Why Do We Firmly Protect Aid Recipients' Privacy?

Anti-Cancer Commune attaches great importance to protecting members' privacy, and its protection of aid recipients' privacy is strictly implemented. Rules such as “not revealing aid recipients' images or video materials” and “after fundraising ends, disclosing only the payment records and signed receipt documents” have even drawn some criticism, but we believe we should hold to them. The reasons are as follows:

1. Aid recipients at Anti-Cancer Commune are often people with critical illnesses. When people are unfortunate, they do not want the whole world to know.

2. For some illnesses, owing to cultural attitudes—such as diseases of sensitive parts of the body—we do not want everyone to know.

3. To reduce aid recipients' psychological burden so they can focus on treatment and recovery. The idea that receiving aid means all information must be made public is an old approach of traditional charity; it imposes a psychological burden on recipients.

4. At Anti-Cancer Commune, receiving aid is a right earned by fulfilling one's obligations. It requires no expressions of gratitude, nor should it be exchanged for sympathy at the cost of sacrificing privacy.

5. It embodies the Commune's founding purpose—“dignity even in critical illness” and “receiving help with dignity”—and reflects the Commune's values.

6. Privacy protection is one of the hallmarks of social progress; it reflects members' dignity and quality of life, and the quality of the Commune.

Some members worry that protecting aid recipients' privacy might invite doubts about authenticity. We have explained this before (see here), and we are confident we have solved the problem through a separation of four powers. Each of us may one day be an aid recipient. Putting ourselves in their shoes and thinking from their perspective may help us better understand this practice.