Positive by design

HYPE is built to help classmates give positive recognition through a reviewed bank of poll prompts. Pilot V1 does not include direct messages, user-authored poll questions, sender reveals, or cross-school discovery. These choices reduce opportunities for unwanted contact and harmful free-form content, but no online service can eliminate every risk.

Independent, school-contained pilot

Brave LLC operates HYPE independently; McNair and school authorities do not sponsor, administer, monitor, or control it. New members verify access to a phone number and complete regional school-access verification. Server rules enforce school isolation, poll eligibility, friendships, cooldowns, rewards, and blocking. These checks reduce risk but do not prove every user’s identity, age, intentions, or current enrollment.

Anonymous does not mean unaccountable

The normal HYPE interface does not reveal the account identity of the person who picked you. It may show a broad gender signal and grade. Brave retains the underlying event and account association so HYPE can deliver the result, enforce blocks, investigate misuse, analyze safety, and comply with law. Other users may sometimes infer context from information outside HYPE, so we cannot guarantee perfect anonymity.

Friends, polls, and Activity

Add or accept only people you know and recognize. Poll candidates are eligible same-school classmates selected under HYPE’s rules; a profile appearing in HYPE is not proof that the person is trustworthy. Activity is limited to qualifying HYPE received by accepted friends from someone other than the viewer, uses an intentional 15–45 minute privacy delay, expires from the feed after seven days, and remains non-tappable.

Block an anonymous sender

From a received HYPE detail, you can block the anonymous sender without learning who they are. An active block prevents the two accounts from appearing to one another in relevant poll and social surfaces and hides qualifying events according to current server rules. Do not attempt to identify, contact, test for, or evade a blocked person. Blocking is a product control, not an emergency or law-enforcement report.

Impersonation, harassment, and other concerns

Use Get Help in HYPE or email support@usehype.app if someone is impersonating you, misusing a profile photo, harassing or threatening someone, evading a block, attempting to identify an anonymous sender, exploiting the Service, or creating another safety or privacy concern. Include the username, approximate date, what happened, and screenshots when useful, but do not send passwords or verification codes.

Brave may investigate, preserve relevant records, restrict visibility, remove content, change eligibility, suspend or terminate accounts, or contact an appropriate parent, guardian, school official, provider, or authority when permitted or required. We may not be able to disclose the outcome, another user’s identity, or confidential safety information.

Profile and sharing safety

Use a name classmates recognize, choose an appropriate photo you have permission to use, and never impersonate another person. Your same-school profile may be visible to eligible classmates. A shared Profile link can show your first name, username, and avatar to anyone who receives it without requiring login. The page is unlisted and configured not to be indexed, but links and screenshots can be copied, forwarded, or retained. Share only with people you trust.

Snapchat, Instagram, Messages, and other destinations have their own audiences, privacy controls, and safety rules. Review the destination before posting. HYPE cannot delete material after another service or recipient receives it.

Protect your account

• Use only your own authorized phone number and never share a one-time verification code.
• Do not lend an unlocked device or HYPE session to another person.
• Join only the school you currently attend and keep profile information accurate.
• Log out of shared devices and contact support if you suspect unauthorized access.
• Never send money, financial information, passwords, government IDs, or sensitive private information in response to another user or an invitation.

Location and Contacts

HYPE requests one fresh location during signup to verify regional access, processes it immediately without storing it, and does not continuously track returning members. Contacts can help identify friends and invitation recipients. HYPE never requires you to invite every contact, and it does not automatically send contact invitations.

Review our Privacy Policy for details about transient location verification, local contact data, one-way identifier digests, uploaded onboarding labels or birthdays, retention, and deletion.

Parents and guardians

HYPE is for users age 13 and older. Parents and guardians should decide whether HYPE is appropriate for their teenager and discuss anonymous social feedback, profile visibility, location verification, Contacts, invitations, notifications, blocking, public Profile links, and responsible sharing. Consider Apple family and Screen Time controls where appropriate. Contact support@usehype.app if you believe a child under 13 created an account or you have a concern about a minor’s account; we may verify your identity and authority before taking action or disclosing information.

Emergencies and immediate danger

HYPE is not an emergency service, crisis line, or continuously monitored reporting channel. If you or another person may be in immediate danger, call 911 or the appropriate local emergency service and tell a trusted adult. For crisis support in the United States, call or text 988. Do not wait for an email response from HYPE in an emergency.

Limits of HYPE’s safety controls

HYPE cannot guarantee that every profile is accurate, every user is a current student, every poll feels positive, every harmful interaction is detected, every report is resolved, or every user follows the rules. Pilot V1 does not provide live moderation, direct profile-report queues, automated content moderation, or school-staff monitoring. Use judgment, protect personal information, use blocking tools, seek help early, and involve a trusted adult when appropriate.

Contact

For non-emergency safety questions or reports, use Get Help in HYPE or email support@usehype.app. You may also write to Brave LLC, 20 River Court, Jersey City, NJ 07310.