Chapter One

Chapter One Code of Conduct and Community Guidelines

Code of Conduct

1. Who can be here

Chapter One is for adults 18 and older. As of now, it is only open to individuals in the United States. Others, such as people convicted of felonies and registered sex offenders, may not join. Each person may have one account. The full rules are in our Terms of Service.

2. Treat people with respect

3. Be honest about who you are

4. What isn't allowed

We'll remove content, and may limit or remove accounts, for any of the following:

5. Intimate images shared without consent

Nobody may post, send or share on Chapter One an intimate photo or video of a person without that person's consent. This includes real images, and images created or altered with software or AI so that they look real. It applies to profile photos, messages and anything else on the service. Breaking this rule will end your account and may be reported to law enforcement.

If it happened to you. You don't need a Chapter One account to ask us to take an image down. Someone you trust, such as a parent, lawyer or advocate, can also ask for you.

  1. Tell us. Tap "Report" on the profile or message and choose "Intimate image shared without my consent." Or email [email protected] with "Takedown request" in the subject line. You don't need an account to email us.
  2. Include these four things, which the law requires:
    • your signature (typing your full name is fine);
    • enough information for us to find the image, such as a screenshot, the profile name or a description;
    • a short statement that you believe in good faith the image was shared without your consent, plus anything that helps us confirm it;
    • an email address or phone number where we can reach you.
  3. We give you a reference number right away. Use it if you contact us again or speak to law enforcement.
  4. We remove the image within 48 hours of receiving a complete request, usually much faster. We also look for and remove any identical copies we know of.
  5. We tell you what we did. If we couldn't act on your request, we'll tell you why and what we need.

If you or the person in the image is under 18, please also report it to NCMEC's CyberTipline (report.cybertip.org) and consider NCMEC's Take It Down service (takeitdown.ncmec.org). If a platform ignores a valid request, the Federal Trade Commission accepts complaints.

Good-faith removals. We may remove anything that looks like a nonconsensual intimate image as soon as we become aware of it, even without a request.

6. How we enforce this Code

Our team at LibraryThing reviews reports. Automated checks that run on our own systems support them. These checks can hold or flag content, but they never remove it on their own.

Depending on what happened, we may remove content, send a warning, limit features for a period, or suspend or permanently remove an account. We remove accounts that we believe are using a false identity or are likely to try to get money from other members, and we alert the members they messaged (see "Fraud alerts" below).

A knowingly false report is itself a violation. An honest report we can't substantiate is not.

7. Appeals

If we've acted on your account and you think we got it wrong, you can appeal in the app or by emailing [email protected]. A person reviews every appeal, and we'll respond within 7 days.

Community Guidelines

Your books

Every book you add to Chapter One is visible to the members who can see your profile, meaning people whose search filters you match. There's no way to keep individual books private. Books can reveal a lot, including your religion, politics, sexuality or health, so add only what you're comfortable sharing.

We use your books to suggest matches. Our matching software, including AI that runs on our own systems, estimates how compatible two profiles are. Those estimates are never shown to anyone, and we don't use your books to guess your religion, politics, orientation, health or anything like that. See our Privacy Policy.

Bookshelf photos

Photos of your books and bookshelves are a great way to show who you are. Before you post one, check it for anything that could identify where you live or who you are: mail, addresses, house numbers, a view from a window, photos of family, or other people.

Blocking and unmatching

You can unmatch or block anyone at any time from their profile or your conversation. Unmatching ends the conversation for both of you. Blocking also hides your profile from that person and stops them contacting you. They aren't told. You can report someone at the same time, and you can still report them afterward.

Staying safe

We show you this section when you register, and it's always available from the app's main menu and under Protagonist > Account. Laws in several states require dating services to give you this information; we'd give it to you anyway.

Online Dating Safety Awareness

Getting to know someone through an online dating service can be risky. Please follow these safety precautions when sharing information and when meeting in person.

There is no substitute for acting with caution when communicating with any stranger who wants to meet you.

Anyone who is able to commit identity theft can also falsify a dating profile.

Never include your last name, e-mail address, home address, phone number, place of work, or any other identifying information in your Internet profile or initial e-mail messages. Stop communicating with anyone who pressures you for personal or financial information or attempts in any way to trick you into revealing it. Also avoid sharing your Social Security number or details of your daily routine.

Watch for common scam signs: someone who professes strong feelings very quickly, avoids video calls, always has a reason they can't meet, claims to be overseas or in the military, or pushes you toward investments or cryptocurrency.

Keep conversations on Chapter One until you know someone. A video call is a good first step off the app. It shows you the person matches their photos, though it can't prove who they are. Once you move to text, email or another app, we can't see what happens or help as easily.

Protecting Yourself from Sexual Assault and Dating Violence

If you choose to have a face-to-face meeting with another member, always tell someone in your family or a friend where you are going and when you will return. Never agree to be picked up at your home. Always provide your own transportation to and from your date and meet in a public place with many people around.

Engaging in sexual conduct with another person without that person's consent is a crime, is subject to prosecution, violates Chapter One's rules, and may result in criminal or civil liability.

If you are the victim or survivor of sexual or intimate-partner violence, or of a financial crime, committed by someone you met on Chapter One, please report it to us and to law enforcement. You are not to blame, and you can get support from the resources at the end of this document. Reporting may help prevent the person from hurting others, and may be what we need to act against them.

Protecting Yourself from Financial Crimes

Never send money to anyone you meet on Chapter One, especially by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency, even if the person claims to be experiencing an emergency. Never share personal financial information with another member. Anyone who asks is very likely running a scam. Report them to us.

Romance scammers build trust over weeks or months, then invent an emergency or an investment opportunity. If you've already sent money, report it to reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov as well as to us. It's not too late, and you're not alone.

Blocking and reporting

Block and report any member whose behavior is suspicious, offensive, harassing, threatening or fraudulent, or who asks you for money or tries to sell you something. Use "Report" on any profile or conversation, or email [email protected]. Don't submit false reports or reports made for malicious reasons.

Criminal background screening

CHAPTER ONE DOES NOT CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS OR SCREENINGS ON ITS MEMBERS.

Chapter One doesn't verify members' identities and doesn't run background or sex-offender-registry checks, either at sign-up or when someone is reported. Members are removed for breaking the Code of Conduct, not because of a criminal history we've looked up, because we don't look it up. Take care when you meet someone.

Fraud alerts

We remove accounts that we believe are using a false identity or are likely to try to get money from other members. If you exchanged messages with an account we removed for that reason, we'll send you an alert. It comes by email and in the app, and by text if you've opted in, usually within 24 hours and always within three days.

The alert tells you the account's profile name, when you last messaged each other, and why we removed it. It reminds you never to send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or financial details to anyone you meet on Chapter One, and it links to this safety information and to customer support. Getting one doesn't mean you did anything wrong.

Reporting a problem

If someone breaks the Code of Conduct, on the app or in person, report them from their profile or conversation, or email [email protected]. You can report someone after you've unmatched or blocked them, and after they've deleted their account. We'll acknowledge your report, and we'll tell you when we've acted on it, though we can't always say what we did.

We don't tell the other person who reported them, except where the law requires it. If you're the only person they've been talking to, though, the content of a report may make it obvious.

To learn how we review reports and how to appeal a decision, see sections 6 and 7 of the Code of Conduct.

If you need help

If you're in immediate danger, call 911.

Changes to this document

We may update the Code of Conduct and Community Guidelines as Chapter One grows. When we make significant changes, we'll let you know in the app.