On Deck Society - Safety & Verification

Plain English Summary

On Deck Society takes your safety seriously across all of our products. On Love On Deck and Friends On Deck, everyone verifies with a live selfie before they can use anything, you control who can see you through Vilters, and you can block, report, and end conversations at any time. Blocking by email or phone, which will let you pre-exclude specific people, is planned and not yet available. Forge On Deck is not currently available. Nothing here guarantees your safety, and Section 7 explains the limits. Here is how it works.

1.1 Selfie Verification

Every Citizen verifies once, as a person, before using any product. During the first Quick Build you complete, you take a live selfie with your device camera. Our team compares it against the photos on your deck to confirm that you are a real person and that your photos represent you. Your verification then applies to every product. Until you are verified, you cannot search, appear to anyone, or message anyone. Verification is required for everyone. It is not optional. We delete the selfie as soon as verification is decided.

1.2 The ViSi Safety Advantage

ViSi, our system of Silters and Vilters, is not just a way to find people. It is a safety feature. Vilters let you decide which categories of people can see that you exist. Someone who does not pass your Vilters cannot find your deck in search or open it, and is not told you are on the platform.

Two limits matter. Vilters are not retroactive: if you were already in a conversation with someone before you set a Vilter that excludes them, that conversation continues until you end it. And Vilters work on categories, not individuals. To keep one specific person away, block them.

If you hide a detail on your deck, it still counts when people filter, so someone adjusting their filters may be able to work out a hidden detail from whether you appear. See Section 2.6 of our Terms of Service.

1.3 Blocking by Email or Phone (Planned)

Blocking by email or phone is a planned feature. It is not yet available. When it ships, it will operate at the individual-person level rather than the demographic-category level: you will be able to pre-exclude specific people, an ex, a coworker, a stalker whose information you already have, by email address or phone number, before they ever get a chance to see you, and they will never be told. Until it ships, use the tools that are live today: set your Vilters to control who can see that you exist, block anyone who makes you uncomfortable, and report anything that violates our Community Guidelines. We will update this page when blocking by email or phone launches.

1.4 Blocking, Ending Conversations, and Reporting

Blocking works across every On Deck Society product. Once you block someone, neither of you can find, see, or message the other anywhere on On Deck Society, and every conversation between you is removed from both inboxes. They are not told.

Unmatch on Love On Deck, Disconnect on Friends On Deck, and Dismiss end a conversation or a first message in that product only, and delete it for both of you. Nobody is notified, and none of these can be undone in the app.

Whichever you use, our moderation team keeps a private copy for 30 days, and longer while a report between you is open, so we can still review a report. Neither of you can see or restore that copy.

If someone's behavior violates our Community Guidelines, report it. Friends On Deck reporting includes a reason for unwanted romantic or sexual advances. Every report is reviewed by our team. You can report for at least 30 days after you block, unmatch, disconnect, or dismiss. If you are being harassed, report and block.

1.5 Meeting In Person

On Deck Society facilitates connections, romantic and platonic, but we cannot control what happens when you meet someone in person. Meet in a public place the first time, tell a friend or family member where you are going, arrange your own transportation, and trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, leave. Your safety is more important than politeness.

1.6 Emergency Resources

Forge On Deck is not currently available. This section describes how it works when it is.

2.1 AI Safety Guardrails

Every Forge On Deck coaching persona operates within defined behavioral boundaries. These guardrails are built into each coach's system instructions and cannot be overridden by user input.

2.2 Crisis Detection and Redirect

All five coaches are programmed to detect language indicating a mental health crisis, suicidal ideation, or self-harm. When crisis language is detected, the coach will pause coaching, respond with empathy, and provide emergency resources including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).

The coaches will not attempt to coach through a crisis. Crisis intervention requires trained human professionals, not AI.

2.3 Scope Limitations

Each coach is programmed to stay within its domain and to recognize when a conversation crosses into territory that requires a licensed professional.

