How SHY handles safety, and what we will and will not claim.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(a)

Prohibited content and conduct.

The Community Guidelines are the operative rules for every account. They prohibit, among other conduct: threats or incitement of violence; harassment and stalking; sexual content involving minors and any sexualisation of a minor; non-consensual intimate imagery; solicitation for commercial sex; fraud, including requests for money, financial credentials, or investment; impersonation and misrepresentation of identity; hate speech targeting protected characteristics; and the sharing of another person's private information without consent.

Conduct that threatens public or personal safety — including threats of violence, sexual coercion, and behaviour indicating a physical risk to another member — is grounds for immediate removal without prior warning.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(b)

Criminal background screening.

SHY DOES NOT CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND SCREENINGS ON ITS MEMBERS.

Because SHY performs no criminal background screening, it does not exclude people on the basis of a criminal conviction, and no member has been cleared by any such review. See Background screening.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(c)

Age and identity verification.

Age. SHY requires members to be 18 or older. Date of birth is collected at registration and accounts under 18 are not permitted. Unresolved: whether SHY performs any age assurance beyond self-declared date of birth must be stated exactly, and this draft does not assert one.

Identity. SHY offers live-capture photo verification, which compares a liveness capture against the photos on the account. It is designed to establish that the account is operated by the person shown in its photos. It does not establish legal identity, and SHY does not verify government-issued identity documents.

A verified badge means the photos are likely of that person. It is not a safety rating, and it does not indicate that SHY has assessed that person's character or history.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(d)

Suspension, banning, and appeal.

• Actions available. Warning, content removal, feature restriction, suspension, and permanent removal of the account.
• Who decides. Reports are reviewed by SHY staff. A ban recorded as a fraud ban requires a second authorised reviewer distinct from the person who requested it; one person cannot both request and approve it.
• Appeal. A member may request review of an account restriction by following the instructions in the account notification, or by emailing [email protected] with the subject “Suspension Appeal.” Unresolved: this policy must state a response time, and SHY has not yet committed to one.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(e) · § 6-1-731

Notifying members after a fraud ban.

When SHY bans an account for posing a significant risk of attempting to obtain money from other members by fraud, SHY notifies members who previously interacted with that account. The notice identifies the banned account by its display name only, states that the account may have used a false identity or may attempt to defraud, warns the recipient never to send money or financial information, and links to fraud-prevention information. It contains no other personal information about the banned member.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(f)

Reporting guidelines.

• In the app. Open the profile or conversation and choose Report. Describe what happened and include only what you can share safely — never a password, one-time code, or financial credential.
• By email. [email protected], including for something that happened after an in-person meeting.
• You do not need proof. Report a concern whether or not you are certain and whether or not you lost money.
• Blocking is separate from reporting. Block ends contact; it does not notify the safety team. Save screenshots before blocking if you intend to report.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(g)

Non-consensual sexual conduct.

NON-CONSENSUAL SEXUAL CONDUCT VIOLATES THIS POLICY AND IS AGAINST THE LAW.

Consent is specific, informed, and revocable at any time. A match, a conversation, a plan, or a previous encounter is never consent to anything that follows. Conduct reported to SHY as non-consensual is grounds for removal, and SHY encourages any member who has experienced it to contact law enforcement and the resources below.

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(h)

Colorado resources.

• Immediate danger: call 911.
• Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) — statewide resources and referrals to local advocacy centres: ccasa.org
• Violence Free Colorado — statewide domestic violence coalition and local program directory: violencefreecolorado.org
• Colorado Crisis Services — 24/7 support: call 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255
• National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-7233, 24/7
• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline — 1-800-656-4673, 24/7

§ 6-1-731.5(2)(i)

Measures that promote safer dating.

• Contact is mutual by design. Messaging opens on mutual interest, so unsolicited contact from strangers is not a default state to be moderated after the fact.
• Blocking is immediate and one-sided. It requires no explanation and no confirmation from the other person.
• Location is coarse. SHY does not publish a member's precise location to other members.
• Safety guidance is in the product, not only in policy. See Safety at SHY and Romance scams.