Safety

What Waku does

• You choose. A yes lands in your Requests, and nobody can chat with you unless you accept.
• Bot checks and moderation keep fakes and spammers out.
• No links, handles, numbers or selling. Filters block them in profiles, notes and posts, so nobody can pull you off the app or sell to you.
• Safety checks with a human in the loop. Public posts, profiles and notes are checked automatically; anything flagged is hidden until a person reviews it. Nobody is banned or reported on a score alone, and private chats are never scanned.
• No metadata. Photos, video and audio are cleaned of location and device details before sending.
• Encrypted chats. Messages and files are end-to-end encrypted. Notes sent with a yes aren’t.
• Random isn’t stored. Random chats pass through our server and aren’t saved. Random, Portals and the Board aren’t end-to-end encrypted.
• You choose how long. Your account disappears after 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days of inactivity.
• Report, block and unmatch from any chat, Portal or Random chat, and report or block any Board post’s author. Blocked people can’t match, chat or appear for you again, and they aren’t told.

The rules

Waku is for meeting people, chatting and watching things together. It’s never for selling, advertising or anything illegal, and never for harassment, hate, or anything that sexualizes children or targets real people. The full list is in the Terms.

Stay anonymous

• Use a nickname you don’t use anywhere else.
• Never share your name, city, school, workplace, socials or number.
• Don’t send photos that show your face, tattoos, or anything recognizable in the background.
• Be careful moving to another app: that’s how scammers get your real identity.

Blackmail and scams

If someone threatens to share your messages or images unless you pay or send more: don’t pay, and don’t send anything else. Paying rarely ends it. Stop replying, take screenshots, report them, and unmatch.

• StopNCII.org helps stop intimate images from being shared on major platforms.
• Report it to your local police. It’s a crime, and it’s not your fault.
• Anyone asking you for money, gift cards or crypto on Waku is breaking the rules. Report them.

If you’re in crisis

Waku is a place to talk, not professional help. If you’re in danger or thinking about hurting yourself, contact your local emergency number, or find a free, confidential helpline near you at findahelpline.com.

Minors

If you think someone is underage, report them immediately. They’re removed, and child exploitation is reported to the authorities.

Law enforcement

We cooperate with valid legal requests and emergencies as described in our Terms and Privacy Policy. Requests: hello@waku.chat.

Questions