Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Online Penpal (“the Platform,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We will note the effective date at the top of this document whenever updates are made.

2. Eligibility

You must meet the following criteria to use Online Penpal:

You must be at least 13 years of age. Users between 13 and 17 years old are considered minors and must have parental or guardian consent.
You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating your profile.
You must not have been previously banned or suspended from the Platform.
You must comply with all applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations.

We reserve the right to refuse access to anyone who does not meet these requirements.

3. Account Registration & Profile

Online Penpal uses Google Sign-In for authentication. By signing in, you authorize us to access certain information from your Google account, such as your name and email address, for the purpose of account creation and management.

When setting up your profile, you agree to:

Provide a display name, age, country, spoken languages, and interests accurately.
Not impersonate any other person or entity.
Keep your profile information up to date.
Not create multiple accounts for the purpose of evading bans or warnings.

You are solely responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

4. Acceptable Use Policy

4.1 Permitted Use

The Platform is intended for genuine penpal correspondence, making new friends, and cultural exchange. You may:

Send and receive letters to and from other users.
Discover and connect with other pen pals around the world.
Cast messages in a bottle to share thoughts with users of matching interests.
Send and accept friend requests.

4.2 Prohibited Conduct

You agree NOT to use the Platform to:

Harass, bully, threaten, intimidate, or harm any other user.
Send spam, unsolicited advertising, or repetitive messages.
Post or transmit explicit, sexually suggestive, or pornographic content.
Use discriminatory, hateful, or derogatory language based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, nationality, or any other protected characteristic.
Share personal contact information (such as phone numbers, home addresses, or social media handles) in a manner designed to solicit or exploit others.
Impersonate another user, public figure, or member of our moderation team.
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Platform.
Use automated bots, scrapers, or other unauthorized tools to interact with the Platform.
Engage in any activity that violates applicable laws or regulations, including but not limited to child exploitation laws.

4.3 Minor Safety

Online Penpal takes the safety of minor users very seriously. Any adult user who is found to be engaging in grooming behavior, soliciting personal information from minors, or otherwise attempting to exploit or harm users under the age of 18 will be permanently banned and may be reported to the relevant authorities.

5. User-Generated Content

You retain ownership of any content you submit to the Platform (“User Content”), including messages, letters, and profile information. By submitting User Content, you grant Online Penpal a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to store, display, and transmit that content solely for the purpose of operating the Platform.

You are solely responsible for your User Content. You represent and warrant that:

You own or have the right to submit the content.
Your content does not violate any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights or privacy rights.
Your content complies with these Terms and all applicable laws.

We do not pre-screen User Content but reserve the right to remove any content that violates these Terms at our sole discretion.

6. Reporting, Moderation & Warnings

6.1 Reporting

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these Terms, you may report it using the in-app reporting tool. All reports are confidential. Our moderation team will review reports and take appropriate action, which may include issuing warnings, restricting features, or suspending/banning accounts.

6.2 Warnings

Users who violate these Terms may receive formal warnings visible in their account. If you receive a warning you believe was issued in error, you may submit an appeal through the in-app appeal system. Appeals are reviewed within 7 days. Submitting false appeals may result in further disciplinary action.

6.3 Suspension & Bans

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently ban any user account for violations of these Terms, without prior notice in cases of severe violations. Severe violations include, but are not limited to, exploitation of minors, hate speech, and repeated harassment.

7. Privacy

Your privacy matters to us. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that we collect and use certain information as follows:

Profile information you provide (display name, age, country, languages, interests) is visible to other users on the Platform.
We use your Google account information solely for authentication purposes.
Messages and letters you send to other users are stored to enable correspondence.
We may retain records of reports and moderation actions to maintain community safety.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may disclose information when required by law or to protect the safety of our users.

As this Platform is hosted on Blogger (Google), Google’s Privacy Policy also applies. We encourage you to review it at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

8. Word Filter & Community Standards

The Platform uses an automated word filter to detect and block prohibited language. Attempting to circumvent the word filter (e.g., through deliberate misspellings or character substitutions) constitutes a violation of these Terms.

Users are expected to communicate respectfully and in the spirit of genuine penpal exchange. We strive to maintain a welcoming community for users from all backgrounds and cultures.

9. Account Termination

9.1 Termination by You

You may delete your account at any time through your Profile settings. Upon deletion, your profile and letters will be removed from the Platform, though some information may be retained in our records for safety and legal compliance purposes.

9.2 Termination by Us

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if you violate these Terms or if we determine, in our sole discretion, that your continued use of the Platform is harmful to other users or the community.

10. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

Online Penpal is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the Platform will be available at all times, uninterrupted, or free from errors.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Online Penpal and its operators shall not be liable for:

Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Platform.
Any content posted by other users.
Unauthorized access to or alteration of your account or data.
Any interruption or cessation of the Platform’s availability.

You use the Platform at your own risk. We are not responsible for the conduct of any user, whether online or offline.

11. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable law. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it may be submitted to the appropriate jurisdiction.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. The most current version will always be available on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms. If you do not agree with updated Terms, you must stop using the Platform.