NearArc Safety Centre

Effective date: 20 October 2026 · Last updated: 21 October 2026

NearArc is built for meeting people in real life: at events, in communities and over 1:1 coffee chats. Most of these meetings are friendly and useful, and we want to keep it that way. This Safety Centre gives practical advice for staying safe before, during and after you meet someone, how to spot scams and fake profiles, what tools you have, and what happens when you tell us about a problem. It is guidance, not a contract. The rules everyone must follow are in our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct. NearArc is a service provided by Zach Jensz (ABN 95 243 396 633), a sole trader based in Victoria, Australia (we, us, our).

At a glance

• In an emergency, call emergency services first: 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand, 911 in Canada and the United States. We can't send help.
• Meet in public, get there and home on your own terms, and tell a friend your plans. You can leave any coffee chat or event at any time, for any reason.
• Keep conversations on NearArc until you're comfortable. Never send money, ID documents or banking details to someone you've met through NearArc.
• Real recruiters and employers don't charge you fees, rush you onto other chat apps or ask for your ID before an interview.
• Block and report anyone who makes you uncomfortable. A person reads every report.
• Messages are not end-to-end encrypted. We may review them when they're flagged or reported, which is how we can act on abuse.
• Email safety@neararc.com for safety concerns about a member or event.

1. If you're in danger or need support now

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact emergency services before you contact us. NearArc is run by one person and can't respond to emergencies in real time.

If a crime has happened but no one is in immediate danger, you can contact your local police on their non-emergency line (131 444 in most of Australia, 105 in New Zealand, or your local police service in Canada and the United States). Please also tell us at safety@neararc.com so we can act on the platform.

If you're under 18

NearArc members must be 16 or older, so some members are 16 or 17. If that's you, these services are set up for young people:

• Australia: Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (up to age 25). eSafety can help with cyberbullying of under-18s at esafety.gov.au. If someone is threatening to share intimate images of you, report it to the ACCCE at accce.gov.au.
• New Zealand: Youthline 0800 376 633 or text 234.
• Canada: Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868. NeedHelpNow.ca helps with intimate images of under-18s.
• United States: NCMEC's Take It Down service (takeitdown.ncmec.org) helps remove intimate images taken when you were under 18.

2. How we approach safety

What we do:

• Invite-only membership. NearArc is in public alpha and you can only join by invitation.
• Email and phone verification. Members verify their email address when they join and can verify their phone number. Badges that show this on profiles, and verified connections where members confirm they've met in person, are planned.
• Moderation. Automated tools help us spot spam, fraud and abuse, and we are building AI-assisted message screening. A person reviews every report and decides what action to take before we remove content or restrict an account. See the Privacy Policy, section 3.
• Human review of reports. Every report is read by a person, not decided by software.
• Rules that apply everywhere. The Code of Conduct and Terms of Use apply on NearArc and at every event and coffee chat arranged through it, including events held in private homes.

What we don't do:

• We don't run criminal background checks or verify identity documents.
• We don't screen attendees for member-organised or imported events, and we don't supervise events or coffee chats.
• Verifying an email address or phone number confirms that someone controls it. It doesn't confirm who they are or that they are trustworthy.

So please use your own judgement too. The rest of this page is about how.

3. Coffee chats (1:1 meetups)

You can invite another member to a 1:1 coffee chat, and we may suggest people for you to meet. Coffee chats are always 1:1 for now.

Before you meet

• Look at their profile. Does their name, photo, job title, employer and activity make sense together? Check for mutual connections. Someone with no connections, no history and a vague profile isn't necessarily fake, but take a bit more care.
• Chat on NearArc first. A few messages tell you a lot. If someone pushes to move to another app straight away, see section 5.
• Agree on a purpose. Say what you'd like to talk about, such as a career question, a project or an industry. It sets expectations on both sides.
• Don't feel obliged. You can decline or cancel an invite, including at the last minute. You don't need to give a reason.

Choose a public place

• Meet somewhere public, busy and familiar to you: a café, a co-working space lobby, a library, or a venue at a public event.
• Meet during the day for a first chat if you can.
• Avoid private homes, hotel rooms, cars and isolated places for a first meeting.
• If someone suggests a place you don't know, look it up first, or suggest somewhere else.

