Safety Discussion - Offsite Contact
Hi everyone! š©·
This discussion is about something that is being pondered everywhere in 7 Cups - offsite contact. As per our community guidelines, offsite contact - sharing of personal contact details, social media information, addresses etc. - is prohibited here in 7 Cups.
That is because we are an anonymous site, which creates a safe space for people to seek emotional support. As with all other anonymous sites, we truly never know whoās on the other side of the screen.Ā
So, once a connection between two users moves off 7 Cups to either other sites or in-person, we can no longer protect you. You are on your own, and there is a high risk of dangerous situations, like bullying, stalking, harassment etc., to name just a few.
Obviously, we want to avoid these scary situations, so we at 7 Cups are serious about the safety of all of our users here.
Hereās a rundown of our 7 Cups guidelines on offsite contact: š
Sharing contact information is never permitted, whether in 1-1 chats, group chat rooms, forums, or in profiles.
These include but are not limited to full names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, video gamesā multiplayer teams, social media accounts, links related to messaging apps/sites.
This applies even if you are on self-care break or deactivation break.
Recruiting 7 Cups users to a large in-person or online group outside the site is also not allowed.
For Adult Teen Listeners (ATL), we have a zero-tolerance policy for offsite contact with teens. Any ATL found in offsite contact with a teen user will have their teen badge removed immediately.
This is done because teens are at higher risk for dangerous online activities.
The only exception to using offsite tools on 7 Cups are related to leadership roles - these include Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Forms.
More about here: Permission Clarifications for Leaders
Now for the question part! āØ
What steps can be taken by you to protect yourself online (including 7 Cups)?
Tag 2-3 of your 7 Cups friends to let them share their insights!
What would you do if a member or a listener starts asking for your contact details?
If you spotted a forum post containing a link to a group on a social media/messaging site, what could you do about the forum post?
Do you have any ideas about minimizing the risk of offsite contact on 7 Cups?Ā
Suggestions are welcome! š
Phew, that was a rather long discussion, so hereās a treat for you:
Our Ambassador @Rebekah has written about their experiences with offsite contact. You can read more about it here
If you have spotted a profile that needs to be flagged, feel free to message one of the Safety Patrol members with the username here
For any queries on Safety (profile flagging/outreaching/discussions), youāre welcome to message tommy or Rebekah!
Resources for further reading š:
(all text in blue are clickable)