When planning email access to your helpline, one subject that's bound to come up is confidentiality. The media sometimes portrays the Internet as being full of hackers and this has led some to believe it cannot be confidential enough for a helpline.

A phone helpline is perfectly confidential - or is it? Consider that someone may overhear the conversation either directly or listen on an extension. There are also risks in "last number redial" or itemised billing. Law enforcement authorities have the right to tap into your phone conversations in certain circumstances.

So why does anyone run the risk of running any sort of helpline? Simply because there's a also risk in NOT providing the service - people won't get the support they need. The correct response is Risk Assessment and Management.

The first step in assessing the risks your callers face isn't technical at all. Ask yourself WHO would exploit the information if they could get it. If your callers are persecuted by a major government, sophisticated interception technologies might be deployed against you. More likely, the risk is from the callers family, employers and social circle. Quietly tapping out an email may be a lot safer than phoning or dropping in on a helpline.

As that last example illustrates, the Risk Assessment and Management task is not yours alone - the caller is much better placed to do some of it. Perhaps they choose to use a cybercafe where they are not known. Or maybe they use a pay-as-you-go mobile when they are sure they are alone. As the Internet is still quite new, some callers might benefit from pointers to safer practices. On your website, you might suggest not using their regular email account and to consider a separate account from Yahoo or Hotmail. Don't suggest that they must take particular precautions. You might frighten some callers into not making contact at all.

Naturally, you need to look at the risks your organisation can control. Does your computer store caller messages? Might it be stolen? It's probably no more difficult an issue that paper records and requires similar thinking.

As your email project takes shape, you'll continually discover how close it is to phone work in many ways. Confidentiality is just one of them.
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