Visible. Never findable.
Uthando celebrates changemakers, many of them women who lead in public. This protocol is how we make sure that being seen never puts anyone at risk: what we never publish, how profiles are made, what is built into this website, and what to do if you are targeted.
What we never publish
About anyone we feature, anyone who writes to us, and ourselves. Doxxing, publishing someone's private details so others can find or harm them, starts with exactly these.
- Home or street addressesPlaces are shown at city level. Homes are never plotted on the Atlas, and our own base appears only as Cape Town.
- Personal phone numbersOur own WhatsApp number is not in any page or script on this site. Every button goes through a protected link.
- ID, passport or bank numbersBank details are sent privately, only after a yes, and never in a public link.
- Routines and live whereaboutsNo real-time locations, travel plans, school runs or regular movements.
- ChildrenNo identifiable child in any image or story without written consent from a parent or guardian.
- Family, health and private lifeNo relatives, relationships, health details or private messages, unless the person chose to make them public.
How a changemaker profile is made
The Uthando Commons links to the knowledge people share. Nobody appears in it without seeing their profile first and saying yes.
- Public work only
Drafted from a person's published, professional work: research, programmes, writing and talks.
- A private preview
They get a private link that search engines never see and that leaks nothing to other sites.
- Their yes, recorded
The site refuses to publish a profile until we record how and when the person agreed.
- Gone on request
Anyone can change or remove their profile at any time, and nothing about them is ever sold.
Built into this website
Promises are only as good as the systems behind them. These are switched on, today, for every visitor.
No contact details in public text
When anything is saved for publishing, the site refuses phone numbers, ID numbers, street addresses and phone links.
Location data removed
Every uploaded photo is stripped of GPS position, camera details and author data before it is stored.
A number bots cannot harvest
The number lives only on our server, behind a link that turns away automated scrapers and slows down bursts.
Private, and kept only when you send
Thando saves an enquiry only when you press Send. We do not store your IP address, and we never sell or share your details.
No AI on safety requests
Requests for safety or due-diligence help skip Thando's AI step entirely, so what you share stays between you and Uthando.
No trackers
No advertising or tracking scripts, strict HTTPS, no embedding of our pages on other sites, and no access to your camera, microphone or location.
Something about you here that should not be?
Tell us and we take it down first, then talk. We act within 48 hours, and sooner when you are at risk.
If you are being targeted
Doxxing, cyberstalking, threats and image-based abuse are forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and in South Africa several are crimes. You do not have to handle it alone.
Numbers and routes checked on 7 October 2026. This page is not legal advice. Words used here, such as doxxing and technology-facilitated gender-based violence, are explained in the Library's glossary.