Safety

Ethos is a relationship-focused matchmaking app operated by Ethos Labs Pty Ltd. We take child safety extremely seriously. This page sets out our published standards for preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) on Ethos, in line with Google Play’s Child Safety Standards policy and applicable child-safety laws.

In these standards we use the following definitions, consistent with the Google Play Child Safety Standards policy:

• Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) means content or behaviour that sexually exploits, abuses, or endangers children — including, for example, grooming a child for sexual exploitation, sextorting a child, trafficking a child for sex, or otherwise sexually exploiting a child.
• Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) means any visual depiction — including photos, videos, and computer-generated imagery — involving the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

1. Zero-tolerance policy

Ethos has a zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The following are strictly prohibited on Ethos:

• Any content that sexualises, exploits, or endangers a minor (any person under the age of 18).
• The creation, sharing, solicitation, possession, or transmission of CSAM in any form, including AI-generated, computer-generated, animated, or drawn depictions of minors.
• Grooming, sextortion, or any attempt to engage a minor in sexual conversation, contact, or activity.
• Use of Ethos by anyone under the age of 18. Ethos is an 18+ app and we enforce this through a self-declared date of birth at sign-up, with hard rejection for any user under 18, and ongoing review of user-reported accounts.

Any account engaged in any of the above will be permanently banned, and reports involving CSAM will be escalated to law enforcement and the appropriate national reporting body without delay.

2. Child safety point of contact

For child-safety reports, regulator enquiries, or law-enforcement requests relating to CSAE on Ethos, contact James Fox, our Child Safety Officer at Ethos Labs Pty Ltd. James Fox is responsible for Ethos’s CSAM prevention practices and compliance with the Google Play Child Safety Standards policy:

Name: James Fox (Child Safety Officer, Ethos Labs Pty Ltd)
Email: childsafety@ethosapp.co

3. In-app reporting mechanism

Every Ethos user profile, message thread, and connection includes a Block & Report action that is available within the app, so users can flag concerns without leaving Ethos. The report form includes a dedicated Child safety concern category covering all child-safety issues. Users can also email child-safety reports directly to childsafety@ethosapp.co. Examples of child-safety concerns that should be reported under this category include:

• Suspected minor account
• Sexual content involving a minor
• Grooming or sexually inappropriate behaviour
• Solicitation of CSAM

All reports are received in our admin moderation queue and reviewed by Ethos Labs Pty Ltd within 24 hours. Reports flagged as involving a minor are prioritised for immediate review.

4. CSAM handling and law-enforcement reporting

When Ethos Labs Pty Ltd obtains actual knowledge of CSAM or suspected CSAE on Ethos — whether through a user report or moderator review — we take appropriate action in accordance with these standards and applicable laws. Specifically, we will:

1. Remove the content from the platform immediately.
2. Disable the offending account.
3. Preserve the relevant records (user identifiers, content, and timestamps) in line with applicable evidence-preservation obligations.
4. Report the incident to the appropriate national authority — including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline in the United States, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in the United Kingdom, the eSafety Commissioner in Australia, and any other competent authority for the jurisdictions involved.
5. Cooperate fully with any subsequent law-enforcement investigation, including production of preserved records under valid legal process.

5. Age assurance

Ethos is an 18+ service. To enforce this we require:

• A self-declared date of birth at sign-up, with hard rejection for any user under 18.
• Ongoing manual review of any account reported as a suspected minor.

Accounts where the user is found to be under 18 are deleted.

6. Compliance with applicable child-safety laws and regulations

These standards are aligned with the Google Play Child Safety Standards policy and informed by the Tech Coalition’s Child Safety Standards. Ethos Labs Pty Ltd complies with all applicable child-safety laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which Ethos is offered, including but not limited to:

• United States — 18 U.S.C. § 2258A (mandatory CyberTipline reporting), the PROTECT Act, COPPA.
• United Kingdom — the Online Safety Act 2023, IWF protocols.
• Australia — the Online Safety Act 2021 and the Basic Online Safety Expectations.
• European Union — the Digital Services Act and applicable national equivalents.
• India — the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, the Information Technology Act 2000 (including Section 67B), and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021.

We review these standards at least annually and update them as regulations evolve.

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If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first, then report to Ethos via childsafety@ethosapp.co.