TalkLife Community Guidelines
Last updated - June 2024
TalkLife values your right to share your views and opinions, but not everything is welcome in an online community. Thoughtful and respectful debate is welcomed, as are opposing viewpoints, as long as they are communicated in a respectful manner.
We're a global community and a private company. We reserve the right to run TalkLife in a manner that is in line with our mission and values. We are also committed to fostering a safe environment that complies with international laws, including the UK Online Safety Act and The Digital Services Act.
Any content that violates our community guidelines below will be removed. TalkLife will ban users from the platform if their behaviour warrants such action. Individuals are notified of our decisions and can appeal them if they believe no violation has occurred.
We will promptly report any credible threats of real-world harm to human life, any evidence of exploitation or abuse involving minors or vulnerable adults, terrorist threats, or any signs of illegal activity to local authorities.
🔔 Recent Updates
Understanding Our Commitment to Safety in Discussions of Self-injury, Suicide, and Eating Disorders
Last Updated - June 2024
Read our new policy
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What Does Posting Anonymously Do?On TalkLife, all members are able to post anonymously. When you choose to post anonymously, other members won't be able to relate the post to your account. It gives you an anonymous profile picture on the post and the accompanying comments for that post. You can keep track of all your anonymous posts from your post history and these are only displayed to you. Administrators will be able to see your posts and comments but will never disclose your information, this is to prevent abuse. To Post Anonymously, Follow These Steps: Open the app and select [+] button Select a mood you're feeling and then press on the “Continue” button Select a category for the post and then press on the “Continue” button Select on “Post Options” icon next to your avatar Toggle ON “Post Anonymously” option and select “Save Post Options” button Type in your post Select the blue paper plane button to publish!
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How Can I Reset My TalkLife Password?You can reset your password directly within TalkLife using the “Forgot your password?” screen. To Reset Your Password, Follow These Steps: Open the app, while signed out, then select “Log In” Select “Forgot your password” Type in your email and select the arrow button. We will email you a temporary password with a confirmation link Go to your TalkLife e-mail and select on the confirmation link to activate your temporary password Login to TalkLife using the temporary password and update your password to one you can remember in your account settings under Private Information
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I get the message: “This email is associated with another social media account. Please use the social log-in to access the app.” when I try to reset my password. What does this mean?This means that you created your account using Facebook Login, Google Sign-In, or Sign in with Apple. To access your account, go back to the onboard screen and select the correct alternative sign in methods under “sign in with” and continue logging in.
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How Can I Update My Profile Picture?To Change Your Profile Picture, Follow These Steps: Open the app and select your profile picture at the top right, next to your Display Name Select on your profile picture above your Display Name Select “Take Photo” or “Choose Existing” Grant app permission for camera or gallery (first time) Take a picture with your camera or select the photo you'd like to use from your gallery Crop, reposition, and rotate the photo as needed Select “Done”
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How Many Photos Can I Have in My Profile Gallery?You can have 6 photos in your gallery, but if you purchase a TalkLife Hero Subscription, it's expanded to 24. The subscription also comes with other features, such as animated emoji, exclusive highlights, custom profile covers, all gift cards unlocked, 10x monthly boosts, a supporter badge, and one free monthly subscription to give to another TalkLife user of your choice! You can purchase a Hero Subscription within the app for $2.99 per month.
