Combating Child Sexual Abuse Material

PlayHouse is for adults only. We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and for any use of PlayHouse to sexualize, exploit or harm a person under 18. Creating, sharing, requesting or possessing CSAM is a serious crime and is prohibited by our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy.

This page explains what we prohibit, how we detect it, what we do when we find it, and how you can report it.

1. What is CSAM?
2. How does PlayHouse detect CSAM?
3. What is hash matching, and what is PhotoDNA?
4. What about material that is not already known?
5. What happens when we find suspected CSAM?
6. Are messages encrypted? Can you see private content?
7. What about livestreams and video calls?
8. How do I report suspected CSAM?
9. I am under 18 and worried an image of me is online
10. What if my account or content was flagged by mistake?
11. Who do we work with?

What is CSAM?

CSAM is any image, video or other visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, including sexualized nudity, involving a person under 18. US federal law calls this "child pornography" (18 U.S.C. §2256(8)); we use the term CSAM because every such image records the abuse of a child.

Under US law, CSAM includes computer-generated images that are indistinguishable from a real minor, and an image altered to make an identifiable minor appear to be engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Obscene drawings, cartoons and other visual representations of minors are also illegal (18 U.S.C. §1466A).

On PlayHouse, we go further than the legal definition. You must not upload, share, request or describe any Content that shows, involves or suggests a person under 18 in a sexual context, whether it is actual, claimed or role-played; whether it is real, AI-generated, edited, drawn or animated; and whether or not the person can be identified. Content and messages that sexualize minors, that attempt to groom or contact a minor, or that offer, request or trade CSAM are prohibited and are treated as CSAM cases.

How does PlayHouse detect CSAM?

Every photo and video uploaded to PlayHouse is checked before it is published. This covers posts, stories, media sent in messages, profile and cover images, and files delivered for custom orders, whether they are uploaded by Creators, Fans or Agencies. A new post does not go live until the checks are complete.

• Known-image hash lists. We compare each upload with hash lists of images already identified as abusive, including the list from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC) Take It Down service.
• Microsoft PhotoDNA. We check images with Microsoft PhotoDNA, the technology developed by Microsoft and used across the industry to detect known CSAM.
• Automated image and video classification. Automated tools analyze uploads, including by estimating the apparent age of the people shown. Content that may show a minor is held for review by our specialist team.
• Text checks. Automated rules check messages, captions and profile text for prohibited terms, including terms associated with the sexualization of minors, and send matches for review.

The hash lists we use are updated regularly. When they are, we re-check Content already on PlayHouse, so material identified as abusive after it was uploaded can still be found and removed.

What is hash matching, and what is PhotoDNA?

A hash is a digital fingerprint calculated from an image or video. Organizations such as NCMEC keep lists of the hashes of images confirmed as CSAM, so that platforms can recognize those images without anyone having to view them again.

Microsoft PhotoDNA creates a signature of an image that still matches after the image has been resized, cropped or otherwise lightly altered, and compares it with the signatures of known CSAM. We use PhotoDNA under a license from Microsoft.

What about material that is not already known?

Hash matching and PhotoDNA can only find images that have already been identified as CSAM. New material is harder to detect. That is why we also use automated classification, text checks and reports from our community. Anything flagged in these ways goes to our specialist team.

No automated system is perfect. If you see something on PlayHouse that worries you, please report it, even if you are not sure.

What happens when we find suspected CSAM?

• The content is blocked or removed. Content flagged by our checks is held and never published. Reported Content is taken out of view while it is reviewed, and removed if it may be CSAM.
• Our specialist team reviews it. Suspected CSAM is handled by a restricted, specially trained team, separate from everyday moderation, with safeguards to protect the wellbeing of the people who do this work.
• The account is suspended. Where the evidence is strong, such as a match with known CSAM, the account is frozen at once: the user cannot sign in and their earnings are held. Anyone confirmed to have uploaded, shared or requested CSAM is permanently banned and may not return to PlayHouse.
• Evidence is preserved. We keep the evidence in secure, tamper-proof storage, for at least one year after we report it, as US law requires, and longer when law enforcement asks us to.
• We report it to NCMEC. We report apparent CSAM to NCMEC's CyberTipline, as US law (18 U.S.C. §2258A) requires. NCMEC reviews reports and makes them available to the appropriate law-enforcement agencies in the United States and around the world.
• We cooperate with law enforcement. We respond to valid legal process from law enforcement investigating child sexual abuse. See Assisting Law Enforcement.

Are messages encrypted? Can you see private content?

PlayHouse does not use end-to-end encryption. Messages and media, including direct messages and paid or locked Content, are stored on our systems, and our trust and safety team can review and remove them at any time. There are no hidden areas or disappearing messages on PlayHouse.

Every Creator must pass identity verification, including an identity document check, a liveness check and a face match, before their Creator account is approved. Explicit or nude Content may show only verified PlayHouse Creators, or another adult who has completed our co-performer release form, which verifies their age and identity and records their consent. Fans must pass age assurance before they can see sensitive or paid Content, including media in direct messages. See Age and Identity Verification.

What about livestreams and video calls?

Livestreams and video calls happen in real time and are not recorded. To protect them, viewers must pass age assurance before they can join, a stream's cover image is the Creator's checked profile photo, anyone watching can report a stream or call while it is live, and our team can stop a livestream or end a video call at any time.

How do I report suspected CSAM?

Do not download, screenshot, copy or forward the material, even to report it. Doing so may itself be a crime. Tell us where you saw it instead.

• On PlayHouse: every post, profile, story, comment, message, conversation, livestream and video call has a Report option. Choose Someone may be under 18.
• If you are not signed in: use our contact form, choose Report illegal or harmful content, and include the username and a link to where you saw the content.

Every report opens a case for our team, and reports of possible CSAM are handled first.

You can also report directly to NCMEC's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST). If you are outside the United States, you can also contact your national hotline or the police.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number first.

I am under 18 and worried an image of me is online

NCMEC's free Take It Down service is for people who are under 18, or who were under 18 when a nude, partially nude or sexually explicit image or video of them was taken. Take It Down creates a hash of the image on your own device, so the image itself is never uploaded or seen by anyone. Participating platforms, including PlayHouse, can then use the hash to find and block the image.

PlayHouse is a Take It Down participant: we check every upload against the Take It Down hash list and treat a match as a CSAM case.

If someone is threatening to share an image of you unless you send money or more images, you are not in trouble and it is not your fault. Do not pay and do not send more. Get help from a trusted adult, report it to NCMEC at report.cybertip.org, and use Take It Down.

What if my account or content was flagged by mistake?

Because of the gravity of this harm, decisions made under our CSAM process are not handled through our standard appeals process. If your account was frozen, or your Content was removed, under this process and you believe it was a mistake, you can ask for a review through our legal request form: choose Legal inquiry, give your username, and say that you are asking for a review of a child-safety decision.

A trained reviewer who was not involved in the original decision considers your request, without the material being shown again or restored while the review takes place. If the review finds that the decision was a mistake, we lift the restriction and tell you. Material confirmed as CSAM is never restored, and an account confirmed to have shared it is never reinstated. A review does not affect any report we are required by law to make.

Who do we work with?

We work with NCMEC, through CyberTipline reporting and as a Take It Down participant; we use the StopNCII.org hash list; and we use Microsoft PhotoDNA. We cooperate with law enforcement around the world. See Working with Governments and NGOs.

If you have a question about our work against CSAM, or you represent a child-protection organization, contact us through our legal request form and choose Legal inquiry.