The safety desk
Safety & Privacy
Romance and good sense are not opponents. Here is how the Gazette is designed to protect correspondents — and what we ask of every reader.
Proposed The protections below describe the service as planned. The Gazette is not open yet.
How the Gazette is designed to protect you
- Anonymous Box Numbers. Notices carry a random Box Number, never a name, address, phone number or e-mail.
- Addresses stay private. Letters are printed and mailed by the Gazette's provider; neither correspondent sees the other's address. Replies route back the same way.
- Private details kept apart. Your contact e-mail and real town are stored separately from your public notice and are never printed.
- Screening and moderation. Notices and letters are screened for phone numbers, e-mail and street addresses, links, social handles and money requests, and every notice is reviewed by a person before it is published.
- Adults only. Membership is planned for verified adults aged 18 and over.
- Photos only by mutual consent. Either person may propose a reveal; either may say "not yet."
- Easy to stop and to report. You can end any correspondence, block a Box Number and report concerns.
What we ask of every correspondent
- Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment-app transfers to anyone you know only through letters — no matter the story.
- Keep identifying details private until you are confident: surname, home address, workplace, phone number and social media.
- Video call before you meet. It confirms your correspondent is who they say they are.
- Meet in a busy public place, arrange your own transportation and tell a friend your plans.
- Trust your instincts. Pressure, secrecy, rushed declarations of love and changing stories are warning signs.
Our full guide: Safe Ways to Meet Someone Through Letters.
If something goes wrong
Stop writing, keep the letters, and report the Box Number to the Gazette (reporting tools will be available at launch). If you were asked for money or lost money, contact your bank and report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
About this prelaunch website
Only one form sends anything: the waiting list (your e-mail, and optionally your city, state and interests), stored in the Gazette's own database and protected by Cloudflare Turnstile. The free-notice coupon and the letter desk are still previews: what you type there stays in your own browser. There are no analytics, advertising trackers or third-party scripts on this site. The full privacy policy is still a draft pending legal review.