Child Safety Standards

1. Introduction

Votep ("we," "our," or "the App") is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all users, with an absolute zero-tolerance policy toward any content or behavior that sexually exploits or abuses minors. This document outlines the standards we uphold to prevent, detect, and respond to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) on our platform.

These standards apply to all users, developers, moderators, and any third-party services integrated into Votep.

2. Zero-Tolerance Policy Against CSAM & CSAE

Votep strictly prohibits all forms of child sexual abuse material and exploitation, including but not limited to:

• Any image, video, text, or other media that depicts or describes minors in a sexual manner.
• Grooming behavior — any communication aimed at gaining a minor's trust for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
• Solicitation of minors for sexual content or in-person meetings.
• Sharing, distributing, or linking to CSAM through any feature of the application.
• Using Votep's platform to facilitate child trafficking or exploitation.

Any account found to be involved in such activities will be immediately and permanently banned. All relevant evidence will be reported to appropriate law-enforcement authorities.

3. Prevention Measures

3.1 Age Verification & Restrictions

Votep requires users to confirm they are at least 13 years of age during registration. Users who appear to be under the minimum age are removed from the platform. Certain content categories are restricted to verified adult users.

3.2 Content Moderation

All user-generated content is subject to automated and human review. We employ industry-standard hash-matching technology (PhotoDNA or equivalent) to detect and block known CSAM. Suspicious content flagged by automated systems is escalated to trained human moderators.

3.3 User Reporting Tools

Votep provides in-app reporting tools that allow any user to flag content or accounts they believe violate child-safety policies. Reports related to child safety are treated as highest priority and reviewed within 24 hours of receipt.

3.4 Safe Messaging Design

Messaging features include keyword detection systems that identify potential grooming language. Accounts exhibiting grooming patterns are automatically restricted and reviewed by the safety team.

4. Detection & Response

When child-safety violations are detected or reported:

• Immediate action: The offending content is removed and the account is suspended pending investigation.
• Investigation: Our safety team reviews all available evidence within the platform.
• Reporting to authorities: Any confirmed CSAM or credible CSAE is reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) via CyberTipline, and to relevant regional and national law-enforcement authorities, in compliance with applicable laws including 18 U.S.C. § 2258A.
• Account termination: Confirmed violators face permanent account termination and are blocked from re-registering.
• Evidence preservation: All evidence is preserved and made available to law-enforcement upon lawful request.

5. Reporting to Competent Authorities

Votep reports CSAM and CSAE incidents to the following authorities and organizations as required by applicable law and best practice:

• NCMEC CyberTipline (United States) — missingkids.org
• Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) (United Kingdom / Global) — iwf.org.uk
• Turkish Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) — for incidents involving users in Turkey.
• Local law-enforcement agencies in the jurisdiction of the affected user or perpetrator.

6. User Responsibilities

All Votep users agree, through acceptance of our Terms of Service, to:

• Not create, upload, share, or distribute CSAM under any circumstances.
• Report any suspected CSAM or grooming behavior using in-app tools or by contacting us at the e-mail address listed below.
• Not use the platform for any communication designed to exploit or abuse minors.

7. Legal Compliance & Industry Standards

Votep's child safety practices align with or exceed the following frameworks and standards:

• PROTECT Our Children Act (18 U.S.C. § 2258A) — mandatory reporting of CSAM to NCMEC.
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child — respect for children's rights globally.
• Google Play Developer Program Policies — Child Safety Standards section.
• Tech Coalition's Project Protect — industry commitment to combat online child sexual exploitation.
• Turkish Law No. 5651 (Regulation of Publications on the Internet) — compliance with Turkish regulations regarding harmful online content.

8. Policy Review & Updates

This policy is reviewed at least once per year and whenever major regulatory changes require updates. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

If you are a researcher, NGO, or authority who wishes to discuss our child-safety practices, please contact our designated safety officer using the information below.