Child Safety Policy

Nearfo is committed to providing a safe environment for all users and to protecting children from exploitation, abuse, and harm. We comply with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and IT Rules 2021, and applicable Indian and international child-protection laws.

Nearfo is a hyperlocal social network designed for adults aged 18 years and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

• During signup, every user must confirm they are 18 or older.
• We may request additional age verification (PAN, government ID, or KYC) for high-trust features such as Boost Circle (business owners) and Nearfo Cash withdrawals.
• If we discover that a user is under 18, we will immediately suspend the account, securely delete all collected personal data within 30 days, and notify the user (or their parent/guardian, where applicable).

The following content is strictly prohibited on Nearfo. Posting such content is a criminal offence under Indian law and will result in immediate, permanent account termination and reporting to law enforcement:

• Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): any image, video, audio, text, or computer-generated content that depicts a minor in a sexual context, simulated or real.
• Grooming: behaviour intended to gain a child's trust for the purpose of sexual exploitation, abuse, or trafficking.
• Sextortion: threatening to share intimate content of a minor.
• Child trafficking: facilitating, advertising, or arranging the trafficking of minors.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) involving a minor at any age.
• Predatory contact: adults attempting to contact, befriend, or solicit minors for any purpose other than verified family relationships.
• Sexualisation of minors: any content that sexualises or eroticises children, including dolls, drawings, animations, or fictional characters depicted as minors.

4.1 Automated Detection

We deploy multi-layer detection systems:

• Image hash matching: compare uploaded media against the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) hash database and Microsoft PhotoDNA where applicable.
• AWS Rekognition Content Moderation to detect explicit imagery and flag for human review.
• Text classifiers to detect grooming language, predatory keywords, and sexual content involving minors.
• Behavioural detection to flag adults messaging suspected minors, mass-DM patterns, and other suspicious activity.

4.2 Human Review

Our Trust & Safety team (Shield Agent + human moderators) reviews every flagged item within 24 hours. CSAM-classified content is removed within 1 hour of detection and preserved as legally-required evidence.

4.3 User Reporting

Every post, reel, story, comment, and profile has a "Report" option. Reports tagged "Child Safety" are escalated to priority queue and reviewed within 1 hour.

When we detect or confirm CSAM or other child-endangerment violations:

• We preserve all evidence (content, account metadata, IP, device identifiers, message logs) for at least 180 days as required under IT Rules 2021 Rule 3(1)(j).
• We report to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) and NCMEC CyberTipline within 24 hours.
• We cooperate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), state police, and judicial authorities under lawful orders.
• We notify Nodal Officers and Designated Officers as required under the IT Act.

• Childline India: dial 1098 (24x7, free, confidential)
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in
• POCSO e-Box (NCPCR): ncpcr.gov.in
• iCall Psychosocial Helpline: 9152987821
• Police emergency: dial 112
• Nearfo safety team: admin@nearfo.com

You can report any content or user that may violate this policy through the following channels:

1. In-app: tap the ⋯ menu on any post, reel, story, comment, profile, or message → "Report" → select "Child Safety" or "Sexual Exploitation of a Minor".
2. Email: admin@nearfo.com with screenshots and the handle of the violating account.
3. Grievance Officer: see contact details below.

All reports are confidential. You may report anonymously if you prefer.

Although Nearfo is an 18+ platform and we do not permit minors to use the service, we recognise that some teens may misrepresent their age. We provide the following guidance for parents and guardians:

• Talk to your teen about online safety, privacy, and what to share publicly.
• If you discover your child has a Nearfo account, contact us at admin@nearfo.com with proof of guardianship — we will delete the account and all associated data within 30 days at no cost.
• Report any adult attempting to contact your child via Nearfo to cybercrime.gov.in and to us.
• Encourage your teen to use age-appropriate platforms with strong parental controls.

• Background checks for all Nearfo employees and contractors with access to user content or moderation systems.
• Strict access controls on stored content; CSAM is access-restricted to law enforcement liaison roles only.
• Mandatory training for Trust & Safety team on child-safety detection, trauma-informed response, and applicable law.
• Audit logs on every moderation action, accessible to senior leadership and (under lawful order) authorities.
• Annual transparency report publishing aggregate child-safety actions taken.

We work with and welcome partnerships with the following organisations:

• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
• State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR)
• Childline India Foundation
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)
• Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C)

We may update this Child Safety Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, best practices, or product features. Updates are effective on the date posted. Material changes will be highlighted in-app and notified to all users.