Advertising independently means your name, or a name close to it, sits next to
photos of you on a public page. That is the job. It does not mean your home address,
your day-job identity, or your family need to be part of it too. Privacy takes some
deliberate setup, and it is easier to build in from day one than to retrofit later.
Start with a working name
Use a display name that is not your legal name and that you do not reuse elsewhere
online. Once a name is searchable next to your listing, it is effectively public
forever, even if you take the listing down later. Pick something you would be
comfortable being permanently associated with, and keep it separate from personal
social media, banking, or delivery accounts. This is worth deciding before you go
through account setup, since your display name and first
photos are part of what gets reviewed.
Strip metadata before you upload
Phone photos carry hidden data — the exact time, and sometimes GPS coordinates of
where the photo was taken. Most phones strip this automatically when you send an
image through a messaging app, but direct uploads from a camera roll can carry it
through. Before uploading anywhere, check your phone's share settings or run photos
through a metadata-stripping tool. This matters most for photos taken at home.
Think about what a background gives away
A street sign through a window, a distinctive piece of art, a building visible
outside, mail with an address on a counter — any of these can narrow your location
down to a suburb or a specific building. Shoot against plain backgrounds, or check
the frame carefully before you post. The same goes for tattoos or other identifying
marks: decide in advance whether you're comfortable with them being searchable, and
crop or angle accordingly if not.
Reverse image search works both ways
Before you publish a photo, run it through a reverse image search yourself. This
shows you what would come up if someone else did the same — including whether the
photo has appeared anywhere you did not intend, and whether older, unrelated results
about you surface alongside it. It is a five-minute check that tells you what is
already discoverable.
Keep contact details separate
Use a phone number and email that exist only for advertising, not ones tied to your
personal identity, bank accounts, or other services. A second SIM or a VoIP number
is inexpensive and means an enquiry never touches your everyday number. If you use
messaging apps that show a profile photo or status to anyone who has your number,
check what that account reveals before giving the number out.
Be deliberate about location detail
Advertising by city or region is normal and expected — it's how people find you. Advertising
your specific street, building name, or suburb is a different level of detail, and it's worth
asking whether you need to include it or whether "central city" or a broad area is enough
to work. You can always be more specific in a private message once you've decided to
respond to someone.
What the Privacy Act 2020 does and doesn't do
Under the Privacy Act 2020, any business collecting your personal information —
including this directory — must only collect what it genuinely needs, must keep it
reasonably secure, and generally can't disclose it to third parties without cause. That
covers how a platform handles your details on its side. It does not cover what you
choose to reveal yourself in a listing description or a photo. The Act protects data
you hand over; it can't protect information you've already made public.
If something goes wrong
If a photo or personal detail ends up somewhere you did not put it, or someone is
using your identity without consent, that's worth acting on quickly — document what
you've found (screenshots, URLs) before it can be edited or removed. On this
directory, the report link works without an account, and separately, our privacy
page sets out how we handle the information you give us. If you're
unsure how a specific platform or step works, our FAQ covers the basics of
account setup.
This is general information, not legal or security advice specific to your
situation. For advice about your rights under the Privacy Act 2020, the Office of
the Privacy Commissioner (privacy.org.nz) is the official source.