Squirrel App Policy Pack

1. How to use this draft

This pack is designed for an adults-only social and profile-based app with profile creation, messaging, media uploads, favourites, subscriptions, and service-provider listings. It is written as a practical starting point, not as final legal advice.

Suggested publication set: Terms, Privacy Policy, Community Safety / CSAE Standards, and a short in-app reporting/help page that links back to these documents.

2. Placeholder register

3. Terms and Conditions

Last updated: [INSERT DATE]

3.1 About these Terms

These Terms and Conditions (Terms) govern access to and use of the Squirrel App mobile application, website, and related services (Platform) operated by [LEGAL ENTITY], ABN/ACN [ABN/ACN] (Squirrel, we, us, or our).

By creating an account, browsing the Platform, creating a profile, uploading content, purchasing a subscription, or using any messaging or reporting feature, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

3.2 Eligibility and Adults-Only Use

1. You must be at least 18 years old to use the Platform.
2. You must not create an account for anyone under 18, permit a minor to use your account, or use the Platform to contact, solicit, depict, or endanger a minor.
3. You must provide accurate registration details and keep them current.
4. You may only maintain one personal account per person, unless we approve otherwise in writing.

3.3 Accounts, Profiles, and Eligibility to Message

1. The Platform may allow you to create one or more public profiles, including a personal member profile and, where available, a service-provider profile.
2. You are responsible for all activity under your account and profiles.
3. You must not impersonate another person, misrepresent your identity, qualifications, availability, pricing, or profile details.
4. If the Platform requires a public profile before messaging, you must create and maintain that profile before using direct chat features.
5. If your public profile is deleted, suspended, or unavailable, Squirrel may disable associated messaging features and any chats linked to that profile.

3.4 Subscriptions, Paid Features, and Upgrades

1. Some features may require a free or paid package, subscription, or one-off purchase.
2. Pricing, billing cycle, inclusions, and eligibility for upgrades will be shown in-app or at checkout.
3. Payments processed through Apple App Store or Google Play are also subject to the relevant platform billing terms.
4. Unless required by law or platform rules, fees are non-refundable once charged.
5. We may change pricing, packages, or entitlements at any time for future billing periods.

3.5 User Content

User Content includes profile text, images, messages, reviews, reports, support requests, and any other material you upload or send through the Platform.

1. You retain ownership of your User Content, subject to the rights you grant to us in these Terms.
2. You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, adapt, moderate, display, and distribute your User Content as reasonably necessary to operate, secure, review, improve, and promote the Platform.
3. You warrant that you have all rights, permissions, and consents required to upload or share your User Content.
4. You must not upload content that is unlawful, misleading, defamatory, infringing, invasive of privacy, or otherwise prohibited by these Terms or our CSAE Standards.

3.6 Messaging, Safety, and Reporting

1. The Platform may provide direct messaging between eligible users and profiles.
2. You must use messaging lawfully, respectfully, and in accordance with these Terms.
3. You must not harass, threaten, coerce, extort, spam, stalk, or exploit any person through the Platform.
4. You may use in-app reporting tools or email support@squirrelapp.com.au to report messages, profiles, conduct, safety concerns, or suspected policy breaches.
5. Squirrel may review messages, reports, and related metadata where reasonably necessary to investigate complaints, protect users, enforce these Terms, or comply with legal obligations.

3.7 Prohibited Conduct

You must not:

• use the Platform if you are under 18;
• create a false identity or impersonate another person or business;
• upload content involving a minor, or content that sexualises, exploits, endangers, or depicts abuse of a minor;
• use the Platform for child sexual abuse or exploitation, trafficking, prostitution, coercion, grooming, extortion, or any illegal activity;
• share non-consensual intimate images or recordings;
• collect or publish another person’s private information without permission;
• circumvent safety features, moderation tools, or account restrictions;
• scrape, copy, reverse engineer, or interfere with the Platform;
• transmit malware, spam, or fraudulent content;
• infringe intellectual property or third-party rights; or
• use the Platform in a way that could expose Squirrel, its users, or the public to legal, regulatory, or safety risk.

3.8 Moderation and Enforcement

1. We may review, remove, refuse, restrict, or block User Content or accounts at our discretion where we reasonably believe a breach of these Terms, our CSAE Standards, a complaint, or a legal risk exists.
2. We may suspend or terminate accounts immediately for serious or repeated breaches.
3. We may preserve records, account data, reports, and evidence where reasonably required for safety, investigation, or legal compliance.

