Safety

Safety & Community Guidelines

Blink is built around real-world presence and spontaneous connection. That means trust and safety are not optional features — they are the foundation. Please read these guidelines before using proximity features.

If you ever feel unsafe or witness behavior that violates these guidelines, contact us immediately at hello@blinksocial.app.

Community Guidelines

Every person on Blink is a real human being. We expect all users to treat one another with basic dignity and respect. The following behaviors will result in immediate account removal:

Harassment and threats. Any message, profile content, or behavior intended to threaten, intimidate, or harm another user.
Hate speech. Content that attacks or demeans people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin.
Sexual content. Explicit or sexually suggestive content in profiles, photos, or messages is not permitted.
Impersonation. Pretending to be another person or creating a false identity to deceive others.
Spam and solicitation. Unsolicited commercial messages, advertising, or promotional content.
Illegal activity. Using Blink to facilitate any unlawful activity, including solicitation, trafficking, or distribution of illegal materials.
Underage users. Blink is for users 18 and older. Do not represent yourself as younger. If you believe a minor is using the app, report it immediately.

Meeting People Safely

Blink is designed for spontaneous in-person connections. When transitioning from in-app chat to a real-world meetup, please follow these best practices:

Meet in public. Always meet for the first time in a well-lit, populated public space — a café, park, or busy street corner. The Beltline is a great option.
Tell someone where you're going. Let a friend or family member know who you're meeting, where, and when you expect to be back.
Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it's okay to leave. You never owe anyone your time or presence.
Don't share sensitive personal information such as your home address, workplace, or financial details with someone you've just met.
Keep early conversations in-app. Using Blink's messaging keeps a record of interactions and allows you to report if needed.
Arrange your own transportation. Have an independent way to get to and from any meetup.

Reporting Users

If another user makes you feel unsafe or violates our Community Guidelines, please report them immediately. Reports are reviewed by our team and help keep Blink safe for everyone.

In-app reporting: Tap a user's profile, scroll to the bottom, and select "Report." Choose a reason and optionally add details. The report is sent to our team anonymously — the reported user will not know who filed the report.

Email: For urgent safety concerns or to provide additional context, email us at hello@blinksocial.app with "Safety Report" in the subject line.

We review all reports and take action — which may include warning, suspending, or permanently banning the reported account. False reports made in bad faith are themselves a violation of these guidelines.

Blocking Users

Blocking a user immediately and permanently:

Removes them from your nearby feed.
Prevents them from seeing your live sessions.
Deletes any existing conversation between you.
Prevents future matching or messaging.

To block: Open the user's profile, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right, and select "Block." Blocking is immediate and does not notify the blocked user.

You can manage your block list from Profile → Settings → Blocked Users.

Privacy Protections

Blink was designed with privacy as a core constraint, not an afterthought:

You control your visibility. You are only visible to nearby users when you actively go live. The moment your session ends, you disappear from all nearby feeds.
No persistent location history. Blink does not build a record of your past locations. Zone data is removed from our active-user index when your session ends.
Phone number stays private. Your phone number is used only for account authentication and is never displayed to other users or shared with third parties.
Profile is opt-in. You choose what your profile shows. Only information you add is visible to other users.

Location Privacy

Blink never shares your exact GPS coordinates with other users. When you go live, your device's location is converted server-side into a coarse zone (a four-character geohash prefix, approximately a 5 km² area) and a neighborhood label. That zone — not your precise location — is what other users see.

How to manage location permissions:

iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Blink. Set to "While Using the App" or "Never."
Revoking location access disables the Go Live feature but does not affect your account, messages, or any other part of the app.

We recommend setting location access to "While Using the App" rather than "Always" so Blink can only read your location when you have the app open.

Questions and Concerns

Safety is an ongoing commitment. If you have a concern that isn't covered here, reach out to us at hello@blinksocial.app. For support, visit our Support page.