Meetup Safety Tips

Meeting new people is exciting, but you should always be cautious when interacting with someone you don’t know. Simposi gets straight to the point of meeting in-person without wasting anytime chatting online and to make this a safe activity for our users we always try to match people in groups of four, this way you’re never meeting someone alone, but you will arrive and leave alone so we encourage you to use your best judgment and put your safety first. While you can’t control the actions of others, there are things you can do to help you stay safe during your Simposi Social experience.

Report All Suspicious and Offensive Behavior

You know when someone’s crossed the line and when they do, we want to know about it. While profiles are private in Simposi, you’re interactions and who you meet are still tracked and recorded for safety purposes. It is important to complete the post meetup user feedback survey to ensure the best Simposi Social experience. After every meetup, you will be prompted to rate the people you just met and this is where you have an opportunity to tell us what went wrong. Selecting either of the unhappy faces will immediately block the other person from being matched with you again in future. Selecting the really unhappy face will prompt you to tell us what happened with this user so that corrective action can be taken if they have violated the Terms of Use Agreement. Here are some examples of violations:

• Underage users
• Harassment, threats, and offensive messages
• Inappropriate or harmful behavior during or after meeting in person
• Fraudulent profiles
• Spam or solicitation including links to commercial websites or attempts to sell products or services

You can report any concerns about suspicious behavior from within the app by visiting the menu on your profile and clicking “Contact Us” or by emailing us directly at support@simposi.com. For more information, check out our Community Guidelines.

Meet in Public and Stay in Public

When creating new activities and looking for new people to meet, it is important to always schedule and choose activities that are located in busy public locations which you feel are safe. It is also recommended to choose and create activities at times when there will people around that will create a safe social space for your meetup activity. Scheduling a meetup activity late at night or in a remote location where there are few people around is generally not recommended.

Control your Entrance and Exit

Simposi uses a compass to help users locate the people they are meeting when they arrive. This location beacon and compass is only active for an hour from Check-In. We recommend waiting until the last minute before checking into an activity so that the other attendees can only see you approaching and not arriving. To be extra safe, use the chat feature to shout out to the group letting them know which direction you are coming from so that the whole group can be looking for you. Also, when you’re ready to go, plan your exit, make sure you have a safe route back to your transportation. If you’re ever feeling unsafe, ask someone you trust, like a bartender or waitress if they would be willing to walk you to your car. Never leave a public area by yourself, if you’re not feeling safe.

Tell Friends and Family About Your Plans

Tell a friend or family member of your plans, including when and where you’re going. Have your cell phone charged and with you at all times.

Be in Control of Your Transportation

We want you to be in control of how you get to and from your date so that you can leave whenever you want. If you’re driving yourself, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan such as a ride-share app or a friend to pick you up.

Know Your Limits

Be aware of the effects of drugs or alcohol on you specifically — they can impair your judgment and your alertness. We encourage our users to leave any meetup activity as soon as you’re feeling uncomfortable with any situation. Just because you agreed to go, doesn’t mean you have to stay.

Don’t Leave Drinks or Personal Items Unattended

Know where your drink comes from and know where it is at all times — only accept drinks poured or served directly from the bartender or server. Many substances that are slipped into drinks to facilitate sexual assault are odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Also, keep your phone, purse, wallet, and anything containing personal information on you at all times.

If You Feel Uncomfortable, Leave

It’s okay to end the date early if you’re feeling uncomfortable. In fact, it’s encouraged. And if your instincts are telling you something is off or you feel unsafe, ask the bartender or server for help.

LGBTQ+ Travel

Be careful while traveling. While our app is meant to facilitate meeting new people even in new countries, the reality is that this is not always safe and some countries have specific laws that target LGBTQ+ people. Check out the laws around you when you travel to a new place and research what types of legal protection, if any, are available to you based on sexual orientation. And we recommend turning of the LGBTQ group setting in the app while traveling in countries that are not LGBTQ friendly to prevent be targeted by foreign regimes while on traveling.

Visit ILGA World to see the latest sexual orientation laws by country, and consider donating to support their research.

Resources for Help, Support, or Advice

Remember — even if you follow these tips, no method of risk reduction is perfect. If you have a negative experience, please know that it is not your fault and help is available. Report any incidents Simposi, and consider reaching out to one of the resources below. If you feel you are in immediate danger or need emergency assistance, call 911 (U.S. or Canada) or your local law enforcement agency.

RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | online.rainn.org | www.rainn.org

Planned Parenthood
1-800-230-7526 | www.plannedparenthood.org

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 | www.thehotline.org

National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 | www.humantraffickinghotline.org

National Sexual Violence Resource Center
1-877-739-3895 | www.nsvrc.org

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) | www.cybertipline.com

Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
1-844-878-2274 | www.cybercivilrights.org

VictimConnect – Crime Victim Resource Center
1-855-4VICTIM (855-484-2846) | www.victimconnect.org

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
www.ic3.gov

LGBT National Help Center
1-888-843-4564 | www.glbtnationalhelpcenter.org

Trans Lifeline
1-877-565-8860 (US) or 1-877-330-6366 (CA) | www.translifeline.org