Safety & security
Security and record integrity are core to Modus.
Modus is intended for sensitive parenting communication, including communication connected to family violence matters, court orders, intervention orders, safety notices and child-related legal contexts. Privacy, access control, record integrity and retention cannot be afterthoughts — they are part of the product design from the beginning.
A secure record should be private, intact and accountable.
Private access
Record integrity
Responsible retention
Only authorised users can access a communication space.
- Authentication required
- Private communication spaces
- Two adult users only for MVP
- Single-use invite links that expire and cannot be reused after acceptance
- No public message URLs
- No public attachment URLs
- Future MFA-ready design
- Session security controls
No editing. No deletion. Enforced at more than one layer.
Message and audit-log immutability isn't just a rule the app follows — it holds even if the app itself has a bug, because it is enforced independently at the database layer as well as in application logic.
- Server-set timestamps — a device clock is never trusted for ordering
- A verification hash computed server-side over each message, at the moment it's sent
- Message-send audit events
- Audit logs for rule changes, manual flags and exports
- No silent removal of flags
- No unlogged export generation
Restricted, not blocked, when things get tense.
Modus does not assume communication can simply be switched off — a court order may require it to stay possible. Safety Pause lets either party pause new, non-urgent messages without losing access to the record.
What Safety Pause does
What it doesn't do
Photos and documents should not be public links.
Attachments may include sensitive child-related, legal, medical, school or safety information. Modus stores these privately.
- Private storage buckets
- Signed temporary access links
- File type and size restrictions
- Uploader and upload timestamp recorded
- Attachment hash where supported
- Attachment index in exports
Message content is not advertising material.
Modus is not designed to use message content for advertising, behavioural profiling or sale to third parties.
- No sale of message data
- No ads based on message content
- No training AI models on message content without explicit separate consent
- Minimal analytics
- Clear published privacy policy
Deletion requests need a careful retention review.
Because Modus records may be connected to legal matters, data deletion must be handled carefully.
- Users can request account deletion or deactivation
- Users can request data export where applicable
- Some data may need to be retained where required by law, court order, safety obligations, audit integrity or legitimate record keeping
- The retention policy explains what may be deleted, retained or de-identified
- Users are told what will happen after a request
Reporting concerns without destroying the record.
Modus provides ways to report offensive or abusive content, safety concerns, threatening language, harassment, misuse of the app and technical privacy issues. Because some users may be court-required to communicate, Modus does not rely only on a normal “block user” button — it provides context-aware alternatives.
Report
Mute notifications
Restricted mode & safety pause
Support escalation
Modus is not an emergency response service, safety planning service or substitute for specialist family violence support. If there is immediate danger, contact emergency services.