3.9 Deleting Profiles and Connected Content

1. You may be able to delete your public profile and some user-created content through the app.
2. Where a chat or media item is linked to a deleted profile, Squirrel may remove or disable linked chats, media, or profile-dependent features.
3. Deletion requests may not immediately remove all backups, logs, or legally required records.

3.10 Intellectual Property

The Platform, including software, branding, text, layout, design elements, and underlying systems, is owned by or licensed to Squirrel. Except as permitted by law, you must not copy, modify, distribute, or exploit any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.

3.11 Disclaimers

1. The Platform is provided on an as is and as available basis.
2. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, profile accuracy, user conduct, compatibility, or outcomes from using the Platform.
3. Interactions between users are at their own risk. You are responsible for your own decisions, communications, and in-person arrangements.
4. Nothing in the Platform constitutes medical, legal, therapeutic, financial, or professional advice unless expressly stated otherwise.

3.12 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Squirrel excludes all implied warranties and is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive loss, including loss of profits, data, reputation, or opportunity, arising from or related to the Platform. Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the minimum amount permitted by law.

3.13 Indemnity

You indemnify Squirrel against claims, loss, damage, liability, cost, and expense arising out of your User Content, your use of the Platform, your breach of these Terms, or your breach of any law or third-party right.

3.14 Changes to the Platform or Terms

We may update the Platform, these Terms, fees, and feature availability from time to time. If we make material changes, we may notify users through the app, by email, or by updating the effective date.

3.15 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of [STATE / TERRITORY], Australia. You submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of that jurisdiction and any Australian appellate courts.

3.16 Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to support@squirrelapp.com.au or by post to [REGISTERED ADDRESS].

4. Privacy Policy

Last updated: [INSERT DATE]

4.1 Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how [LEGAL ENTITY] collects, holds, uses, and discloses personal information in connection with Squirrel App and related services.

4.2 What Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you use the Platform, we may collect:

• account information, such as your name, username, email address, hashed password, date of birth or age confirmation, and login details;
• profile information, such as profile name, biography, location, interests, preferences, availability, photos, and other information you choose to publish;
• service-provider information, such as business name, profile details, offerings, qualifications, availability, pricing, and related media where applicable;
• communications data, such as direct messages, reports, support requests, moderation notes, and related metadata;
• transaction and subscription data, such as package, purchase history, billing status, and payment platform receipts (we may not store full card details if handled by a third-party processor);
• technical and usage information, such as device type, app version, IP address, browser type, crash data, approximate location, log events, and feature usage; and
• verification or safety data, such as age confirmation, profile review outcomes, complaint history, and abuse-prevention records.

4.3 Sensitive Information

Some profile or messaging content may amount to sensitive information under Australian privacy law, for example information about sexual orientation, health, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics. You should only provide this information if you choose to do so and are comfortable sharing it. Where required by law, we rely on your consent to collect and handle sensitive information you choose to provide.

4.4 How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you when you register, create or edit a profile, upload content, message another user, purchase a package, report a user, contact support, or respond to a survey;
• automatically through your use of the Platform, device, browser, cookies, SDKs, analytics, and server logs; and
• from third parties such as payment providers, app stores, sign-in providers, moderation vendors, cloud storage vendors, or law enforcement where lawful and relevant.

4.5 Why We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• create and manage your account and profiles;
• operate discovery, favourites, messaging, moderation, and reporting features;
• process subscriptions, upgrades, purchases, and billing;
• verify age, enforce eligibility rules, and maintain platform safety;
• review reports, investigate complaints, detect fraud, and prevent abuse or unlawful conduct;
• maintain security, troubleshoot issues, improve features, and analyse app performance;
• communicate with you about support, service changes, security matters, and policy updates; and
• comply with legal obligations, enforce our Terms, and protect users, Squirrel, and the public.

4.6 Direct Marketing and Notifications

We may send service-related notifications, including security alerts, account notices, support replies, and transactional communications. We may also send marketing or promotional communications where permitted by law. You can opt out of marketing communications using the unsubscribe method provided or by contacting us, but you will still receive essential service communications.

4.7 Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to:

• other users, to the extent information is included in your public profile, messages, or user content;
• service providers that help us host, store, secure, moderate, analyse, support, and operate the Platform;
• payment processors, app stores, subscription platforms, and invoicing providers;
• professional advisers, insurers, auditors, and corporate transaction advisers;
• law enforcement, child safety bodies, courts, regulators, or government agencies where required or authorised by law, or where reasonably necessary to prevent harm; and
• a purchaser or successor if our business or assets are sold, transferred, or restructured.