We may suggest venues in future. A suggestion won't mean we've checked the venue is safe for you.

Tell a friend

We strongly encourage you to tell someone you trust where you're going, who you're meeting (share their NearArc profile) and when you expect to be done. Agree to check in afterwards. NearArc doesn't have a built-in way to share plans yet, so use a message or your phone's location-sharing feature.

Getting there and home

• Get yourself there and back. Don't accept a lift from someone you're meeting for the first time.
• Keep your phone charged and have a backup plan for getting home, such as a rideshare app or public transport times.
• You don't have to tell the other person where you live, work or are heading next.

During the chat

• Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it's fine to end the chat early. You don't owe anyone an explanation.
• You can leave at any time. Ask venue staff for help if you need it, or call emergency services if you feel unsafe.
• Keep it professional. A coffee chat is a professional meeting. Unwanted romantic or sexual advances, pressure and intimidation break our Code of Conduct.
• Go easy on alcohol. Coffee chats don't need it. If you do drink, know your limits, keep an eye on your drink and don't leave it unattended.
• Protect your information. Don't hand over ID, bank details or passwords, or let anyone use your phone or laptop unsupervised.
• Split the bill or pay your own way. No one owes the other anything for a coffee.

After the chat

• Check in with your friend.
• Confirming the meetup (planned). We plan to make confirming that a coffee chat happened a core feature, so both members can record that they met. Until then, nothing happens automatically after a chat.
• Tell us if something went wrong. If someone made you uncomfortable, behaved inappropriately, or wasn't who they said they were, report them in NearArc or email safety@neararc.com. Reports help keep other members safe, even if the problem seemed minor.
• If you don't want further contact, block them. You don't need to explain.

4. Events

Events on NearArc are run by NearArc itself, by members who register as organisers, or are imported listings from other websites.

Know what kind of event it is

• Imported listings show information we've brought in from elsewhere, and you RSVP on the external site. The original organiser runs the event, and NearArc may know little about it.
• Events on NearArc are labelled (planned). Their organisers have registered with us, or have claimed an imported listing after we manually checked it.

Whichever kind it is, check the details before you go, and contact the organiser if something is unclear.

Before you go

• Read the listing carefully. Check the venue, start and finish times, whether alcohol will be served, whether it's in a private home, and any accessibility information.
• Know who the organiser is and how to contact them on the day.
• Bring a friend if you're unsure, especially for an event in a private home or an evening event with alcohol. Check that guests are welcome first.
• Plan your trip home before you go, particularly for late finishes.

Events in private homes

Events can be held in private homes. NearArc doesn't inspect venues or supervise events, and isn't responsible for what happens there. The Code of Conduct and Terms of Use still apply in full. For an event in a private home:

• only go if the listing gives a clear organiser, address and purpose;
• tell someone where you'll be and when you'll be home; and
• leave if the event isn't what was described.

Alcohol

Some events serve alcohol. You never have to drink, and no one should pressure you to. If you drink, know your limits, keep your drink with you, and arrange a safe way home. Being drunk doesn't excuse behaviour that breaks the Code of Conduct.

Photography

Events listed on NearArc are public events, so expect that you may be photographed. Organisers are encouraged to tell attendees about photography. If you don't want to be photographed, tell the people taking photos. Photographing someone who has asked not to be photographed breaks the Code of Conduct. If a photo of you appears on NearArc (sharing photos on event pages is a planned feature) and you'd like it removed or blurred, ask the organiser or email safety@neararc.com.

At the event

• If someone makes you uncomfortable, tell the organiser or venue staff, step away, or leave.
• If you see someone being harassed and it's safe to do so, check in with them (see section 12).
• Report problems to us during or after the event in NearArc or at safety@neararc.com.

