Anonymous follow-up · Autessa Ethics Hotline
Anonymous two-way messaging
Autessa Ethics Hotline includes anonymous two-way messaging: the ethics committee asks follow-up questions from the case page and the reporter answers on the hotline with their case code and passphrase. Committee messages are signed “the ethics committee”, never a member’s name, and the reporter stays anonymous for the whole conversation.
Why it matters
Most anonymous reports need one more answer
Investigators often need a date, a name or where a document lives before they can act. With a one-way tip line, that question can’t be asked, and the case stalls. A private conversation tied to the case lets the committee ask and the reporter answer, without either side giving up the protections that made the report possible.
What you get
- Messages from the committee show to the reporter as from “Ethics committee”, never a person.
- Reporters reply with up to 5,000 characters per message while the case is open.
- Status changes appear in the same timeline as messages, so the story reads in order.
- New reporter messages put an unread dot on the case in the inbox and email the assignee (or the committee when nobody is assigned).
- On the case page, each status line shows what the reporter saw, for example “reporter sees Under investigation”.
- Confidential reporters get an email saying a message is waiting, without the text.
- Closed cases stop taking messages, and the reporter is pointed to make a new report instead.
How it works
How does anonymous two-way messaging work?
A member writes from the case
In “Conversation with the reporter”, they ask a question or share an update. The hint warns not to include details the reporter didn’t give.
The reporter is told, if they can be
Confidential reporters get an email that a message is waiting. Anonymous reporters see it next time they check.
The reporter opens their case and replies
Under the timeline, “Add a message or more details” reminds them not to include their name to stay anonymous.
The committee sees the reply
An unread dot in Cases, an email to the assignee, and the message in the case conversation, labeled Reporter.
Every option
Messaging rules
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Message length | Up to 5,000 characters, from either side. |
| Committee signature | Shown to the reporter as “Ethics committee”. Inside the workspace, the sending member is named. |
| Who is emailed on a reporter message | The assignee, or every committee member who can see the case when nobody is assigned, if “Reporter messages” is on. |
| Confidential reporter emails | “A message is waiting”, with no text, if “Updates to confidential reporters” is on. |
| When messaging stops | When the case is Closed or its content is purged. |
| Bot protection | The reply form carries the same hidden honeypot as the report form. |
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) | Read every committee message on their case and reply while it is open. |
| Ethics committee member | Message the reporter on any case they can see, and read the whole conversation. |
| Committee member left out of a report | Nothing. They never see the case or its conversation. |
Connected
How it connects to the rest of the hotline
FAQ
Questions about anonymous two-way messaging
How do investigators talk to an anonymous whistleblower?
Through the hotline’s two-way messages. The committee writes on the case page, and the reporter reads and replies on the Check a report page with their case code and passphrase. Neither side needs the other’s name or email.
Does the reporter see which committee member wrote a message?
No. Committee messages show to the reporter as from “Ethics committee”. Inside the workspace, the member who sent it is named for the committee’s own records.
Can a reporter add details after sending a report?
Yes. While the case is open they can add messages and more details any time from the Check a report page.
What happens to messages when a case closes?
They stay in the timeline, but the case stops taking new messages. A reporter with a new concern is pointed to make a new report.
100% customizable, code and all
Make Autessa Ethics Hotline fully your own.
Use it out of the box, then change anything. Ask Autobot, Autessa’s AI builder, for a new field, screen, report, workflow or agent and it builds it into your copy of the app. Or open the code and edit it yourself. Nothing is locked: the app, its data and its code are yours.
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