House rules

This app exists so travelers can make friends. Keep it casual and friendly and you will never think about these rules again.

The same rules are in the app, under House rules, readable before you make an account and offline.

The one big rule

Keep it casual and friendly. Explicit or sexual content is not allowed. If you wouldn't say it to someone you had just met in a hostel common room, don't send it.

Moderation

• Every first message is screened before it's delivered. Messages that are explicit, harassing, or spam are blocked, and the recipient never sees them.
• Repeated problems have consequences. Blocked messages and removed photos are recorded, and repeat offenders lose access to the app.
• Reports are reviewed. Every report is logged with evidence and reviewed. Blocking someone instantly hides you from each other everywhere.

Also not allowed

• Harassment, hate speech, or discrimination of any kind
• Impersonation, fake profiles, or photos that aren't you
• Spam, commercial solicitation, or scams
• Sharing someone else's private information
• Explicit, suggestive, or violent photos
• Anyone under 18

What we ask of you

• Use recent photos that are actually you (verify with a selfie for the badge)
• Make plans in public places; tell someone where you're going
• Report anything that feels off, you're never wasting our time

Reporting, and what happens next

How to report something (DSA Article 16). Every profile, every business listing and every one-to-one chat has a Report action, and so does any single message inside a group or a business room. A group has one of its own, on its group page, for when the problem is the room rather than one person in it, and that report does not have to name anybody. The report carries the context with it, so we can see what you saw. Reporting is anonymous: the person reported is never told who reported them, and nobody in a group is told who reported it.

To report anything you cannot reach a Report action for, or to report anything at all while you are not signed in, use Contact us in the app or write to hello@samewhere.io. It reaches the same people and the same queue. Reports that say somebody is under 18 go to the front of that queue.

What we tell you when we restrict your content (Article 17). If we block a message, remove a photo, refuse a verification or restrict an account, we tell the person affected what was restricted and on what ground. Our screening is automated, which the privacy policy explains under Content moderation, and any decision can be reviewed by a person. We do not tell them who reported them, and we do not explain the moderation system in enough detail to be a manual for getting around it.

How to appeal. Anything decided automatically can be reviewed by a human. Write to us from Contact us in the app, which is open even when you cannot sign in, or to hello@samewhere.io. A person reads the decision itself, not just the log, and we answer within 30 days. If you still disagree, you can take it to your national authority. NEEDS LEGAL REVIEW - DSA obligations, entity and point of contact

Contact

Questions, appeals, or safety concerns: hello@samewhere.io, or Contact us inside the app, which tells us which account you are writing from and usually saves a round trip.