Safety Center

Crisis Resources

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please use these resources. All lines are confidential and available 24/7 unless noted.

Community Guidelines

Vael exists as a space for genuine, anonymous expression. We take safety seriously. The following content and behaviour is not tolerated:

Prohibited Content

• Harassment and bullying — targeting any individual with repeated harmful messages
• Hate speech — content that dehumanises people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, or disability
• Self-harm content — content that promotes, glorifies, or instructs on self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or substance abuse
• Sexual content — explicit sexual material, non-consensual intimate imagery, or solicitation
• Violent content — graphic violence, threats of violence, or content designed to cause fear
• Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE), including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) — zero tolerance; immediately reported to NCMEC/IWF and law enforcement
• Terrorism and extremism — content that promotes or recruits for violent extremist groups
• Doxxing — sharing another person's private information without consent
• Spam and manipulation — coordinated inauthentic behaviour, artificial reactions, commercial advertising

Anonymity Comes With Responsibility

Vael's anonymous nature is a feature, not a shield. Anonymity does not protect users from moderation, account termination, or — where legally required — disclosure to law enforcement. Harmful behaviour will have consequences.

Sensitive Content Handling

Vael automatically detects certain categories of sensitive content:

• Crisis content: Thoughts that match patterns associated with self-harm or suicide may trigger a compassionate in-app safety prompt linking to crisis resources.
• Explicit content detection: Image uploads are scanned by automated tools before publication.
• Keyword moderation: Certain high-risk keywords trigger immediate moderation review.

How to Report

If you see content that violates these guidelines:

• In-app: Tap the three-dot menu on any thought or message and select "Report".
• Web: Use our Report Abuse form.
• Email: [email protected]

We aim to review all reports within 24 hours. Severe violations are escalated immediately.

In-App Report Flow — What to Expect

When you report a thought from inside Vael:

1. You are taken to a Report & Block screen showing the offending content.
2. You select a reason: Bullying / Harassment, Hate Speech, Spam, Self-Harm Content, or Other (Other requires at least 10 characters of context).
3. You may optionally add free-text detail (max 500 characters).
4. You may also tick “Block this user” to block the author at the same time — see below.
5. Submit. The report is queued for human moderator review; you receive an in-app confirmation.

The reported user is not told who reported them. Submitting a report in bad faith, or mass-reporting to silence others, is itself a violation of our Terms of Service §4.

Block a User

Blocking is a private safety control that you manage yourself — it is independent of moderation:

• How to block: Tap the three-dot menu on any thought → Block User, or tick “Block this user” while submitting a report.
• What happens: Their thoughts no longer appear in your feed, they cannot start or continue a chat with you, and any existing chat thread is hidden from your inbox.
• The blocked user is not notified.
• Unblocking: Open Settings → Privacy → Blocked Users and tap unblock next to any user. You can unblock at any time.

Your block list is private. Nobody except you can see it, and it is deleted along with your account if you delete your account.

Moderation Process

Every report is reviewed by a human moderator. Depending on severity:

• Content is removed from the public wall
• The account receives a warning (requires in-app acknowledgement)
• The account is suspended or permanently banned
• The device is blacklisted from re-registration
• Relevant authorities or child protection organisations are notified (for CSAM or credible threats)

Moderation decisions can be appealed. See our Appeals Policy for the full process, including timelines, what to include, and what outcomes are possible.

Law Enforcement Cooperation

Where legally required, Vael cooperates with law enforcement requests. We are transparent about what data we can and cannot provide. See our Law Enforcement Policy.

Contact Our Safety Team

For safety concerns, contact [email protected]. For urgent matters involving imminent risk to life, always contact emergency services first.

[email protected] is our designated Child Safety Point of Contact for notifications from Google Play and other platform partners regarding CSAE content.

Foundry26 · [email protected] · myvael.app · Effective: April 19, 2026