Last updated: 30 April 2026
Ekcho exists for one reason: to let people speak honestly, without the performance of identity. These guidelines exist to protect that. They are not about silencing — they are about keeping this a place where real voices feel safe to speak.
These will result in immediate removal and permanent ban:
The following content will be removed and may result in account suspension. Repeated violations result in permanent ban.
Hate speech
Content that dehumanises or calls for violence against a person or group based on religion, caste, race, gender, sexuality, disability, or ethnicity. Criticism of ideas, religions, or institutions is permitted. Targeting people is not.
Harassment and stalking
Repeated unwanted contact, coordinated campaigns to intimidate a user, or broadcasts clearly designed to humiliate a specific person. Disagreement is fine. Sustained targeting is not.
Graphic violence
Content that glorifies, celebrates, or graphically describes real violence against people. Discussing violence in a news, educational, or critical context is permitted.
Misinformation that causes harm
False health or safety information that could directly endanger listeners. We do not remove content we merely disagree with — only content that poses a clear, demonstrable public health or safety risk.
Spam and deception
Repeated broadcasts with no genuine content, impersonating another person or brand, or broadcasts designed to manipulate listeners into financial decisions.
Copyrighted recordings and audio
Do not play or sample the original master recording of a commercially released song — this is what is illegal. Singing or humming a cover of a song in your own voice is generally permitted under compulsory licensing laws in most countries. What is not allowed: playing the actual recorded song, sampling any portion of a commercial recording, replaying clips from podcasts, films, or TV, or reading song lyrics aloud. What is allowed: original compositions you created, covers you perform in your own voice, public domain songs, and brief incidental background sounds.
Ekcho is a place for honest voices, and that includes dark places. We do not automatically remove broadcasts that discuss mental health struggles, suicidal thoughts, or difficult experiences — these are often the most important voices on the platform.
When our moderation system detects content that suggests a broadcaster may be in distress, we privately and discreetly send mental health resources to that person. We do not broadcast this to other users and we do not remove the content unless it presents severe and immediate risk of harm.
If you are concerned about a specific broadcaster, use the report button on their broadcast and select "I'm concerned for this person's safety." Our team reviews these within 2 hours.
Ekcho is pseudonymous by design. Do not attempt to identify or reveal the real identity of another user without their explicit consent. If someone has voluntarily shared personal details with you in private conversation, you must not use those details to harass, locate, or contact them outside Ekcho.
Every broadcast has a report button. Reports are reviewed by our trust and safety team. We do not share who made a report. Making false reports to silence voices you disagree with is itself a violation of these guidelines.
Our target review time is 24 hours for standard reports, 2 hours for safety reports.
Your Voice Journal is private — only you can hear your recordings unless you choose to share or publish them. Do not use the share link feature to distribute content that would violate these guidelines. A shared journal entry is subject to the same rules as a public broadcast once it is accessible via a link.
Listener rooms form spontaneously when two or more people listen to the same broadcast at the same time. The chat within a listener room is subject to all the same rules as broadcasts — no harassment, no spam, no prohibited content.
Voice neighbourhoods are persistent connections formed from listener room encounters. Visibility within a neighbourhood is always under your control. If someone is making you uncomfortable in a neighbourhood, you can remove or block them. Blocking removes them from your neighbourhoods, listener rooms, and inbox.
Do not use listener rooms or neighbourhoods to coordinate harassment of other users, to spam other listeners, or to circumvent a block.
Voice Game responses are published as public broadcasts under The Journey topic. The same content rules that apply to all broadcasts apply to game responses. The Journey topic is not a space for fiction, performance, or deliberately misleading content.
The Real badge is earned through sustained genuine engagement with the Voice Game over time. Attempting to manipulate the AI — by performing vulnerability, giving rehearsed answers, or deliberately gaming the question pattern — undermines the purpose of the journey and will result in the badge never being awarded. The AI is designed to detect sustained performance over time.
The Real badge cannot be transferred, sold, or claimed by another user. Accounts found to have obtained the badge through coordinated manipulation will have it removed.
If your broadcast is removed or your account is suspended, you will receive a notification with the reason. You may appeal by emailing info@ekcho.net within 14 days. We review all appeals and respond within 7 working days.
We will not remove a broadcast simply because it makes someone uncomfortable, expresses an unfashionable opinion, or discusses a painful topic. Ekcho is a place for the full range of human experience. Our guidelines target harm, not discomfort.
The line is real but not always obvious. When in doubt, we err toward keeping voices up, not taking them down.