• Blaze (Fitness) will not diagnose injuries, prescribe rehabilitation exercises, or provide medical nutrition therapy. Blaze will redirect you to physicians, physical therapists, or registered dietitians when appropriate.
• Penny (Finance) will not recommend specific securities, investment products, tax strategies, or insurance products. Penny will redirect you to licensed financial advisors, CPAs, or tax professionals when appropriate.
• Rose (Life) will not provide therapy, diagnose mental health conditions, or use clinical terminology as though qualified to apply it. Rose will redirect you to licensed therapists or counselors when appropriate.
• Archer (Career) will not provide legal advice about employment disputes, contract interpretation, or regulatory compliance. Archer will redirect you to employment attorneys when appropriate.
• Nova (Passions) will not provide technical safety instruction for high-risk activities. Nova will redirect you to qualified instructors when appropriate.

2.4 Content Filtering

The coaches will decline to generate content that is illegal, sexually explicit, violent, harassing, or designed to harm any person. If a user attempts to manipulate a coach into generating prohibited content, the coach will decline and explain why.

3.1 Database Security

User data is stored in a PostgreSQL database with row-level security (RLS) enabled. RLS limits each user to their own data at the database level, adding a layer of protection beneath the application. It depends on correctly written rules, which we review and test, but no single safeguard is perfect.

3.2 Authentication

User authentication is handled by Supabase Auth, which provides secure session management, password hashing, and token-based authentication. All authentication traffic is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS.

3.3 API Security

API routes that access private user data require authentication. API keys used for third-party services (including AI coaching) are stored as server-side environment variables and are never exposed to the client.

3.4 Encryption

All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS. Data at rest in the database is encrypted using the database provider's encryption standards.

Deck photos are delivered to viewers through image links. A link copied out of the app can be opened without signing in, as described in Section 3.5 of our Terms of Service.

When blocking by email or phone ships, its entries will be protected by the same row-level security as the rest of your account data, and only you will be able to view your own list.

Before you can use any product, you also complete selfie verification, reviewed by our team, as described in Section 1.1.

As On Deck Society grows, additional verification methods may be introduced, such as identity badges, social account linking, or video verification. These will be communicated before implementation.

5.1 Love On Deck and Friends On Deck User Issues

Use the in-app report and block features. For urgent safety concerns, email support@OnDeckSociety.com with the subject line “Safety Report.”

5.2 Forge On Deck AI Behavior Issues

If a coach provides a response that you believe is harmful, inappropriate, or outside its defined scope, email support@OnDeckSociety.com with the subject line “AI Safety Report.” Include the coach name, approximate date and time, and a description of the issue. We review all AI safety reports and use them to improve our guardrails.

5.3 Security Vulnerabilities

If you discover a security vulnerability in any On Deck Society product, report it to support@OnDeckSociety.com. Do not publicly disclose the vulnerability before we have had a reasonable opportunity to address it. We take security reports seriously and aim to respond within 48 hours.

5.4 Account Issues

If you believe your account has been compromised, contact support@OnDeckSociety.com immediately. We will help you secure your account and investigate any unauthorized access.

• We will maintain and improve safety features across all products as they evolve.
• We will review all safety and AI behavior reports and take corrective action when warranted.
• We will be transparent about how your data is used and secured.
• We will never prioritize engagement metrics over user safety. On Love On Deck and Friends On Deck, that means protecting your privacy through Vilters, which exist so that “no thank you” can be a complete sentence. On Forge On Deck, that means coaching personas that stop and redirect to professional help when needed, even if that means fewer messages sent.
• We will update this document as new safety features are introduced.

No platform or AI system is perfect. Vilters, blocking, and verification reduce unwanted contact; they do not prevent it entirely, and someone you have blocked could return with a new account and different details. Despite our safety measures and guardrails, issues may arise. Selfie verification reduces but does not eliminate fake profiles. AI coaching responses may occasionally be inaccurate, unhelpful, or fail to detect a situation that warrants professional referral. When blocking by email or phone ships, it will be effective only when the excluded person uses the email or phone number you have on file for them; an account created with different contact information will not be caught unless you add those identifiers to your list. We work continuously to improve these systems, but we cannot guarantee that every interaction will be appropriate in every context.

On Deck Society products are tools, not safety nets. If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. Do not rely on a dating app or a coaching app in an emergency.

On Deck Society, PBC | OnDeckSociety.com