Community Guidelines

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Welcome to Penvoy

Penvoy is a community dedicated to meaningful, respectful, platonic penpal connections. These Community Guidelines explain the standards of conduct we expect from all users and describe how we enforce them.

By using Penvoy, you agree to follow these guidelines. Violations may result in warnings, content removal, temporary suspension, or permanent account termination.

Core Values

We believe penpals should be:

  • Respectful — treating others with dignity and kindness
  • Authentic — representing yourself honestly
  • Safe — creating an environment free from harassment or harm
  • Platonic — maintaining non-romantic, non-sexual connections
  • Responsible — following these guidelines and local laws

1. Platonic-Only Community

Penvoy is strictly for platonic penpal connections. Romantic or sexual communication is prohibited.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Romantic solicitation or dating behavior
  • Sexual or erotic content, language, or imagery
  • Requests for romantic relationships or dates
  • Flirting with intent to pursue a relationship beyond friendship
  • Sexual advances or suggestive language
  • References to sexual services or arrangements
  • Attempts to circumvent this rule through coded language or indirect solicitation

What's Allowed:

  • Friendly conversation and genuine connection
  • Sharing interests, hobbies, and life experiences
  • Cultural and language exchange
  • Mutual support and mentorship
  • Discussing relationships or dating advice (in a platonic context)
  • Building meaningful friendships across borders

If your primary intent is romance or dating, Penvoy is not the right platform.

2. Respect and Harassment

Treat all community members with respect. Harassment, bullying, and degrading behavior are not tolerated.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Bullying, threats, or intimidation
  • Hate speech targeting protected characteristics (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc.)
  • Discrimination or prejudice
  • Repeated unwanted contact after a user has declined connection or blocked you
  • Insulting, mocking, or degrading language directed at individuals or groups
  • Doxxing (sharing private information without consent)
  • Stalking behavior or obsessive contact

What's Allowed:

  • Expressing disagreement respectfully
  • Declining connections or ending conversations
  • Using the block feature to stop unwanted contact
  • Reporting behavior that makes you uncomfortable

3. Safety and Harmful Content

Penvoy is a safe community. Content that promotes harm or endangers users is strictly prohibited.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Content promoting self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or harm to others
  • Illegal activities or instructions for illegal acts
  • Violence, gore, or graphic content
  • Drug use or promotion of controlled substances
  • Scams, fraud, phishing, or deceptive practices
  • Attempts to manipulate, coerce, or exploit other users
  • Child exploitation, abuse, or any content sexualizing minors
  • Grooming behavior or attempts to establish inappropriate relationships with minors

Age Requirement:

Penvoy is for users 18+. If we discover you are under 18, your account will be terminated and all personal data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

4. Authenticity and Impersonation

Be honest about who you are. Deception undermines community trust.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Impersonating another person or public figure
  • Creating fake or misleading profiles
  • Catfishing (creating a false identity to deceive others)
  • Misrepresenting your age, gender, location, or other key profile information
  • Using another person's photos, content, or identity

What's Allowed:

  • Using a pseudonym or pen name (display names are not your legal name)
  • Choosing not to share certain personal details
  • Keeping some aspects of your life private

5. Intellectual Property and Copyright

Respect others' creative work and intellectual property.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Copying, plagiarizing, or claiming others' writing as your own
  • Sharing copyrighted content without permission
  • Reproducing published works, song lyrics, or poetry without authorization
  • Attempting to steal or misappropriate intellectual property

What's Allowed:

  • Sharing excerpts with proper attribution
  • Discussing published works or authors
  • Creating and sharing original content
  • Referencing others' work in conversation

6. Spam and Deception

Keep the platform clear of spam and scams.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Sending unsolicited promotional content or advertisements
  • Spam messages or repetitive, unwanted contact
  • Phishing or attempting to obtain login credentials
  • Scams, pyramid schemes, or get-rich-quick offers
  • Misleading links or malicious content
  • Bot-like behavior or mass messaging

What's Allowed:

  • Sharing genuine interests or seeking penpals with specific interests
  • Respectfully declining connections
  • Using the block or report features

7. Profile Requirements

Profiles must be authentic and follow these standards.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Blank or minimal profiles designed to evade review
  • Profiles that violate other guidelines (e.g., dating intent, explicit content)
  • Using multiple accounts to circumvent blocks or bans
  • Profiles created with intent to harm, deceive, or exploit
  • Extremely offensive, hateful, or graphic content in your profile bio

What's Allowed:

