Child Safety Standards
zukka exists to protect private conversation between adults. It is not a place for content that harms children, and we have zero tolerance for it. This page states our standards against child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), the obligations we follow under United States law, and how we act on a service whose content we deliberately cannot read.
1. Zero tolerance
The following are strictly prohibited on the Service and are grounds for immediate account termination and reporting to the authorities:
- Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in any form — storing, sending, requesting or sharing it;
- Online enticement or grooming of a minor for sexual purposes;
- Child sex trafficking, or any sexualization or exploitation of a person under 18.
2. What U.S. law requires of us — and what we do
As a U.S. electronic communication service provider, Smartago LLC is subject to 18 U.S.C. §2258A (as amended by the REPORT Act of 2024). Our commitments:
- Mandatory reporting. When we obtain actual knowledge of an apparent violation — CSAM, online enticement (§2422(b)) or child sex trafficking of a minor (§1591) — we report it as soon as reasonably possible to the NCMEC CyberTipline, as the law requires.
- Preservation. We preserve the contents of any such report for one year, as required by §2258A(h), and longer where the law permits or compels.
- Account action. We terminate accounts involved in CSAE and may preserve and produce related non-content records to law enforcement under valid legal process.
- Cooperation. We respond to valid, binding U.S. legal process as described in our Legal Process Guidelines, including emergency disclosure where there is danger to a child.
3. An honest word about encryption
zukka stores content only as ciphertext we cannot decrypt, and the law does not require us to monitor, screen or affirmatively scan communications for violations (§2258A(f)). We do not, and technically cannot, read message content. This is stated plainly so no one is misled: we describe mechanisms, not guarantees. Our inability to read content is not a shield for offenders — it is paired with the duties below, and with full cooperation the moment a violation comes to our knowledge.
4. How we detect and act without reading content
We act on signals that exist without us reading conversations:
- In-app user reports. Users can report a contact or content directly from the app; reports reach our safety team.
- Account-level signals. Metadata and abuse patterns that do not require reading content (for example, mass-invite or spam behaviour).
- Valid legal process and trusted referrals, including notifications from NCMEC, app stores or law enforcement.
On a confirmed CSAE signal we terminate the account, make the report required by law, and preserve what the law requires.
5. Adults only
zukka is intended exclusively for users who are at least 18 years old, or the age of majority in their jurisdiction. It is not designed or marketed for children, and accounts known to belong to minors are removed.
6. Report child exploitation
- To us: childsafety@zukka.app — our designated child-safety point of contact, including for app stores and authorities.
- To NCMEC (U.S.): the CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org, or call 1-800-843-5678.
- Emergencies: if a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first.
7. Point of contact for app stores
For Google Play, the Apple App Store and other distributors, the designated representative to receive notifications about potential CSAE content and to speak to our enforcement and review procedures is reachable at childsafety@zukka.app.