the case, and work it as usual. |
| Committee member left out of a report | Nothing on that case, anywhere in the product. |
FAQ
Questions about leave out committee members
Can a whistleblower keep a specific investigator from seeing their report?
Yes. On the hotline, the reporter checks the names of any committee members who should not see the report. Those members can’t see, open, be emailed about or be assigned the case.
Will the excluded member know a report exists?
No. The case is missing from their list, a direct link gives the same “not found” as a case that doesn’t exist, and they get no emails about it.
Can a reporter exclude the whole committee?
No. At least one committee member must be able to see the report, so it always reaches someone.
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