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Can I Choose Which Notifications I Want?Yes, you can! There are plenty of options within the application to have control of how often you receive notifications. You can mute notifications from a post, messages, groups, and more! To Mute Notifications From Posts on the App, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app and select on a post you commented on Select the “. . .” options button at the top Select “Mute Conversation” and select “OK”. You will no longer receive push notifications or activity of these notifications on your Notifications Feed. To Mute a Private Conversation With Another User, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the Messages button in the footer Swipe right on a private conversation with another TalkLife member and then select the Settings gear Toggle ON Mute Conversation, select duration, and then select the “OK” button. Messages received from this TalkLife member will no longer display in drop-down notification and you won't receive push notifications. However, you will still receive a red notification indicator on the Messages button. To Mute a Group, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the Messages button in the footer Find the group (private or public) on the My Messages tab or Public Groups tab Swipe right on the group and then select the Settings gear Under “Notifications Options”, select “All Messages”, “All @mentions”, or “Nothing” (along with a time duration and select OK) “All Messages” will give you drop-down notifications and push notifications for messages sent within the group. “All @mentions” will only give you drop-down notifications and push notifications for messages where other TalkLife members tag you in. “Nothing” will no longer display any messages sent within the group as a drop-down notification and you won't receive push notifications. However, you will still receive a red notification indicator on the Messages button. You can also have more control of your push notifications within your Notification Settings! To Access Your Notification Settings, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the last icon to the right on the footer menu Select “Settings” Scroll down to “Preferences” and select “Notifications” Here, you can select which notifications you want to receive push notifications from. You can also set it to where you only get some or all push notifications from people that you follow.
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How Do I Block Triggering Content on My Feed?We understand that some topics can be more difficult to discuss than others. By default, TalkLife will apply a trigger filter to a post if the original poster chooses to apply it. You may also add other trigger filters that will apply to some posts on the feed. We will try our best to filter these posts based on the criteria that you choose. We also allow you to specify which posts to custom filter based on your own personal preferences. To Apply the Theme Categories for TalkLife To Filter, Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the last icon to the right on the footer menu Select “Settings” Scroll down to “Preferences” and select “Set Trigger Categories” Select the trigger categories you want to filter Select “Done” To Apply a Custom Keyword Filter, Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the last icon to the right on the footer menu Select “Settings” Scroll down to “Preferences” and select “Mute Custom Keywords” Type in a keyword you want to mute and select “Add”
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What is Crowd Control?Crowd Control is a neat feature that lets you control how you share your posts to the TalkLife community. It allows you to choose between all TalkLife members, long term TalkLife members, or only the TalkLife members you're following to view them. To Use Crowd Control, Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the [+] button Select a mood you're feeling and then press on the “Continue” button Select a category for the post and then press on the “Continue” button Select on “Post Options” icon next to your avatar Select “Crowd Control: Who can see my post” Choose between “Low – All Members”, “Moderate – Long Term Members Only”, and “High – Only Show to Following” Press “Continue” button, and “Save Post Options” Type in your post Select the blue paper plane button to publish!
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What is a Highlight?A highlight is a cool looking background design that you can have on your post card in the feed! Customize your post with a style to your liking with over 15+ highlights available to TalkLife Heroes. Keep an eye out for some temporary free highlights available during special occasions! To Add a Highlight to Your Post, Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the [+] button Select a mood you're feeling and then press on the “Continue” button Select a category for the post and then press on the “Continue” button Select on “Post Options” icon next to your avatar Select “Add a Highlight” Choose Highlights available or become a TalkLife Hero to unlock 15+ new highlights, and select “Save Post Options” Type in your post Select the blue paper plane button to publish!
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What is a Public Group?Public groups are small places where you can get together around a common interest. They are moderated by the owners or set admins and each group will bring its own flare to TalkLife. Be sure not to share anything inappropriate and stay within the guidelines.
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What is Public Group Premium?Public Group Premium is a way to give your Public Group a little extra flare! It will increase your member limit to 1000, let you add 4 additional owners and 10 admins, give your members emoji reactions, set a custom welcome message, and make your group “Featured”. Any member of your group can unlock premium for one month, two months, or one year. To Upgrade Your Public Group to Premium, Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the Messages button in the footer Select “Public Groups” tab Swipe right on a non-Premium Public Group under “Joined Groups” and then select the Settings gear. Select “Premium” Select “Upgrade Now” button Select which Premium subscription you'd like, then select “Purchase” Follow through to purchase via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
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How Do I Block Another User?Sometimes we can't get along with everybody. The healthy thing to do would be to avoid interaction with those that may make our journey more difficult. To Block a User on TalkLife, Please Follow These Steps: Navigate to their profile, post, or comment. Select the "post options" - the three dots Select "Block This User" option When you block a user, you will no longer see their posts or comments. They will also not be able to see any of your content, tag you, or message you. You can unblock a member at anytime via your settings and choosing "Manage Blocked Users".
