Community Guidelines

01 Introduction — Why These Guidelines Exist

• 1.1 Talkiva exists for one reason: so that no one in India feels unheard. Users come here to talk, vent, celebrate, and seek a kind ear. Listeners offer their time and empathy. This only works in an environment that is safe, respectful, and free from exploitation.
• 1.2 These Community Guidelines ("Guidelines") set out what is expected of everyone on the Platforms and what happens when someone crosses the line. They are not an exhaustive legal code — we may act on behaviour that is harmful even if it is not explicitly listed here.
• 1.3 These Guidelines form part of our Terms of Service. Ignorance of these Guidelines is not a defence — by using Talkiva, you agree to them.

02 Compliance with Indian Laws

• 2.1 All activity on the Platforms must comply with the laws of India, including but not limited to:
  • the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 ("BNS") — the principal criminal law of India (successor to the Indian Penal Code, 1860);
  • the Information Technology Act, 2000 ("IT Act") and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021;
  • the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 ("POCSO Act");
  • the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act"); and
  • applicable tax, payment, and telecom regulations.
• 2.2 Where any conduct on the Platforms constitutes an offence under the above laws, Talkiva will preserve evidence, disable the offending content or account, and report the matter to law enforcement as required.

03 Talkiva's Two-Tier Ecosystem

• 3.1 Talkiva has two participant tiers: Users (who purchase Coins and spend time with Listeners) and Listeners (who earn Coins and may withdraw earnings under the Payment Policy). These Guidelines apply equally to both tiers — being a Listener or a paying User confers no exemption.
• 3.2 Listeners carry additional duties: they must complete onboarding and identity verification honestly, must not misrepresent their role or capabilities, must not manipulate session time or Coin earnings, and must never use their position of trust to exploit, defraud, or emotionally manipulate a User.
• 3.3 Users must not exploit Listeners either — including harassment during sessions, coerced personal requests, or abuse of the refund/complaint system to claw back legitimately earned Coins.

04 Safety & Mental Health

• 4.1 Talkiva is not a medical service. Conversations on Talkiva are non-clinical emotional support. Listeners are not doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, or licensed medical professionals, and nothing said on the Platforms constitutes medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you need professional help, please consult a qualified healthcare provider or contact a government helpline such as Tele-MANAS (14416).
• 4.2 Not an emergency channel. Talkiva is not an emergency service and must never be used as one. In any real emergency — medical, fire, police, or immediate risk to life — contact 100 (police) or 112 (national emergency) immediately. Do not wait for, or rely on, a Listener.
• 4.3 Self-harm and suicide. Content that promotes, glorifies, encourages, or provides instructions for self-harm or suicide is strictly prohibited. This includes methods, challenges, and "encouragement" of any kind. If you are struggling, we will do our best to connect you with appropriate resources — but we are not a crisis line.
• 4.4 Listener duty of escalation. Listeners must not attempt to "treat" a User in crisis. Where a conversation indicates serious risk to life, Listeners must encourage the User to contact emergency services (100/112) and must report the session to Talkiva's Trust & Safety team via the in-app tool.

05 Prohibited Content & Behaviours

The following are strictly prohibited for all Users and Listeners:

