Introducing Protected Profiles
We’ve been humbled to hear so many stories from people on the ground in Ukraine, to listen to Russians speaking out against the war, and to find that–no matter the hour–the 24/7 Ukraine Sitrep room has been there for us to process the invasion and its impact on the world.
Представляем Защищеныя Профиля
We're grateful we've become a meeting place for people around the world to connect during this time, but we also know that times of conflict and upheaval make it increasingly important to be mindful of your presence online and what you share.
Today, we are launching a protected profile setting to make it so that your full profile is only available to people who you approve as followers. Here’s how it works:
- Visit your settings ⚙️ and toggle on protected profile
- This allows you to approve your followers
- Only your followers will be able to see the rooms, clubs, and replays on your profile
- It also makes you less visible on Clubhouse in general. For example, users you haven’t approved as followers won’t be able to know when you’re online and we won’t recommend that people you don’t know follow you.
Your name, username, bio, and any linked social handles will be available and you can update them as you see fit. You can also still block users. We always want you to feel in control of your presence on Clubhouse and you can give us feedback or requests anytime! 📝
Things you can do - Tips for staying safe in social audio
Clubhouse community members around the world show us how powerful audio can be to raise awareness of conflict, but any time you speak out online or off there are risks. We worked with experts at Witness who gave us some tips on ways you can protect yourself and those around you in social audio during times of conflict.
- Be cautious of what you put on your profile - your photo, name, bio, and links to social handles can give away information about you and you should be cautious about what information, and how much, you want to share in your profile during this time.
- Be careful of what you say - in casual conversations or long conversations we sometimes let our guard down and make comments about the coffee shop we’re next to, the city we’re in, our brother’s name, our birthday and more. Remember that voluntarily disclosing information about your location, surroundings, and personal life may increase the odds of others determining where or who you are.
- Be mindful of who you connect with - Clubhouse is a dynamic place—it can be tremendously exciting to meet new people and find new rooms and clubs as you move around your hallway. Making new friends and building new communities are two of the many benefits of the app. During this time, however, take a moment to weigh whether to accept a request to connect from a user you may not know or to join a club.
- Audio can be recorded - we have turned our Replay feature off by default for all users in Ukraine (the feature was already off by default for Russia). If you want to use this feature, don’t forget that the conversation will then live on for others to listen to. Even with Replays off it is important to remember that we cannot control the actions of users on the platform, who may seek to use third party apps or devices to record, store, or share content or communication without other users' prior consent.
- Your voice is uniquely yours - voices are powerful tools for social change and raising awareness and they are very distinctive! While taking steps to be mindful of what you’re saying and what you have posted on your profile, don’t forget that your voice is uniquely yours and can be an identifier.
We hope this is helpful to those looking to use their voices to speak out or anyone who wants more control over their presence online. 🙏