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How Can I Unblock a User on TalkLife?To Unblock a User on TalkLife, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the last icon to the right on the footer menu. Select "Settings” Select "Manage Blocked Users” Select “Unblock” When you unblock a user, you will be able to see their content again. They will also be able to see your content again, and message and tag you.
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How Do I Hide Another User?Sometimes we can't get along with everybody. The healthy thing to do would be to avoid interaction with those that may make our journey more difficult. To Hide a User on TalkLife, Please Follow These Steps: Navigate to their profile, post, or comment. Select the "post options" - the three dots Select "Hide This User" option When you hide a user, you will no longer see their posts or comments. You can unhide a member at anytime via your settings and choosing "Manage Hidden Users".
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How Can I Unhide a User on TalkLife?To Unhide a User on TalkLife, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the last icon to the right on the footer menu. Select "Settings” Select "Manage Hidden Users” Select “Make unhidden” When you unhide a user, you will be able to see their content again.
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What Does “Reset Account” Do?Reset account allows you to start all over again, like brand new! It will reset all of your account settings, profile photos, posts, followers/following, your comments, posts, hearts, achievements, and so much more! Each TalkLife account is allowed 2 resets per year. To Reset Your Account, Please Follow These Steps: Open the app, then select the last icon to the right on the footer menu. Select "Settings” Scroll down to “Danger Zone” and select “Reset Account” Select “OK” to confirm reset if you have any remaining
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What Is “Deactivating Account”? What’s the Difference Between Deactivating and Deleting an Account?Deactivating your account will suspend all activity of your account within the app. It will make your profile, comments, posts, etc. unavailable within the app. You can reactivate and return to your account at any time. Deleting your account will suspend all activity of your account, while also permanently deleting it within 15 days. You must reactivate and return to your account within this time to avoid the permanent deletion of your account. We cannot reverse this action.
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Is TalkLife Free?YES! You can use all of TalkLife's features without any cost. If you find TalkLife helpful and would like to support the community, you can become a TalkLife Hero for $2.99 to unlock some additional highlights and cover photos, along with many other cool features and extras!
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What is a TalkLife Administrator?TalkLife has a global safety team working around the clock to remove inappropriate content, and users within seconds. Administrators are professional staff trained in moderation and safeguarding. Administrators review flagged content and content removed by the Moderators and have oversight of the platform 24/7. Administrators can also suspend and ban users.
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What is a TalkLife Moderator?A Moderator is a TalkLife volunteer who has gone through a thorough recruitment, training and assessment process to be able to remove content on TalkLife. Moderators remove content that is against the TalkLife Community Guidelines. Everything that is removed by a Moderator is reviewed by an Administrator. Moderators are members of the TalkLife community that want to give back and support others.
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What is a TalkLife Buddy?A Buddy is a volunteer from the TalkLife community who wants to give back and support others. TalkLife buddies go through training and assessment and learn how to support others online including active listening, conveying empathy and self-care. Buddies are there to welcome you in the community and support you as you work through the ups and downs of life.
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How Do I Apply To Be a TalkLife Buddy or Moderator?We're frequently looking for volunteers! Applications for both roles are open once a month so keep an eye out within the app for our Volunteer Application announcements. You must be 16+ to be a Buddy and 18+ to be a Moderator. Applicants will be required to fill out a short questionnaire, participate in a scheduled video call interview, and if selected, undergo training to fulfill the role of a TalkLife Buddy or Moderator.
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What Is the Honor Level System?The Honor Level System is another layer of moderation within the app. It helps us with safeguarding the app by automatically restricting accounts that are in bad standing. It's been designed to prevent the harm and toxicity of some members, and give them a chance to improve their behavior. TalkLife Administrators will still take action to suspend and/or ban TalkLife members if their actions don't improve and the guidelines are still not followed.
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My Honor Level Decreased. What Can I Do To Increase It?If your honor level decreases, the best thing for you to do to increase it is to follow the guidelines and stay out of trouble within the application. Then soon enough, your account will be in good standing for you to increase your honor level and regain access to the features that were once restricted on your account.
