What is the difference between anonymous and confidential reporting?

Anonymous reporting means the organisation does not know who submitted the concern. Confidential reporting means authorised handlers know who you are but should not share that identity more widely than needed.

Can a report still identify someone if it is anonymous?

Yes. The facts, dates, roles, or writing in a report can still identify someone even when no name or account is attached.

Guide

Anonymous vs confidential reporting

Two different promises. Mixing them up creates false trust.

Informational. Not legal advice. Last updated 2 November 2026.

Anonymous reporting means the organisation does not know who submitted the concern. Confidential reporting means handlers know who you are (or enough to contact you) but should not share your identity more widely than needed. Vox lets workers report without an account. The facts in a report can still identify someone even when no name is attached.

How do anonymous and confidential reporting differ?

Aspect	Anonymous	Confidential
Does the employer know who wrote in?	No account / no required identity	Yes, to authorised handlers
Follow-up	Usually via a case key or code	Email, phone, or named contact
Legal protection evidence	Harder to prove who disclosed	Easier to evidence who spoke up
Risk	Details in the text may still identify you	Identity exists inside the case team

In short: anonymity is about whether identity is collected; confidentiality is about how carefully known identity is handled.

What does Vox collect by default?

Workers report without creating an account. They receive a case key so they can return and reply. Reporter IP addresses are not stored with the report. Optional identity details apply only if the organisation offers a confidential or open route and the reporter chooses it.

When might confidentiality be better than anonymity?

If someone wants employment-law protection for a protected disclosure, being able to show they raised the concern can matter. Independent advice is available from Protect (protect-advice.org.uk) and ACAS. This page is not legal advice.

What can still identify a reporter?

Unique facts, dates, or roles described in the text.
Writing style or attachment content (attachments are not supported in the current Vox release).
Small teams where only one person could know the facts.

Read how handler exclusion works when the concern is about a named person.

Handler exclusion Privacy notice