How we keep this space safe

This page is the process behind the rules: what happens when someone reports something, what our moderators can and cannot do, what we write down, when we might contact the police, and how to tell us we have got it wrong. We have tried to write only what we actually do, because a promise we cannot keep is worse than an honest limit.

1. What we look at, and what we don't

• An automatic filter reads each new post and comment against keyword and reporting rules set by our moderators. Depending on the rule it either flags the content for a person to review — the post appears blurred behind a sensitive-content tag and a report is opened automatically — or refuses it, and tells you that the filter caught it and how to contact us.
• Member reports. Anyone can report a post or comment. Reports go into a queue that staff read.
• We do not screen new members beyond age verification, and we do not read private messages, Support Circle rooms or DMs unless a member reports something or we are asked to as part of a safeguarding concern.

Automated filters are blunt instruments. They miss things, and they sometimes catch the wrong thing — which is why a person decides every outcome, and why you can always tell us the filter got it wrong.

2. What happens when you report something

1. You tap 🚩 Report on a post or comment, choose a reason, and optionally add detail. We do not tell the person reported who reported them.
2. The report enters our moderation queue. We keep a copy of the content as it was when you reported it, so editing or deleting that post afterwards cannot make the report disappear — deleting a report would mean deleting the record of a concern.
3. A staff member reads it and decides: action taken, or no action needed. We record which, and who handled it.
4. Every action we take is written to an internal audit log with the staff member's name, the time and the reason. Our lead administrator's own account is protected from changes by other administrators.

We read reports as soon as we can, usually within a day. We cannot promise a response time, because there is no one watching a screen at 3am. If a report is about someone in immediate danger, please call 999 rather than relying on us.

3. What we can do about it

Depending on what we find, and always in proportion to it, we may:

• send a friendly reminder or ask someone to change what they posted;
• edit a post or comment — anything we change is labelled as a staff edit, never silently rewritten;
• remove a post or comment;
• apply the sensitive-content tag so it stays blurred until a reader chooses to open it;
• block or mute a member from posting, commenting or messaging — we also honour blocks requested by the member receiving them;
• suspend an account for a set number of days, or close it permanently for serious or repeated breaches — a suspension always says why, and a timed one says when it ends. The member sees that reason when they try to sign in;
• remove someone from a Support Circle or chat room where the harm happened;
• escalate: where content encourages self-harm or suicide, we remove it, close the account, and may report it to the police.

4. Who moderates

Administrators and moderators — a small volunteer team, not a professional moderation service. Moderators handle the report queue only, and only member content: they can never act on something an administrator wrote. Every admin action is logged. If you would rather a particular member not see your reports, that is not something we can promise; what we can promise is we will not reveal your identity to the person reported.

5. When we may contact the police or emergency services

6. What we write down

• Reports and the content as reported, plus what we decided and who decided it. Reports are purged only when an account is deleted.
• Sign-in addresses — recorded when you register, at each sign-in, and occasionally while you use the site; kept for 90 days from the last time an address was seen, and deleted with your account.
• Page views — which page, when, from which address, kept for up to a year.
• Your posts, comments and profile until you delete them or your account.

We do not sell your data, and we do not use what you share about your health to target advertising or to make automated decisions about you. The Terms set this out in full.

7. If you think we have got it wrong

Moderators are volunteers and we do get things wrong. If you think we have removed something unfairly, missed something serious, or acted on a report that should not have stood, use the contact form or email support@mendedspace.co.uk. A person reads that inbox, not the report queue, and if we were wrong we will say so and put it right. Please do not re-report the same thing repeatedly — it does not move a report up a queue.

8. What you can do to keep yourself safe

• Report anything that worries you, even if you are not sure it is serious.
• Block or mute someone. It works both ways and needs no explanation from you.
• Use the ⚠️ sensitive tag on hard content so other members can choose when to read it.
• Leave. You can close your account and delete your content at any time, without giving a reason.