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I Feel Low. I Feel Alone. I Miss the Old Me.Our community loves having new people to talk to. Interacting with others will help you feel better and may help you see situations from a new perspective. It’s an easy first step before talking to your GP.
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My Child Is Using TalkLife - What Is It?TalkLife is a global social network where people can talk openly and honestly with others about the ups and downs of life- specifically battles with mental health. TalkLife members must be above 16 years and enter an age verification on sign up. If you have a child under the age of 16 and you beleive they are using TalkLife, we encourage you to remove the account using the delete account function. If your child is 16+ They can use TalkLife to give and get support from other people who are going through similar things. It’s a place where no-one need feel alone or judged for who they are. It is not a crisis support service. We are an online peer support community and not a clinical service. We cannot diagnose or treat users and we do not provide advice or professional support. If you are worried about your own mental or physical health or someone else’s please seek professional help from a doctor or qualified health practitioner. TalkLife is not a crisis support service and we cannot support users who are suicidal. If someone is in need of immediate support we urge them to contact the emergency services or one of the resources listed in our help centre. We are unable to provide crisis support through TalkLife. As such we do not allow posts that actively discuss suicide attempts or methodologies. We prominently provide resources on where to seek crisis support help in our ‘I need help’ section in app. We also provide pop up signposting to users when they have drafted content that suggests they’re in crisis. Please see our community guidelines for more information on what we allow and don’t allow.
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Will You Report My Information to Authorities?TalkLife works with law enforcement agencies to help people on the platform stay safe. If you are in immediate risk of harm or harm to others, TalkLife will work with law enforcement agencies to support them in responding to emergency situations. We will also report If you are involved or discussing illegal activity, acts of terror or sexual abuse of a minor. You can read more on ourprivacy policyandterms of service.
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Will My Friends Be Able To Find Me on TalkLife?TalkLife allows you to control the information that appears on your TalkLife profile, including profile name and display pictures. TalkLife also allows users to post anonymously, without including your profile information. Essentially, no, your friends won't be able to find you if you don't want them to. Be careful with what you share on any network, especially personally identifiable information.
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Why Was My Post Removed?On TalkLife, we really dislike having to remove posts. However, we may have to if the content of the post is in violation of our community guidelines. If your post is removed, you will be notified by a pop-up within the app. The reasoning for removal will be displayed in this notification. You can also find our reasoning for removal when you open the removed post from within the app. There will be a comment from the Hawk displayed only to you. If you would like further information you are able to directly ask an admin via the original post. Check out our community guidelines and rules to understand what is okay and not okay to post on TalkLife.
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How Can I Flag Inappropriate Content?We take the security of our users extremely seriously. If you have seen content on TalkLife that's abusive, overly graphic, requests for inappropriate content or posts that don't seem right, we ask that you flag the content in order to alert our moderation / administrators. To Flag a Post: Open the inappropriate post from the feed Press the '. . .' in the top right hand corner of the screen Choose a reason for flagging the content You will not be notified of any further action To Flag a Comment: Open the inappropriate comment from the feed Press the '. . .' in the top right hand corner of the comment Choose a reason for flagging the content You will not be notified of any further action
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Someone Is Sending Me Inappropriate Content in Messaging!If someone is sending you inappropriate content or requests within messaging for content that you don't feel comfortable sharing, we ask that you flag the messages to quickly bring this to the attention of administrators on shift. You Can Flag a Private Message Through the Following Steps; Select the settings icon in the top right of the messaging thread. Choose "report user" Select a reason for flagging the conversation This will alert administrators who can then take action if appropriate. Administrators will not provide any information on their decision or action they have taken.
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How Can I Report Another User?We take the security of our users extremely seriously. If you have seen a TalkLife member who is behaving abusively, posting graphic content/offensive photos or going against our community guidelines, we ask that you flag users in order to alert our Moderation / Administrators. To Report Another Member: Select the members profile, and select the three dots at the bottom right corner Select "Flag This User" Select a reason for flagging a profile This will then be flagged to Administrators on shift. You will not be notified of any action taken by Administrators or moderation.
