Family Reunification & Sensitive Search Policy

noknokk is a memory-matching archive. Members write what they remember; where two accounts describe the same person, place and era, we quietly tell both sides. We are not a government agency, a records or tracing service, an investigator, a DNA service or an emergency service. We hold no birth, adoption, care or placement records, and we cannot confirm that any two people are related.

A match is a suggestion produced by pattern similarity. It is never proof of identity or of a family relationship. Members are responsible for their own judgement before sharing anything personal or meeting anyone.

Before a memory is published, every member confirms the following. The wording is versioned (2026-08-17.1) and each acceptance is recorded with a timestamp so we can show exactly what was agreed and when.

• I am 16 or older, and I am not searching for or about anyone under 16.
• This is my own memory, written by me. I am not posting on behalf of an agency, investigator or third party.
• I understand a match is a suggestion, never proof of identity or of a family relationship, and that I am responsible for my own judgement before sharing anything personal.
• If the other person declines, blocks me or asks not to be contacted, I will stop — and I will not try to reach them, their family or their workplace elsewhere.
• I understand noknokk is not a government agency, records service, tracing agency, DNA service or emergency service, and holds no birth, care or adoption records.

Text that reads as a search for or about a person under 16 is refused outright — it is not queued, reviewed or published. Adult sexual content is likewise refused. Where a memory reads as a missing-person report, a court or protection-order matter, or an at-risk situation, publishing is paused and official services are shown first; posting only continues after a separate acknowledgement.

noknokk sits alongside official channels, never in place of them. If someone is missing or at risk, contact these before using the archive:

• Police / emergency services

  If someone is missing or at risk right now, call 000 (Australia) or your local emergency number.

• AFP National Missing Persons Coordination Centre

  The official channel for reporting and searching for a missing person in Australia.

• Care-leaver records and support

  State and territory record-access services can release care, adoption and placement records.

• Link-Up services

  Family tracing and reunion support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by removal.

• Lifeline 13 11 14

  Free 24/7 crisis support if a search is bringing up something heavy.

Matching is double-blind. Neither side sees a name, photo or contact detail until both accept. Contact details and exact addresses are stripped from memory text automatically. Declining a match hides the pairing permanently for both people.

Any member can switch on “Do not contact me” in their profile. It stops matching in both directions, suppresses existing matches and closes messaging. It is enforced on our servers, not merely hidden in the interface, and every change is logged. A relative who does not want to be found simply never appears — and you never appear to them.

You can report any memory or member from the page it appears on, or write to us from the contact page. We remove content that breaches this policy and may suspend accounts. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information under the Australian Privacy Principles; consent and moderation records are retained as evidence of informed consent even after an account is closed.

Nothing in this policy excludes rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law. Subject to those rights, noknokk is not liable for the accuracy of any member's memory, for any match suggestion, or for the outcome of contact between members. Members agree not to use the archive to harass, trace against someone's wishes, or circumvent a no-contact decision, and indemnify us for misuse.