5. Staying safe online

• Keep conversations on NearArc until you trust someone. Our moderation and reporting tools can't help with conversations on other apps.
• Share personal details gradually. Don't share your home address, date of birth, ID documents, financial details or passwords. Think before sharing information that could be used to find you or impersonate you.
• Know that messages aren't end-to-end encrypted. Messages are private between participants, but we may read messages that are flagged or reported, and we are building automated screening for spam, fraud and abuse. This is what lets us act on abuse. Details are in the Privacy Policy, sections 3 and 7.
• Be careful with links and files. Don't open unexpected attachments or links, especially ones that ask you to sign in somewhere.
• We will never ask for your sign-in codes. NearArc uses passkeys and one-time codes, not passwords. Never share a one-time code with anyone, including someone claiming to be from NearArc.
• Remember others may keep copies. Anything you send can be saved, screenshotted or forwarded by the recipient.

6. Job and recruitment scams

Job scams are among the most common scams in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Recruiting features on NearArc are planned, but scammers may already contact you posing as recruiters or employers.

Red flags

Be very cautious if someone:

• asks you to pay for anything, such as a recruitment fee, training, equipment, visa processing or a "starter kit";
• wants to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or another chat app straight away;
• offers something too good to be true, such as high pay for little work, no experience needed, or a job offer without an interview;
• asks for ID documents or personal details early, such as your passport, driver licence, tax file number, Social Insurance Number or Social Security number, or banking details, before a genuine interview and offer;
• sends you a cheque or money and asks you to buy equipment, gift cards or crypto, or to send part of it back (the cheque usually bounces after you've sent the money);
• asks you to complete "tasks" and top up an account with your own money or crypto to unlock earnings;
• asks you to receive and forward money or parcels for them (this can make you a money mule, which is a crime); or
• rushes you with deadlines or pressure to decide now.

Protect yourself

• Check the company independently. Find its website and phone number yourself, not from the message, and confirm the role and the recruiter are real.
• Check that the recruiter's email domain matches the company's real website.
• Don't share ID documents until you've had a real interview and a written offer from a company you've verified.
• Report suspicious recruiters or job offers to us, even if you're not sure.

If you've lost money or shared personal information, see section 11.

7. Fake profiles and impersonation

Signs that a profile may not be genuine:

• the photo looks like a stock or AI-generated image, or doesn't match other details;
• the job title and employer are vague, inconsistent or implausibly impressive;
• they have no mutual connections and are pushing for something quickly, such as money, a move off NearArc, or personal information; or
• they claim to work for NearArc, a well-known company or a government agency and ask you to do something unusual.

If someone is pretending to be you or someone you know, email safety@neararc.com with a link to the profile, or report the member from your conversation with them in NearArc. If you are the person being impersonated, tell us how to confirm that, for example from the email address on your own NearArc account.

If you think your account has been taken over, email support@neararc.com from the address on your account, and tell anyone who may have received suspicious messages from you.

Creating a fake profile, impersonating someone or misrepresenting who you are breaks our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct.

8. Your safety tools

Making a good report

• Report as soon as you can, including after the event. Late reports are still useful.
• Include what you can: who was involved (a profile link is best), what happened, when and where, and screenshots.
• Keep evidence. Don't delete messages or content before you've reported them. Screenshots are helpful, but we may also need to see the original messages on NearArc.
• You can report something you saw happen to someone else.

9. What happens when you report

Who reviews it

A person reads every report. While NearArc is in alpha, reports are reviewed by Zach Jensz, who operates NearArc. Automated tools may help us sort and find reports, but they don't make the decision.

How quickly we respond

We respond as soon as practicable. We prioritise reports involving threats to someone's safety, sexual misconduct, intimate images and anyone under 18. We don't promise a fixed number of hours, because NearArc is run by one person and we would rather be honest than make a promise we can't always keep. Where the law sets a timeframe, we meet it. For example:

• Australia. If the eSafety Commissioner gives us a removal notice under the Online Safety Act 2021 (for example, about cyberbullying, serious adult cyber abuse or image-based abuse), the law generally requires us to remove the content within 24 hours, or a longer period if eSafety allows.
• United States. Under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, platforms must remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of a valid removal request (see section 10).

This is not a substitute for emergency services. If someone is in danger, call 000, 111 or 911 first.