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What is a TalkLife Moderator?A TalkLife Moderator is a volunteer who is trained to help ensure the TalkLife community is a safe and supportive place. We’ll teach you the types of content that are okay and not okay within our community and help you to put this into practice by removing and flagging posts. You will be required to spend 5-6 hours per week moderating on TalkLife.
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What is a TalkLife Buddy?A TalkLife Buddy takes part in our unique online training course in peer support. We’ll teach you how to support others online including how to encourage people to open up, how to respond to someone who is struggling, how to know your own boundaries and critically, how to look after yourself and practice self-care. You will be required to spend 5-6 hours per week performing your Buddy duties on TalkLife.
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How Do I Apply To Be a TalkLife Buddy or Moderator?We're frequently looking for volunteers! Applications for both roles are open once a month so keep an eye out within the app for our Volunteer Application announcements. You must be 16+ to be a Buddy and 18+ to be a Moderator. Applicants will be required to fill out a short questionnaire, participate in a scheduled video call interview, and if selected, undergo training to fulfill the role of a TalkLife Buddy or Moderator.
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What Training Is There?Training for both Buddy and Moderator roles is carried out in small groups and is made up of several modules, completed in your own time, at your own pace. The modules consist of videos, written information and a quiz to help you put into practice what you have learned. You can log on at any time, day or night, to complete the online training and support will be on hand if you have any queries. Depending on the pace and size of the group, training can take anywhere between 1-2 weeks.
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Is It Paid?No, both our Moderator and Buddy positions are voluntary roles.
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Can I Stop Whenever I Want?Yes, you are free to leave the volunteer position at any time. We also encourage you to take breaks where needed so that you can prioritize your own mental health. We are able to temporarily remove your volunteer status if you need a break so that you don’t feel any pressure to continue whilst you take care of yourself.
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Why Do I Have To Do a Video Call on Zoom?We ask you to do a face to face zoom meeting so that we can verify your identity and get to know you better. If you do not want to do a video meeting, unfortunately we cannot take your application any further.
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Can I Still Get Support on TalkLife?Absolutely! We encourage all our volunteers to continue to use TalkLife to get support as well as to give support.
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What Do I Get From Being a Volunteer?As a volunteer at TalkLife you will get: To become part of an awesome volunteer community A free unlimited hero subscription Certificates for your time as a volunteer Access to plenty of fun workshops and volunteer sessions.
👤 Usernames & Profile/Gallery Images
When choosing a username or uploading images for your profile or gallery, please consider the impact on other members of the community who may view this content.
Ensure that usernames and images comply with our guidelines. We reserve the right to remove any content that is offensive or suggestive. In such cases, we may also issue a suspension or ban as deemed appropriate.
💢 Disputes
If you believe content has been incorrectly removed from the platform, you have the option to request further information from the admin on shift. This will allow the admin to expand on the reasoning you have received for the removal.
If you have received a temporary or permanent ban from the platform, you have the option to appeal this decision when you attempt to log back on. All ban appeals are reviewed individually and a response provided.
Our moderation team deals with a large volume of flagged content on a daily basis and unfortunately, occasionally mistakes are made. If a genuine mistake has been made, content will be restored and bans reversed.
🚀 Boosting Posts
All boost requests are reviewed by our admin team.
Any posts that break any of the above community rules, or are solely looking to cause arguments or upset will not be boosted.
🧯 Keep it Safe
Keep it safe. We're here to share the ups and the downs, however, we're not a crisis support platform - if you are in a crisis situation please immediately contact local emergency services. You can find more help in the "I need help” section.
📏 Use in Moderation
Make sure you’re using TalkLife in a healthy way and keeping an eye on the time. We can even help by locking you out using the break option found under settings - ‘take a break’.
TalkLife is your Community
Be authentic and respect it.
📛 Enforcement
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Gentle warnings.
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Locking of posts and commenting.
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Removal of your content.
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Admins asking you to take a break or to calm down.
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Issue a short-term suspension for 2 hours.
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Banning your accounts for 2 or 7 days.
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Restricting your posting, commenting or messaging ability.
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Restrictions based on honour level.
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Permanently banning your device from the platform.