Risk and Response Matrix

Risk Level	Definition	Removal Urgency	Example Attributes
Very High	Enables immediate physical location or direct contact	< 5 minutes	Phone, physical address, real-time location
High	Enables targeted contact or identification with effort	< 30 minutes	Email, full name + photo, messaging handles
Medium	Increases targeting surface when combined with other data	< 2 hours	Professional relationships, event participation, social profiles
Low	Minimal targeting risk in isolation	< 24 hours	Generic role, publication dates, credentials

Threat Type	Affected Scope	Target Privacy Level	Response Time	Survey Data
Direct threat to individual staff	Individual	Level 0-1	< 5 minutes	12% require this speed
Harassment campaign against organization	Site-wide	Level 1-2	< 30 minutes	9% require this speed
Partner organization under attack	Selective/Network	Level 2	< 1 hour	64% would act on partner threat
Government investigation/legal action	Organization-wide	Level 2-3	Same day	15% cite as trigger
Doxxing incident	Immediate full	Level 0	Immediate	Critical incident response
Escalating online threats	Graduated	Level 2-3	< 2 hours	Varies by assessment

Trigger Type	Affected Scope	Target Privacy Level	Implementation Window
Individual staff request	Individual	Staff-determined	Per organizational policy (32% want collaborative control)
Sensitive project launch	Project team	Level 2-3	Scheduled advance
Election/political period	Organization-wide	Level 2	Scheduled advance
High-visibility event/campaign	Relevant team	Level 2-3	Scheduled advance
Security audit findings	Specific vulnerabilities	Varies	Per audit timeline

Based on survey findings, the recommended control model:

• 32% want collaborative control: staff input and organizational authority for rapid action
• 12% trust organization to act independently: opt-in to pre-determined privacy settings
• 9% want approval rights: individual veto on visibility changes
• 6% want notification: informed but not consulted

Recommended implementation (hybrid approach with)

1. Individual default privacy preferences (set once)
2. Organizational override capability for threats
3. Post-action notification to affected staff
4. Restoration control returned to individuals when threat subsides

Scope Type	Description	Implementation Mechanism	Use Cases
Site-wide	All staff across entire website	Global privacy level setting	Organization-wide threat response
Page-specific	Specific pages (e.g., team page, about)	Page-level privacy rules	Protecting staff pages while maintaining project pages
Component-level	Specific sections within pages	Component tagging with privacy attributes	Hiding bylines in blog posts while keeping content
Individual-based	Per-person controls	Individual staff privacy profiles	Personal threat scenarios, varying comfort levels
Role-based	By organizational position/vulnerability	Role-type privacy rules	Protecting higher-risk roles (directors, field staff)
Attribute-based	Specific data types across contexts	Attribute-level privacy flags	Removing all photos site-wide but keeping names

Compliance-protected attributes (cannot be hidden even at Level 0-1 without legal review):

• Legal Entity Registration: Board members listed on public filings
• Editorial Accountability: bylines for published journalism
• Grant/Funding Acknowledgments: principal investigators, project leads where contractually required
• Regulatory Disclosures: industry-specific requirements (e.g., registered lobbyists)

These attributes should be:

1. Flagged in CMS with compliance-required tag
2. Subject to organizational legal review before removal
3. Displayed with minimum necessary information (e.g., name + role only, no contact)

Requirement Type	Must-Remain-Visible Elements	Override Capability	Survey Data
Legal/Regulatory compliance	Board of directors (registered entities), editorial responsibility (journalism)	No override
Funder contractual obligations	Funded project acknowledgments, principal investigators	Negotiable with funders
Professional standards	Journalistic bylines, research authorship	Context-dependent
Community accountability	Leadership identification, organizational governance	Soft requirement
Accessibility/transparency values	Core team visibility, organizational structure	Values-based (may compromise)