Do not collect more than needed
A public audit does not need full addresses, medical files, claim numbers, or unredacted personal documents to show system patterns.
Evidence backup policy
Back up evidence without exposing people.
Links change, company pages move, reviews update, and source wording can disappear. Local evidence backups protect research integrity, but they must not become a privacy risk.
Off server
Backups stay outside the public website unless publication is justified.
Evidence backups, screenshots, downloaded accounts, and sensitive case material should be stored in the local off-server evidence folders, not deployed to the public site. Public pages should normally link to primary sources and describe the finding in neutral wording.
Policy
Backup and publication rules.
| Evidence type | Backup rule | Publication rule |
|---|---|---|
| Official public source | Save URL, date checked, and local copy where practical if the figure is important. | Link to the source and summarise; do not quote more than needed. |
| Companies House accounts | Save PDFs or iXBRL files off-server with manifest notes and extraction date. | Publish only clean figures with company number, accounts date, and caveat where filings do not disclose profit and loss. |
| Trustpilot, Glassdoor, Indeed, app reviews | Capture grade, count, date, URL, and repeated themes where allowed by the platform terms and copyright limits. | Publish route, grade, count, date, and themes. Do not publish long review text unless lawful and necessary. |
| Private parking letters or court documents | Store privately with names, addresses, claim numbers, medical data, and vehicle details protected. | Publish only redacted, consented, and necessary extracts. Aggregated data is safer. |
| Medical, neurodivergent, low-literacy, hardship, or vulnerability evidence | Treat as protected evidence and avoid collecting more than needed. | Do not publish raw material. Refer to the issue category only, unless explicit consent and public-interest need are clear. |
| Screenshots used for link rot | Save off-server with date, URL, and reason captured. | Use to verify research history; publish only where a live source has changed and the screenshot is lawful, redacted, and essential. |
Data principles
The project should hold itself to the standard it asks from the sector.
Date every important source
Reviews, accounts, Trustpilot scores, ICO entries, Companies House status, and website wording can change.
Separate public evidence from private backups
Primary links can go public. Backup folders, raw screenshots, and personal case files stay off-server unless there is a clear lawful reason to publish.
Sources