Safety Centre

TalkKiwi connects you with people you do not know. Most conversations are friendly, but a few people misuse random chat. This page explains how we protect you, what you can do, and where to get help.

1. Before you chat

• TalkKiwi is for adults aged 18 or older only.
• Choose a display name that does not reveal your real identity.
• Check what is visible behind you on camera: documents, letters, photos, windows or anything that shows where you live or work.
• Use text or voice chat if you prefer not to show your face. Voice chat needs only a microphone.
• Read the Community Rules so you know what is not allowed.

2. While you chat

• Protect your personal details. Do not share your full name, address, phone number, social media accounts, school, workplace or location.
• Assume you could be recorded. Recording is against our rules, but we cannot technically stop someone from filming their screen.
• Never send money, gift cards or crypto to someone you met online, whatever story they tell.
• Do not click links or download files from strangers, and never type your password anywhere except the real sign-in page.
• Trust your instincts. If a chat feels wrong, press Skip or Stop. You do not need a reason.
• Your partner’s device can see your IP address during voice and video calls, which can reveal your approximate area. A VPN can hide it, but VPNs used to evade bans are not allowed.

3. Warning signs

• Pressure to move to another app quickly, or to turn on your camera or undress.
• Requests for photos, money, personal details or “proof” of who you are.
• Someone who says they are under 18. End the chat and report them with the reason “Under 18”.
• Stories designed to make you feel sorry for them, followed by a request for help or money.
• Threats to share your images, screenshots or chats unless you pay or do something.

4. If someone threatens you (sextortion)

Sextortion is when someone threatens to share intimate images or recordings of you unless you pay or send more. If this happens:

• Do not pay and do not send anything more. Paying rarely stops the threats.
• Stop replying and block the person, but first keep evidence: usernames, messages and the time it happened.
• Report it with the Report button and to the police.
• Get images removed: StopNCII.org helps adults stop intimate images being shared on participating platforms, and Take It Down helps if you were under 18 in the image. You can also ask us to remove content: see Copyright and content removal.
• It is not your fault. You are the victim of a crime.

5. How we keep TalkKiwi safe

• An 18+ requirement, a birth-year check for accounts, and moderator review for anyone reported as possibly underage, who cannot chat until it is complete.
• On-device nudity detection that blurs a stranger’s video on your screen.
• Automated checks of images and messages where enabled, banned-word filters, rate limits and human checks against bots.
• Report buttons everywhere, reviewed by moderators, with child safety reports handled first.
• Bans by account, device and network, and VPN/proxy detection to stop banned users returning.
• Calls are never recorded by us, and stranger chat text is deleted 30 minutes after a chat ends.
• Optional filters for signed-in users, blocking, and a friends-only space for people you choose.

6. How to report

• During or right after a chat: press Report. It sends the recent conversation and, for video, a few frames, so moderators can act.
• In friend chats and group rooms: use the menu next to the person or the flag next to a message.
• By email: [email protected], or [email protected] for anything involving a minor.
• You can also block anyone, so you are never matched with them again.

7. Getting help

• Immediate danger: contact your local emergency number (for example 911 in the US, 112 in the EU, 999 in the UK).
• Thinking about suicide or self-harm: find free, confidential support in your country at findahelpline.com. In the US you can call or text 988.
• Online abuse or scams: report to your national police or cybercrime reporting service.
• Child exploitation: NCMEC CyberTipline, or the INHOPE hotline in your country.

8. Meeting people offline

We recommend not meeting people you met on TalkKiwi. If you choose to, meet in a busy public place, tell a friend where you are going, arrange your own transport and leave if you feel uncomfortable. We do not screen users and are not responsible for anything that happens offline.