  • Thoughtful, honest profile descriptions
  • Sharing genuine interests and intentions
  • Updating your profile as you choose
  • Using a pseudonym

8. Letters and Communication

Letters are the heart of Penvoy. Keep them respectful and authentic.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Letters containing sexual, romantic, or erotic content
  • Repeated unwanted contact after a user has asked you to stop
  • Aggressive, threatening, or harassing language
  • Content that violates other sections of these guidelines
  • Attempts to pressure, manipulate, or coerce other users

What's Allowed:

  • Thoughtful, personal letters about your life and interests
  • Asking questions and engaging in meaningful dialogue
  • Discussing serious topics respectfully (politics, religion, philosophy, etc.)
  • Declining to continue correspondence

9. Enforcement and Reporting

How We Protect the Community

Our team reviews reports and violations regularly. When we identify a violation, we take appropriate action:

  • Warnings: For first-time minor violations, we may issue a warning and education.
  • Content Removal: We may remove letters, profiles, or other content that violates guidelines.
  • Temporary Suspension: Repeated or serious violations may result in temporary account suspension (typically 7–30 days).
  • Permanent Ban: Severe violations, including sexual content, exploitation, or repeated harassment, result in permanent account termination.
  • Law Enforcement Referral: Content involving child exploitation, threats, or illegal activity will be reported to appropriate authorities.

How to Report Violations

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines:

  1. Use the in-app Report button on the letter, profile, or connection
  2. Select the reason for your report (e.g., Harassment, Sexual Content, Underage User, Spam)
  3. Optionally add context or details
  4. Submit your report

You may also contact us directly at support@penvoy.app with details of the violation.

Our Response

We take all reports seriously and will investigate. Reports are confidential; we do not disclose who reported a violation. We review the reported content and context, determine whether a violation occurred, and take appropriate action. We do not share details of actions taken with other users, even if requested. Repeated false reports may result in action against your account.

Your Privacy: The reported user will not know who reported them.

10. Safety Tools

Block

Block a user to prevent them from sending you connection requests, viewing your profile, messaging you, or appearing in your discovery results. Blocking is mutual in discovery; a blocked user cannot see you either. Existing letters remain visible to both parties unless you delete them from your view.

Delete

You can delete letters from your view at any time. Deletion is permanent from your perspective but does not affect the other person's copy. You can also request permanent account deletion, which removes your profile and personal data (though other users' copies of your letters may persist in their threads).

Private Profile

Premium members can hide their profile from discovery. Hidden profiles do not appear in search results, cannot receive new connection requests from strangers, and can continue corresponding with existing connections.

11. Special Protections

Child Safety

Penvoy has zero tolerance for child exploitation, grooming, or any sexualization of minors.

  • We do not knowingly allow users under 18. All accounts must verify age at signup.
  • If we discover a user is under 18, we immediately terminate their account and delete all personal data.
  • We report suspected child exploitation to relevant authorities.
  • We prohibit all content sexualizing, exploiting, or grooming minors.

If you suspect a minor is using Penvoy or encountering exploitation, please report it immediately to support@penvoy.app or contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Mental Health and Crisis Support

If you or someone you know is in crisis:

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (US): 988
  • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
  • International Association for Suicide Prevention: iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres

Penvoy is not a mental health platform. If you need professional help, please reach out to a qualified mental health provider.

12. Exceptions and Context

We consider context when enforcing guidelines. For example:

  • Discussing serious topics like mental health, trauma, or difficult relationships is allowed and encouraged
  • Quoting or discussing song lyrics, poetry, or published works for literary discussion is allowed
  • Sharing resources or support about sensitive topics is permitted
  • Mentioning an ex-partner or past relationship in a platonic context is allowed

What matters is intent: Are you genuinely building a platonic connection, or are you attempting to use Penvoy for romantic purposes?

13. Appeals

If your account is suspended or terminated, you may appeal by emailing support@penvoy.app with:

  • Your username and account email
  • A clear explanation of why you believe the action was incorrect
  • Any context we should reconsider

We will review your appeal within 7 business days. Our decision is final. Repeated violations after an appeal may result in permanent ban without further review.

14. Updates to These Guidelines

We may update these guidelines to reflect new safety concerns or exploitation tactics, clarify enforcement standards, align with legal requirements, or improve community health. We will notify users of material changes and give reasonable time to adjust. Continued use of Penvoy after updates means you accept the new guidelines.

15. Contact and Support

Questions about these guidelines?

support@penvoy.app
Penvoy
Guatemala City, Guatemala

We're here to help make Penvoy a safe, respectful space for meaningful platonic connections worldwide.