The safety and security of you and your messages matter to us. We want you to know about the tools and features we've designed to help you stay safe while using LinguSocial. We also provide some links to other resources that can help you generally stay safe online.
Our Terms of Service
One way we help you stay safe on LinguSocial is through our Terms of Service. Our Terms of Service set forth the activities on LinguSocial that are prohibited. For instance, submitting content (in the status, profile photos or messages) that is illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, intimidating, harassing, hateful, racially, or ethnically offensive, or instigates or encourages conduct that would be illegal, or otherwise inappropriate violates our Terms of Service. We will ban a user if we believe that user is violating our Terms of Service.
For more information about examples of activities that violate our Terms of Service, please review the “Acceptable Use of Our Services” section of our Terms of Service.
Tools
On LinguSocial, we have created some basic controls that you can adjust as you see fit to help you protect yourself:
Control what you see and with whom you interact
You can block specific contacts from interacting with you via LinguSocial. For more information on how to block/unblock a contact and to learn what happens when you block a contact, please read this article.
Control what you share
You can also decide what to share with your contacts on LinguSocial, and we encourage you to think carefully before you decide to share something. Ask yourself: would you want others to see what you've sent?
Please be advised that we do not retain messages after they have been delivered, in the ordinary course of providing our service. Once a message is delivered over LinguSocial, to help ensure the safety, confidentiality and security of the messages you send we do not store the message.
However, when you share a chat, photo, video, file or voice message with someone else on LinguSocial, they will have a copy of these messages. They will have the ability to re-share these messages with others on and off LinguSocial.
LinguSocial also has a location feature that you can use to share your then-current location via a LinguSocial message. You should only share your location with people you trust.
Report issues to LinguSocial
You can send reports to LinguSocial by contacting us from inside the app.
- On Android: Simply go to LinguSocial > Menu Button > Settings > About and help > Contact Us.
- On iPhone: Simply go to LinguSocial > Settings > About and Help > Contact Us.
- On Windows Phone: Simply go to LinguSocial > more > settings > about > support.
Please provide as much information as possible.
Important: If you feel that you or someone else is in emotional or physical danger, please contact your local law enforcement authorities. They are better able to help in these cases.
We encourage you to report problematic content to us. Please keep in mind that to help ensure the safety, confidentiality and security of your messages, we generally do not have the contents of messages available to us, which limits our ability to verify the report and take action.
When needed, you can take a screenshot of the content and share it, along with any available contact info, with appropriate law enforcement authorities.
Report spam
When you receive a message from an unknown number for the first time, you'll have the option to report the number as spam directly inside the chat.
You can also report a contact or a group as spam from their profile information using the following steps:
- Open the chat.
- Tap on the contact or group name to open their profile information.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Report Spam.
Banning
We may ban accounts if we believe the account activity is in violation of our Terms of Service. Per our Terms of Service, we may retain the right to ban you without notification. Please be aware that a user report of conduct in violation of our Terms of Service will not necessarily result in us banning the user or otherwise taking action against the user.
Please review the “Acceptable Use of Our Services” section of our Terms of Service carefully to learn more about the appropriate uses of LinguSocial and the activities that violate our Terms of Service.
Spam and Hoaxes
We work diligently to reduce any spam messages that come through our system. Creating a safe space for users to communicate with one another is a priority. However, just like regular SMS or phone calls, it is possible for other LinguSocial users who have your phone number to contact you. So, we want to help you identify and handle spam and hoax messages.
Spam and hoax messages may or may not come from one of your contacts. These types of messages spread false information and are designed to deceive you and prompt you to act in a certain way. If a message looks suspicious or sounds too good to be true, don't tap on it, share it or forward it.
Watch out for messages that:
- Include misspellings or grammatical mistakes
- Ask you to tap on a link
- Ask you to share your personal information (like credit card and bank account numbers, birthdate, passwords, etc.)
- Ask you to forward the message
- Ask you to click on a link to “activate” a new feature
- Say that you have to pay to use LinguSocial (LinguSocial is a free app. We will never ask you to pay to use LinguSocial and you do not have to do anything to use LinguSocial for free.)
What to do
If you are receiving the message from an unknown number, you will be given the option to report the number to LinguSocial as spam directly from the app.
If you've received spam from a contact, delete the message and do not click on any links or provide personal information. Tell the contact that the message they sent includes spam and point them to this LinguSocial safety page.
You can also send reports of spam to LinguSocial by contacting us from inside the app.
Additional resources
If you feel you or anyone else is in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services.
If you receive content from someone who wishes to hurt themselves, and you are concerned for their safety, please contact your local emergency services or a suicide prevention hotline.
If you receive or encounter content indicating abuse or exploitation of a child, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).