4.8 Overseas Disclosure

We may disclose or store personal information with overseas service providers or recipients, including in the following countries where practicable to specify: [LIST COUNTRIES OR "SEE OUR SUBPROCESSOR LIST"].

4.9 Storage, Security, and Retention

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Measures may include role-based access controls, secure hosting, logging, moderation tools, encrypted transport, and staff access restrictions. No system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, including to provide services, keep business records, investigate reports, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, and enforce our rights.

4.10 Access and Correction

You may request access to personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date information by contacting [privacy@squirrelapp.com.au]. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

4.11 Complaints

If you believe we have breached applicable privacy laws, you can send a complaint to [privacy@squirrelapp.com.au]. Please include enough detail for us to investigate. We will acknowledge and review your complaint in a reasonable time. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may be able to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

4.12 Children and Age Restrictions

The Platform is for adults only. We do not knowingly permit minors to create accounts or use the Platform. If we learn that an account may belong to a minor, we may restrict, suspend, remove, or investigate that account and associated content.

4.13 Automated Decision-Making (Optional Section)

Use this section if the final product uses automated moderation, ranking, or decision tools that may significantly affect users.

4.14 Contact Us

Privacy enquiries can be sent to [privacy@squirrelapp.com.au] or by post to [REGISTERED ADDRESS].

5. Standards Against Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE)

Last updated: [INSERT DATE]

5.1 Zero-Tolerance Standard

Squirrel has a zero-tolerance policy for child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The Platform is strictly for adults aged 18 and over. Any use of the Platform involving a minor, suspected minor, or content that sexualises, exploits, endangers, or depicts abuse of a minor is prohibited.

5.2 Prohibited Content and Behaviour

The following is prohibited and may result in immediate account action and reporting to relevant authorities:

• creating, uploading, storing, transmitting, requesting, viewing, sharing, advertising, or linking to CSAM;
• grooming, soliciting, or attempting to contact a minor for sexual or exploitative purposes;
• misrepresenting age, encouraging a user to misrepresent age, or seeking to move a minor or suspected minor to another platform;
• trafficking, coercion, sextortion, threats, blackmail, or exploitation involving a child or suspected child;
• sexualised role-play, fantasy, AI-generated, edited, drawn, or simulated content involving minors or minor-looking persons;
• any conduct that facilitates, promotes, profits from, or normalises the sexual exploitation of children.

5.3 Adults-Only Enforcement

1. Users must confirm they are 18 or over before registering.
2. We may use age-gating, declared age, verification checks, moderation review, payment checks, or other safety tools to assess eligibility.
3. If we reasonably suspect a user is under 18, we may restrict, suspend, or remove the account and associated content while we review the matter.

5.4 Reporting Mechanisms

Users can report suspected CSAE, CSAM, or other child-safety issues through:

• the in-app reporting tools for profiles, messages, and content;
• email to support@squirrelapp.com.au and/or [child-safety@squirrelapp.com.au]; and
• any additional reporting channels published in the app or on our website.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services immediately.

5.5 Review, Takedown, and Account Action

1. We may remove or disable access to content, accounts, or features as soon as we become aware of suspected CSAE or CSAM.
2. We may preserve data, logs, reports, account details, uploads, chat records, and related evidence where reasonably necessary for investigation and legal compliance.
3. We may suspend or permanently terminate accounts involved in suspected or confirmed CSAE, attempted CSAE, or repeated safety breaches.

5.6 Reporting to Authorities

Where required or appropriate under applicable law, we may report confirmed or suspected CSAM or CSAE to law enforcement, child-safety organisations, or other relevant authorities, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or other regional reporting bodies where applicable.

5.7 Child Safety Point of Contact

Our designated child safety point of contact is [child-safety@squirrelapp.com.au]. This contact point is responsible for receiving and coordinating responses to platform, regulator, or app-store notices about CSAE or CSAM on the Platform.

5.8 User Responsibility

Users must not ignore, conceal, or facilitate child endangerment. If you encounter content or behaviour that may involve a minor, you must report it immediately and stop interacting with the account or content.

5.9 Relationship to Other Policies

These CSAE Standards form part of our Terms and Conditions and work alongside our Privacy Policy, moderation procedures, and any community rules or safety documentation we publish.

6. Launch checklist

End of draft.