Child Safety Standards

Asanko Connect prohibits child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) absolutely. There is zero tolerance for any such content or conduct on the platform. We do not permit, host, promote or facilitate any material that sexualises or exploits a child, and we act immediately to remove any such content and to bar the person responsible.

This page sets out the standards Asanko Connect applies to prevent, detect, remove and report child sexual abuse material and exploitation. It is published publicly so that it is accessible worldwide without signing in, in line with Google Play’s requirements for apps in the Social category.

Asanko Connect is a closed workplace tool for authorised employees of Asanko Gold only. It is not a public social network. There is no public sign-up, no self-registration, and no way for a member of the public — or a child — to register, request or join an account.

Accounts are created and approved by Asanko Gold on behalf of the employer. Access is granted to adult employees and authorised contractors only, and is removed when their access ends. Because registration is employer-controlled and limited to adults, Asanko Connect is not directed to children and is not designed to be used by them.

Nevertheless, we design and moderate the platform to the same child-safety standard required of any service that may encounter user-generated content.

Every piece of user-generated content is screened before it reaches other users, and moderation safeguards apply across the whole platform:

• Automated text screening — all text is screened automatically before it is published, including posts, comments and direct messages. Material flagged as potentially illegal or harmful is held back rather than published.
• Private media storage — photos and video are held in private storage and are never publicly readable. They are not served to other users until automated checks have passed.
• Automated media classification — uploaded media is classified automatically on upload. Anything the classifier is uncertain about is sent for human review rather than being published.
• First-message approval — a first direct message requires the recipient to approve the sender before any conversation can continue, so unsolicited contact cannot be pushed onto a user.
• Reporting and blocking — every post, comment, photo, video and person can be reported or blocked in a few taps, as described below.

Every post, comment, photo, video and person can be reported from inside the app using the Report action. Report reasons include “inappropriate or sexual content”, and a written description can be added so moderators have context. Reports are submitted directly to the moderation team and are kept confidential.

You do not need to be the person affected to report: anyone who sees concerning content can report it. Reports may also be sent by email to oc@asanko.com. When reporting by email, please include the app username, the date and time, and a description of what you saw.

If you believe a child is at immediate risk, contact the local police or child protection authority directly in addition to reporting inside the app.

Each report creates a moderation case that is handled as follows:

• Review within 24 hours — reports are reviewed within 24 hours of being submitted, and priority cases are reviewed sooner.
• Content removal — moderators can hide or remove the reported content immediately, and suspected CSAM is removed from user view as soon as it is identified.
• Account action — moderators can suspend or remove the author’s account, and accounts responsible for CSAM or CSAE are permanently barred from the platform.
• Two-way blocking — blocking is enforced in both directions across the whole app, so a blocked user cannot contact, view or interact with the person who blocked them anywhere on the platform.
• Records — a record of the report, the content and the action taken is retained for the period required by law and for internal safeguarding review.

[PLACEHOLDER — Asanko legal must confirm this wording before publishing. It must state that confirmed CSAM is reported to the relevant national and regional authorities, and name them. Do not invent specifics.]

Where content is confirmed to be child sexual abuse material, Asanko Connect reports it to the relevant national and regional law-enforcement and child protection authorities in accordance with the law of Ghana and any other jurisdiction that applies. The specific authorities, reporting channels and timelines are set out by Asanko Gold’s legal and security teams and are confirmed before this section is published.

Content identified as CSAM is removed from the platform, preserved for any investigation, and not redistributed. Accounts responsible for posting or sharing CSAM are permanently barred.

[PLACEHOLDER — name and email of the designated child-safety contact, to be confirmed by Asanko.]

The designated contact for child safety matters is named and confirmed by Asanko Gold before this page is published. Once confirmed, that named contact and their email address will appear here.

General app support is available at oc@asanko.com or through the Help Centre. You can also read our Community Guidelines and Privacy Policy.