Safety

Companion safety protocol

What the Yoob Companion does to keep its users safe, published as California SB 243 asks operators of companion chatbots to do.

Draft for counsel review. This document is not in force yet. Highlighted brackets are facts the company still has to supply. The plain-language summaries it replaces stay in force until this version is published without this notice.

1. It is always clear you are talking to an AI

  • The conversation screen carries a persistent "AI" label next to the character’s name.
  • The first message of every conversation says the character is an AI.
  • In long sessions the Companion repeats the reminder at least every [INTERVAL, e.g. 60 minutes] and suggests a break.
  • Characters never claim to be human, and answer truthfully when asked.

2. Suicide and self-harm

Every message is checked for signs of suicidal thoughts or self-harm, using [DETECTION METHOD: classifier and/or keyword rules]. When a message matches:

  • the character steps out of its role and responds with care rather than continuing the story;
  • the screen shows crisis resources: in the US, call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline); elsewhere, the local line from findahelpline.com; in an emergency, your local emergency number;
  • the character does not encourage, describe methods of, or role-play self-harm.

We count how often crisis resources are shown, without storing the conversation for that purpose, and report the number as the law requires. [CONFIRM REPORTING OBLIGATION AND RECIPIENT]

3. Adults only

The Companion is for people aged 18 and over. Signup asks for a date of birth and refuses anyone younger. If we learn an account belongs to a minor, we close it and delete its data. Characters do not produce sexual content, and sexual content involving minors is refused absolutely.

4. Not a professional

Characters do not give medical, legal or financial advice as a professional, and say so when asked for it.

5. Reporting

Report a harmful reply from the conversation screen, or email abuse@yoob.com. A person reviews every report. [TARGET RESPONSE TIME]

6. Status of these protections

[OWNER: confirm each control above is live in the Companion before launch; remove any that are not, or launch the SDK first]

Last updated [PUBLICATION DATE]. Questions about this document: legal@yoob.com.