# Who sees what

> What the person asking, the member asked, your organisers and your WhatsApp group can each see, from joining and profiles to requests and introductions.

Source: https://milvao.com/help/privacy-and-security/who-sees-what · Updated 2026-11-06

## Key takeaways

- Your WhatsApp group sees nothing. Milvao never reads or posts there.
- Your team sees profiles and requests, with phone numbers masked to the last 4 digits. Only the owner can export full numbers, with a reason that is recorded.
- Members see another member's profile only if that member chose to be listed or to have a public profile. A member being asked sees the brief, not who asked or their exact words.
- Numbers are shared only between the two people in an introduction, after both say yes.

Milvao is built so that each person sees only what they need, and a phone number moves only when both people agree. Here is who sees what at each step.

## Joining and profiles

| | The member | Other members | Your team | The WhatsApp group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| That they joined, and from which group | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Their profile (name, city, skills, cities served, about) | ✓ | Only if they chose to be listed | ✓ | ✗ |
| Their phone number | ✓ | ✗ | Last 4 digits (see [full numbers](#when-your-team-sees-a-full-number)) | ✗ |
| Their choices about requests and messages | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ (consent history) | ✗ |
| Whether they're verified or removed in a group | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| The text of their messages to your number | ✓ | ✗ | Not in the member page | ✗ |

Your team is the owner and operators of your community. Members of other communities on Milvao, and their teams, can never see your community's data.

## Requests and introductions

Requests and introductions are being rolled out now. These are the rules they follow.

| | Person asking | Member asked | Your team | The WhatsApp group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The brief (a short summary of the need) | ✓ | When asked | ✓ | ✗ |
| The original message | ✓ (theirs) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Asker's name and number | (theirs) | After accepting | Masked | ✗ |
| Matched member's name and number | After the member accepts | (theirs) | Masked | ✗ |

The member being asked sees the brief the asker confirmed, without the asker's name, number or exact words. They decide to accept or decline from that alone.



## The two yeses

A number is shared only when both of these are true:

1. **The person asking allowed it** for that one request. Milvao asks them separately, after they confirm the brief.
2. **The member asked accepted** that specific introduction. Turning on introduction requests in their profile only means they can be asked. It never shares their number on its own.

Milvao checks both again right before sending a contact. Each choice is recorded with the time and the notice version the member saw, in the **Consent history** on the member's page.

Contacts already shared can't be taken back. Pausing or stopping only affects introductions that haven't happened yet.

## When your team sees a full number

Every screen in the dashboard shows members' numbers masked, with the last 4 digits. There are two exceptions, and both are recorded in the activity log:

- **Owner exports.** When exporting members as a CSV file, the owner can tick **Include phone numbers** and must give a reason. The export, its number of rows and the reason are recorded. Operators can't export. See [Export data and the activity log](/help/team-and-settings/exports-and-activity-log).
- **Join requests you send yourself.** When someone asks to join from milvao.com/communities and your team approves it but sends the join link from its own WhatsApp, the approve window shows that person's number so you can message them. Each time it's shown is recorded. See [Communities directory and join requests](/help/community/communities-directory).

## What Milvao staff can see

Milvao staff can see workspace settings, connection health and audit records to run the service and help you. They can only open your dashboard itself when the owner grants read-only access for a limited time (see [Give Milvao support read-only access](/help/team-and-settings/support-access)), and every page they open is listed for the owner. Every staff action is recorded in Milvao's audit log. In a support view numbers stay masked and exports are blocked. Staff can look a member up by a number they already have, for support or a data request, and the results show the number masked; every lookup is recorded with its reason.

## What AI sees

To turn a request into a brief, Milvao sends the request text, with contact details removed, and your list of skills and cities to an AI model. Your member directory and members' phone numbers are never sent. Matching uses Milvao's own ranking rules.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can an operator see a member's number if they need to call them?
Not in the dashboard, which shows only the last 4 digits. To reach a member, use **Message member** on one of their requests, or your WhatsApp group as you do today. Only the owner can export full numbers, with a reason that is recorded.

### Does the member asked find out who asked before accepting?
No. They see only the brief. They get the asker's contact only after they accept.

### Can members browse the directory?
Only if the owner turns on a directory for members. It lists only members who chose to be listed, never with a phone number, and your team's member directory stays private. See [Mini-site, member directory and public profiles](/help/community/mini-site-and-directory).