Maintaining Anonymity while Sharing Meeting Information
To help members and newcomers access meetings, Al-Anon groups share information such as links or passwords to join electronic meetings or location details about in-person meetings. While sharing meeting information helps connect people to resources, it’s important to maintain members’ anonymity when sharing this information publicly.
Tradition Eleven emphasizes the importance of personal anonymity “at the level of press, radio, films and TV.” This principle extends to the online world, where information can be easily accessed. The “Digest of Al-Anon and Alateen Policies” in the 2022–2025 Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual (P-24/27) v4 further clarifies this by stating that personally identifiable information such as full names, email addresses, phone numbers, or other identifying information should not be shared publicly, even on non-Al-Anon websites.
Here are some ways for groups to maintain members’ anonymity when sharing meeting information:
- create a group email address (e.g., groupname@example.com)
- use a free group phone number
- list the District email address or phone number
These options allow Al-Anon groups to share meeting information while observing the vital principle of personal anonymity.
Reprinted with permission of Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.