Child Safety Standards

Last updated: October 27, 2026

Refs has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This page sets out the standards that apply to the Refs application and describes how we prevent, detect, remove and report this content and behavior.

Scope

These standards apply to the Refs application and service, published by Refs (France), and to everything users create, save, share or send through it: Refs, collections, messages, profiles, images, links and any other content. They apply to every user and every account, regardless of age, and complement our Privacy Policy.

Definitions

  • Child or minor: any person under the age of 18.
  • Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE): content or behavior that sexually exploits, abuses or endangers children. This includes, for example, grooming a child for sexual exploitation, sextorting a child, trafficking a child for sex, or otherwise sexually exploiting a child.
  • Child sexual abuse material (CSAM): any visual depiction, including but not limited to photos, videos, drawings and computer-generated or AI-generated imagery, involving or appearing to involve a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Prohibited content and behavior

The following are strictly prohibited on Refs:

  • Creating, uploading, saving, sharing, linking to or requesting CSAM of any kind.
  • Grooming: contacting or building a relationship with a minor with the intent of sexual exploitation or abuse.
  • Sextortion: threatening or blackmailing a minor, for example with intimate images, to obtain sexual content, money or anything else.
  • Trafficking, advertising or soliciting a minor for sexual purposes.
  • Sexualizing minors, including sexualized comments, captions or collections about children, and content that normalizes or promotes the sexual abuse of children.
  • Sharing information that helps others find, access or produce CSAM, or that facilitates contact with children for abusive purposes.

How to report

Anyone can report content or behavior they believe violates these standards. Reports are confidential and are handled as a priority.

  • In the app: use the Report button available on Refs, collections and user profiles. You do not need to leave the app.
  • By email: write to contact@refs.rs with a description of the issue and, if possible, a link to the content or account involved.

Do not download, copy, screenshot or forward suspected CSAM, even to report it. Report it where it appears instead.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first (112 in the European Union, 911 in the United States).

How we respond

When we become aware of content or behavior that violates these standards, we:

  • Review the report promptly, prioritizing reports involving children.
  • Remove or block access to the violating content as soon as we have actual knowledge of it.
  • Permanently suspend the accounts involved and take reasonable steps to prevent them from returning.
  • Preserve relevant information as required by law, so that it can be provided to the competent authorities.
  • Report the content and accounts to the relevant authorities, as described below.

Reporting to authorities

Refs reports confirmed CSAM and CSAE to the appropriate organizations and authorities, including:

  • The French authorities, through PHAROS, and the French hotline Point de Contact.
  • The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), through its CyberTipline.
  • Any other competent authority, depending on where the content or people involved are located.

We cooperate with law enforcement and respond to valid legal requests related to child safety. You can also report directly to these organizations or to the INHOPE hotline in your country.

Decentralization and Matrix

Refs is built on Matrix, a decentralized network in which content can be hosted on servers operated by different organizations. On the servers we operate, we remove violating content and suspend accounts directly. When reported content or accounts are hosted on a server we do not operate, we block them from our servers where possible, notify that server's administrators, and report the content to the authorities listed above.

Compliance with the law

Refs complies with child safety laws that apply to it, including French and European Union law, and with the requirements of the app stores where it is distributed, including the Google Play Child Safety Standards policy.

Child safety contact

Refs has a designated point of contact for child safety who can answer questions about our CSAM prevention practices and our compliance with these standards:

Changes to these standards

We may update these standards from time to time. Changes take effect when they are posted on this page, and the "Last updated" date above will be revised.