A noticeboard, not a service
This board helps neighbours find each other. Everything that happens after that happens between the two of you, the way it would if you'd met at the back of church. Here is exactly what that means, so you can decide what to trust it with.
The plain version
UMI brokers introductions between neighbours. It does not vet people, run background checks, supervise meetings, or guarantee anyone's safety.
We would rather say this plainly than let you assume otherwise. A board that implies it has checked people, when it has not, is more dangerous than one that says nothing at all, because you would lower your guard on the strength of it.
What the board does
- Carries asks and offers between people in the same community.
- Keeps your contact details private until you accept a match, then shares them with the neighbour you accepted and with your coordinator, who can see them for oversight.
- Gives a coordinator the tools to take a post down, and gives you the tools to report or block someone.
- Encrypts sensitive records and deletes them on a schedule we publish.
What the board does not do
- It does not vet anyone. Nobody's identity, history, or intentions are verified before they can post or reply.
- It does not run background checks. Not on members, not on coordinators.
- It does not supervise meetings. What happens when you meet is between you; no one from the board is present or watching.
- It does not guarantee safety, or that anyone will follow through on what they promised.
Meeting someone
Use the same judgement you would with any neighbour you had just met. Meet somewhere public the first time if that feels better. Tell someone where you are going. You are allowed to change your mind at any point, for any reason, and you do not owe anyone an explanation for it.
If someone worries you, report or block them from their post or from your match. A coordinator sees reports and can take a post down or remove someone from the board. If you are in danger, that is what emergency services are for, and this board is no substitute for them.
Coordinators
Coordinators are volunteers from your own community, not staff and not professionals. They can see the asks and offers on their board and, where a community keeps case records, the records they have been given access to. They are trusted by the community, not certified by us.
Your information
What we keep, for how long, and how you get it removed is set out on the privacy and retention page. The commitments this software makes to every community that runs it are in the UMI Protocol.
This board is run by the community you joined it through. If something here is not being honoured, tell them, and tell us.