Internet Safety & Your Role As A 7 Cups Listener

Hey everyone!

Today, we share important information about internet safety and how it ties to our 7 Cups community guidelines.

As a reminder, we have the following Listener Community Guidelines in place to ensure that you all stay safe online.
Here you can see a forum post that explains the Community Guidelines in a helpful way.

Sharing contact information is never allowed.

• Including, but not limited to, social media accounts, home addresses, phone numbers, messaging apps/sites, or any other medium of contact off-site. 

• Offsite contact is never permitted while you are a member of the 7 Cups community, this includes if you are on a self-care or deactivation break. While you are a member of this community, no matter your account status, this is the rule. There are no exceptions. Please respect it & keep yourself safe!

7Cups is a safe environment for you to build and create connections. It’s wonderful that you are all building supportive relationships with each other on site and enjoy connecting! That’s what Cups is all about 😊

We all want our entire community to be safe! Practicing safety on the internet is kind of like brushing your teeth: You have to do it every day, you have to check-in on it every 6-12 months with an expert/trusted friend, you have to understand the risks associated with eating/consuming certain foods and you have to make decisions for your daily habits in your personal best interest.

Here are some helpful and important resources about internet safety:

https://tinyurl.com/TeenSafetlyOnline

https://tinyurl.com/UsefulForInternetSafety

Internet Safety As it Pertains to 7 Cups
We are an anonymous chat site. Anonymous means that you never truly know the person on the other side of the conversation. Never forget that. We have created a safe space for you here.

It's like a home - if you step out of your home and a dog bites you, We can't help you. We can only protect you within the confines of the 7 Cups safety net.

In my experiences as a community manager, I have encountered stories from people who connected off of 7 Cups and encountered:

- Harassment

- Bullying

- Stalking

- Uncomfortable/inappropriate situations

- Individuals who are targeted

*If you share social media or personal information you risk falling victim to any of these things, which is very scary.*

These behaviors happen ALL over the internet every day and if any of these behaviors happen off of 7 Cups, We cannot help you. You are on your own.
It is dangerous, high-risk behavior, that only you are responsible and can be held accountable for.

------> When you think you trust someone: There have been situations where a community member believed they could trust someone and then connected off site only to be bullied and stalked.
You don't really know who anyone is until it's too late. And if your relationship breaks down in the future they will still have your details. Once given, they cannot be taken back.

------> When groups of people connect together off of 7 Cups: There have been situations where groups of people connect off site and then let their off site communication negatively impact the culture we have built on 7 Cups. Furthermore, If you connect in large groups of off 7 Cups, you risk your personal anonymity to a large group of people (which is even more high risk than revealing your information to just one person) and listener reputation.

If you are found to be connecting off site with another listener, your account will be suspended.
We cannot ensure your personal security/safety and sharing contact information has to be stopped.  

Note: Under no circumstances is asking for or sharing your personal contact information with anyone admissible. I remind you that this is a high risk behavior and of the dangers presented to you in engaging in this behavior.

Important information to remember:

--> Any negativity (including: hurtful gossip, harassment or bullying) in the community as a result of your offsite contact, will lead to your accounts being suspended.

--> If you are currently connected to other users, off of 7 Cups, We highly encourage you to stop it and remove yourself from contact with them.

A few observations:

1. Are the conversations that I’m having offsite really safe?
   We can feel like the person we had offsite contact with is really fun and great. But then it turns out that it’s harmful and we’ve gotten ourselves in a situation where we are not safe and even in danger.
   It’s perhaps great now, but will it be so permanently, to have someone knowing your identity also risks your safety on Cups if or when things turn bad. Since they can share your contact information with others, causing the risk of you being unsafe offsite and again, we can’t protect you on Cups, not off Cups. 
   
   

2. Are the conversations I am having off of 7 Cups helpful?
   We can feel like we have found someone who understands us or has gone through something similar.
   And going offsite with them can feel like a good idea, but looking at question number 1 again, that still puts you at risk.
   
   

3. Are the conversations I am having off of 7 Cups hurtful?
   The odds of that being a yes is greater than it being anything else.
   Perhaps you don’t feel so right now, because it can feel like you made a friend or that you can be with someone romantically.
   
   

4. How am I benefiting from these off site relationships?
   We might feel like we’ve made a connection, but is this something that is beneficial, odds are that this isn’t.
   Odds are that this off site connection will form a codependent relationship between you and the other person and this connection can become demanding and in the end, harmful.
   Staying on-site is where you are protected, but off site means that you’re on your own.
   
   

5. Are these off site relationships impacting my work in the 7 Cups community?
   When we are listening, we can take a break and even log off when we feel the need to.
   If you’re going off site, that option doesn’t work any longer.
   Because that gives someone the option of putting the pressure on you to listen to them off site.
   
   

6. Do I really, truly know every user I am connected to? And trust them with my personal information?
   What we see online isn’t always the full picture.
   People will always behave differently when there are consequences that they will face, for example having their account closed.
   But if you go offsite, then there are no consequences that they can face when they show you inappropriate behavior.
   If we find that you are in offsite contact, your account will be suspended. 

Your replies to these questions should indicate to you if your behavior is appropriate or unprofessional. I encourage you to remove yourself from all offsite conversations.

Important Notes:

Adult/Teen Listeners - If you are found to be sharing your personal information with a teen listener, your teen badge will be removed immediately. We have a ZERO tolerance policy for this.
With teens, there are heightened concerns about bullying and harassment.

All members of our community (listeners included) - Under no circumstance should you share your personal contact information with another user.
Same zero tolerance policy applies to everyone.

You came to 7 Cups and made it your safe haven, your home. We want to keep it safe and protected and want to make sure that you stay safe and healthy. This post is intended to encourage safe internet behaviors.

Stay safe, stay on site. 

This post was updated by AnnaSilverberg - 11/27/23