Complaints and reporting procedure

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999. If a child is at risk, you can also report to CEOP (National Crime Agency).

1. Reporting a post or a person (in the app)

1. Tap the flag on the post, or on the person’s profile.
2. Choose a reason: intimate image shared without consent; child safety; nudity or sexual content; harassment, bullying or stalking; threats or violence; suicide or self-harm; hate; spam, scam or fraud; or something else (including other illegal content).
3. Add any details that would help (optional) and send. You can tick a box to block the person at the same time.

You’ll see a confirmation straight away. A reported post is kept (even past its 24 hours) until our moderator has looked at it. The person you reported is never told who reported them.

2. Reporting without an account

If you don’t use Map My Friends but something on it affects you — for example, an intimate image of you — email hello@mapmyfriends.co.uk. Tell us what the content shows, the username if you know it, when you saw it, and how to contact you. Please don’t send us copies of intimate images.

3. Intimate images shared without consent

Choose “Intimate image of me (or someone I act for)”. We’ll ask you to confirm that the image shows you (or you’re reporting for the person shown) and that your report is made in good faith. The post is hidden from everyone straight away while we check, and we aim to take valid reports down — together with any copies we find — within 48 hours. If you email instead, please include the same confirmations. Support is available from the Revenge Porn Helpline and StopNCII.org.

4. What we do with a report

• Reports are reviewed by a person, most serious first (child safety and intimate images before anything else). We aim to review every report within 48 hours.
• We decide using our community guidelines, terms and the law. Possible outcomes: no action; remove the post; a warning; a suspension of 1 to 30 days; or a permanent ban.
• Child sexual abuse material is removed and reported to the National Crime Agency, as the law requires. Other illegal content may be reported to the police.
• Our moderator can only see content that has been reported — never other private posts.

5. Complaints about us

You can complain by emailing hello@mapmyfriends.co.uk if you think:

• illegal content isn’t being dealt with properly, or a report you made wasn’t handled well;
• we aren’t meeting our duties under the Online Safety Act — for example, around illegal content, reporting, or protecting freedom of expression and privacy;
• we wrongly removed your post, or wrongly warned, suspended or banned you (an appeal — see below);
• anything else about how we run the service.

We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and aim to give you a decision within 14 days. If you’d rather not get updates beyond the decision, just say so. We don’t use automated tools to find or judge content.

6. Appeals

If we removed your post or took action on your account, you can appeal within 28 days. Email hello@mapmyfriends.co.uk from any address with your username and why you think the decision was wrong — this works even if you’re suspended or banned and can’t sign in. Your appeal is looked at again with fresh eyes, and we aim to decide within 14 days. If we got it wrong, we’ll reverse it: lift the suspension or ban, remove the warning, and restore the post where we still hold it (or let you post it again).

7. If you’re still unhappy

• About your personal data: you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
• Ofcom regulates online safety in the UK. It doesn’t resolve individual complaints, but its guide on how to report harmful content and get help explains your options; Report Harmful Content can also advise.
• You also have the right to bring a claim for breach of contract if we remove your content or restrict your account in breach of our terms.

This procedure is part of our terms of service.