• 5.1 Violence & threats — credible threats of violence, incitement to violence, glorification of violence or terrorism, and content promoting organisations designated as unlawful in India.
• 5.2 Sexual content & exploitation — nudity, sexual acts, sexual solicitation, sexting, sexual roleplay, and any attempt to steer conversations toward sexual content. Talkiva is a conversation platform, not a dating or adult platform.
• 5.3 Child safety — any content or conduct that sexualises, endangers, or exploits minors is absolutely prohibited (see also the Terms of Service, Section 9, and the POCSO Act). We report all suspected child sexual abuse material to the authorities without exception.
• 5.4 Harassment & bullying — targeted abuse, stalking, doxxing (revealing another person's private information), body-shaming, blackmail, threats to expose personal material, and persistent unwanted contact after being asked to stop.
• 5.5 Hate speech — attacks, slurs, or dehumanising content targeting people based on religion, caste, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality.
• 5.6 Spam, scams & platform manipulation — spam messages, phishing links, pyramid/MLM schemes, fake profiles, OTP/account-sharing fraud, scripting or bots, Coin farming, rating manipulation, and exploiting bugs.
• 5.7 Financial misconduct — financial fraud, investment scams, unauthorised requests for another person's money, OTP or bank-detail phishing, and misuse of the payment/withdrawal system. Fraudulent chargebacks are addressed under the Payment Policy.
• 5.8 Illegal goods & services — sale or promotion of drugs, weapons, wildlife products, counterfeit documents, or any goods/services illegal under Indian law.
• 5.9 Impersonation — impersonating Talkiva staff, another person, or public figures; misrepresenting Listener credentials.
• 5.10 Sensitive personal solicitation — pressuring others to share Aadhaar/PAN numbers, bank credentials, passwords, OTPs, or intimate media.

06 Privacy & Call Recording

• 6.1 Screenshots and screen recording are strictly prohibited. You must not screenshot, screen-record, or otherwise capture calls, chats, profiles, or any other content on the Platforms, and you must not redistribute any such capture. Unauthorised capture and sharing of private conversations may amount to an offence under the BNS, 2023 and the IT Act, 2000 (see the Legal Action Table), and will result in an immediate permanent ban.
• 6.2 Recording for safety. To keep the platform safe, calls may be recorded and stored securely for safety, moderation, and dispute-resolution purposes, as described in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service (Section 8). By using a call feature, you consent to this recording. If you do not consent, you may use free text chat instead.
• 6.3 Confidentiality. What you hear in a conversation is not yours to share. Do not publish, forward, or discuss another user's private matters, identity, or personal details outside the session.
• 6.4 Respecting anonymity. Talkiva is anonymous by design (preset avatars, no photo uploads). Do not attempt to unmask, track, or contact Users or Listeners off-platform without their explicit consent, and never use information gleaned in a session to locate or identify another person.

07 Intermediary Status & Enforcement

• 7.1 Talkiva operates as an intermediary under Section 2(1)(w) of the IT Act, 2000 and enjoys the safe harbour under Section 79, subject to its due-diligence obligations under the IT Rules, 2021. We do not pre-screen conversations, but we operate automated and human moderation and act on reports.
• 7.2 Reporting. Use the in-app "Report" tool on any profile, chat, or session. Reports of the most serious categories (child safety, threats to life, terrorism) are escalated within 24 hours to the Grievance Officer and, where required, to law enforcement.
• 7.3 Enforcement ladder. Depending on severity and history, we may: (a) issue a warning; (b) remove offending content; (c) restrict features; (d) temporarily suspend the account; (e) permanently ban the account with forfeiture of Coins (subject to the Payment Policy and Terms of Service); and (f) refer the matter to law enforcement.
• 7.4 Appeals. If your account or content is actioned, you may appeal within thirty (30) days to the Grievance Officer (Section 8) with your registered mobile number and grounds for appeal. Appeals are decided within seven (7) days. Pending a legitimate appeal, we will honour any pending lawful withdrawal if the appeal succeeds.
• 7.5 Repeat offenders. Accounts that repeatedly violate these Guidelines, or accounts created to evade a ban, are permanently banned without appeal.

08 Grievance Redressal

• 8.1 Complaints under these Guidelines are handled by our Grievance Officer under Rule 12 of the IT Rules, 2021:

• 8.2 Every grievance is acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved with a reasoned response within 15 days (or shorter where the IT Rules prescribe, e.g., 72 hours for content-removal requests). Filing a grievance is free and will never count against you.
• 8.3 For payment disputes, also see the Payment Policy; for account deletion, see the Privacy Policy.

09 Legal Action Table (Illustrative)

The following table maps common violations to illustrative provisions of Indian law. It is indicative, not exhaustive; Talkiva may act under any applicable law, and only the competent courts and authorities determine liability.