Last updated 18 July 2026
Safety and moderation
Anonymous should mean private, not consequence-free. Every layer below is designed around that distinction.
Before delivery
Every letter and reply is checked before it can reach another person. We remove links and contact details, screen for spam and harmful content, and use a bot check to slow automated abuse. These checks do not include your email or account details. If the safety checks are unavailable or a letter does not pass, it is not sent.
After delivery
A reader can report a letter from its three-dot menu or privately block future matches with that sender. Neither person is told who the other is. Reports go to the private moderation queue. Repeated reports can automatically hide a letter while it is reviewed, and reported return replies are hidden pending review. New cases receive a 24-hour internal review deadline.
What reviewers can do
Authorised reviewers can approve, hide or remove content, restrict someone from sending, suspend access, and pause sending, receiving or replies during an incident. Every moderation action is recorded privately for accountability.
Higher-risk content
- Credible threats, child sexual exploitation or other apparently illegal content are removed and escalated as required.
- Sexual solicitation, contact exchange and attempts to move a stranger to another platform are prohibited.
- Self-harm instructions are prohibited. Honest discussion of distress may be allowed, but Stray Note is not a crisis service.
- Targeted harassment, hate, scams and repeated unwanted contact are prohibited.
Design limits on harm
There are no public profiles, search, follower counts, public comments, attachments or unlimited reply chains. Every letter is delivered once and can receive at most one return reply. An empty matching pool consumes no daily allowance. Location sharing is off by default and stores only an approximate country after opt-in.
Report a safety concern
Use the in-letter report where possible because it preserves the content reference. For a wider safety concern, write to [email protected] and follow the complaints process. If someone is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate local emergency service; this platform is not continuously monitored.