Staying safe when you help
Helping should not put you at risk. We built Ubonile so that most of that risk is removed, and we are plain about the part that is left. Please read both halves before you send anything.
What we protect
These are rules in how the system is built, not promises on a poster.
Footage is never public
There is no gallery, no comments and no reactions. What you send is not shown to anyone except a verified investigating officer.The person who asked never sees it
They see that something has come in, and the date the officer first opened it. They never see what it is, and never see who sent it.Your IP address is not saved with your answer
To stop abuse we hold a scrambled version of it, mixed with a salt that changes daily, for 24 hours. It is never attached to what you sent. We use no trackers and no analytics.You choose how much of you we know
Nobody, which is the default. A way to reach you that stays hidden from the officer unless you agree. Or your name, for a statement. Nobody can move you up a level without your yes.Only a verified officer can open it
We phone the station on its published number ourselves, we check the officer's police mailbox or the station commander, and a second member of staff approves. A case number on its own opens nothing.Our own staff cannot open it either
Seeing a file takes two people, a written reason and a 30-minute limit. It is written on the case log, and the daily fingerprint we publish covers that log.
What we cannot protect
This part matters more. Some risks cannot be removed by software, and you should know them before you decide.
Footage can show your gate
The officer who opens a clip can see what the camera saw: your street, your house number, your car, perhaps your face. We tell you this before you upload. We keep the footage private, but we cannot make a picture of your gate stop showing your gate.
If that worries you, you can write what you saw instead of sending a clip. You can also send nothing. An officer who misused a clip could harm you. That is why we verify officers, log every view, show the person who asked when evidence was opened, and publish the way to complain about the police at www.ipid.gov.za.
A court may later need the person who recorded it
An anonymous clip is a lead, not proof. South African courts generally want to know where footage came from, and the State often has to call the person who holds it. If your clip becomes important, the officer can ask, through your receipt code, whether you are willing to make a statement. You decide. If you say no, the clip can still help the investigation, but it may carry less weight in court.
What you tell other people
We can protect what we hold. We cannot protect what you say yourself. If you tell neighbours that you filmed something, or post about it, they know. Anyone who knows you have a camera may come and ask you for it.
Lawful orders
If a court makes a lawful order, we must follow it. We can only hand over what we hold. If you answered anonymously, that is no name at all. If you gave us a way to reach you or your name, a lawful order is the one route by which it could be released without your agreement.
Exactly what we hold about an answer
This is the complete list for someone who answered anonymously.
- We hold
- The files and the written account, encrypted.
- For each file: its type, size and fingerprint, and the details inside it, such as when it was recorded, kept in the sealed original.
- When it arrived, and when you agreed to the warning.
- The language, and your identity choice.
- A scrambled copy of your receipt code.
- The code of the link you came from, if there was one.
- What the officer did with it: when they opened it, how they marked it, the questions they asked and your replies.
- We do not hold
- Your name, phone number or email address. Your IP address. Details of your device. An account or user number.
- If you reached us from a camera check
- The answer is marked as having come that way, so the officer can tell. It does not say which camera, or where.
- If you chose more
- Your contact, or your name and contact, encrypted. They reach the officer only when you agree, for that case.
Our privacy page has the full account, including how long each thing is kept.
If someone threatens you
We can't promise this will keep you safe. This is what to do.
- 1
Get safe
Move away from the person, towards other people. If you are in danger, call 10111 now. - 2
Do not confront anyone
Do not try to find out who it is. Do not delete anything you have, including messages. - 3
Tell the investigating officer
Reply through your receipt code on the receipt page, or call SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Say what was said and when. - 4
Tell us
If anyone found out who you are because of something you sent us, we treat it as the most serious failure we can have, and we will look into it. [Safety contact]
You can withdraw an answer with your receipt code until an officer has opened it. Withdrawing deletes what you sent. It cannot take back what someone already knows.
Ready to help? You do not need an account, a name or an app.
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