What we may do

Depending on what happened and how serious it is, we may:

• ask you or others for more information;
• remove content, messages, photos or event listings;
• warn the member;
• limit features, such as their ability to message people, request coffee chats or organise events;
• suspend or permanently close their account, and take steps to stop them re-joining;
• contact an event organiser, or remove or reassign an organiser's role or a claimed listing; and
• report the matter to police or other authorities.

We may also decide that no action is needed under our rules. If so, you can still block the person.

Confidentiality

• We don't tell the reported member who reported them. Sometimes the details of a report may make it obvious, and we'll talk to you before acting if we think that's likely.
• We use report information only to look into the report, keep people safe, enforce our rules and meet legal obligations, as described in the Privacy Policy.
• We may share information with police or other authorities where the law requires it, or where we believe it's necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety. See the Privacy Policy, section 4, and our Government Request Guidelines.

Updates and reviews

We'll let you know when we've looked into your report, but we may not be able to tell you exactly what action we took, to protect other people's privacy. If we take action against your account and you think we got it wrong, reply to our message or email support@neararc.com and a person will review the decision again.

10. Image-based abuse, serious online abuse and impersonation: help outside NearArc

Image-based abuse means sharing, or threatening to share, an intimate image or video of someone without their consent. It includes fake or AI-generated images. It is never your fault, and in our markets it is generally a crime.

Asking us to remove intimate images

If an intimate image of you is on NearArc without your consent, email safety@neararc.com with "Intimate image removal" in the subject. You can also report the message or the member from the conversation in NearArc and say in your note that an intimate image was shared without consent. To help us act quickly, include:

• a link to, or description of, where the image is on NearArc (please don't attach the image itself);
• a statement that you are the person shown (or are authorised to act for them) and that it was shared without consent;
• your name, or your authorised representative's name, as a signature; and
• how we can contact you.

A person then reviews the report. We remove the content permanently within 48 hours of a valid request, sooner where we can, and within 24 hours where an eSafety removal notice applies. We also take reasonable steps to find and remove copies on NearArc. If a review finds the content was not an intimate image shared without consent, we may restore it and tell the person who posted it, without identifying you. The image may also be on other services, so the organisations below can help.

Where else to get help

If someone is threatening to share images unless you pay or send more: stop contact, don't pay, keep evidence, and report it to us and to police (or, in Australia, eSafety).

11. If you've been scammed

Act quickly:

1. Contact your bank or card provider straight away to try to stop or reverse payments.
2. Stop contact with the scammer and don't send any more money, even if they promise a refund.
3. Secure your accounts. Change passwords on your email and banking accounts and turn on extra sign-in protection.
4. Report the profile to us at safety@neararc.com, so we can protect others.
5. Report the scam to the authorities in your country.

12. Supporting someone else

If someone tells you about something that happened on NearArc or at an event:

• Listen and believe them. Let them know it's not their fault.
• Let them decide what happens next. Offer to help them report, but don't pressure them.
• Check they're safe right now. If they're in danger, call emergency services.
• Share support options, such as the crisis lines in section 1.
• Report it yourself if you saw it. You can report behaviour you witnessed. If you're reporting something that happened to someone else, tell us whether they know you're reporting.
• Look after yourself too. Supporting someone can be hard. The crisis lines in section 1 are there for you as well.

13. Changes to this page

We'll update this Safety Centre as NearArc changes, for example when we launch verified connections, meetup confirmations or recruiting features. The current version and its date will always be on neararc.com.

14. Contact us

For safety reports and urgent concerns about a member or event:

Zach Jensz, Safety Officer NearArc · ABN 95 243 396 633 Victoria, Australia Email: safety@neararc.com Website: neararc.com

For account, privacy or general questions, email support@neararc.com. For legal notices and law enforcement requests, email legal@neararc.com.

In an emergency, call 000 (Australia), 111 (New Zealand) or 911 (Canada and the United States).

Related: Code of Conduct · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Event & Organiser Terms · Government Request Guidelines

Zach Jensz · ABN 95 243 396 633 · Victoria, Australia · neararc.com