Collaboration with parties acting in demonstrable good faith—such as volunteers who do not seek personal or commercial gain from data—generally carries significantly lower legal risk when information is collected, handled, and shared in a lawful and authorized manner.

Similarly, working through journalistic intermediaries benefits from well-established speech and press protections, which apply to the publisher and may offer additional contextual protections for sources in some jurisdictions, though this varies by country.

Good intent alone does not override obligations under computer misuse and data protection laws, and volunteers must still ensure compliance with applicable legal frameworks governing access, collection, storage, and disclosure of information.