This policy describes how Wali verifies user identities, reviews wali relationships, and handles moderation actions. It is a companion document to the Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
Part 1 — Identity Verification
1.1 Why Verification is Required
Everyone on Wali is a real, verified person. We require identity verification before any user can view profiles, send match requests, or interact with other users. This is non-negotiable because the platform's trust and safety model — the wali system, the chat permanence feature, the trust score — only works if every account represents a real human being who is accountable for their actions.
1.2 What Verification Requires
Every user must complete all three steps:
| Step | What You Submit | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Verification | Your mobile phone number — a one-time password (OTP) is sent and must be entered | Links your account to a real phone number; prevents duplicate accounts |
| Government ID | A photo of a valid government-issued ID — passport, national ID card, or driver's license | Confirms your real name, date of birth, and that the ID is genuine and not altered |
| Selfie / Liveness Check | A live selfie taken inside the app at the time of verification — not uploaded from your camera roll | Confirms the person submitting the ID is the person in the ID; prevents stolen-identity abuse |
1.3 Accepted ID Documents
- Passport (any country, valid or recently expired by less than 5 years)
- National ID card (any country that issues them)
- Driver's license (most countries; must include photo and date of birth)
- Residence permit or equivalent government-issued document with photo and date of birth (case-by-case review)
Not accepted: Student IDs, library cards, employer IDs, utility bills, or any document without a government-issued photo.
1.4 The Verification Review Process
| Outcome | What It Means | What Happens Next |
|---|---|---|
| Approved | Your ID, selfie, and liveness check all passed automated and (where flagged) manual review | Full access to discovery, match requests, and chat |
| Pending | Your submission is under review — usually completes within 24 hours | Profile access limited; you may continue building your profile |
| Rejected | Verification failed — see the in-app reason | You may re-submit up to 3 times; see Section 1.5 |
| Under Review | Your submission was flagged for manual human review | You will be notified within 48 hours; access remains limited during review |
1.5 Rejection Reasons and Re-Submission
- Document unreadable — photo too blurry, too dark, or cropped. Fix: retake in good lighting with the full document in frame
- Document appears altered — our system detected signs of editing. If this is an error, contact support. If your document is genuinely damaged, submit an alternative government ID
- Liveness check failed — the system could not confirm the person in the selfie is live and present. Fix: ensure good lighting, face the camera directly, follow the in-app prompts
- ID does not match selfie — the face in the selfie does not sufficiently match the face in the ID. Fix: ensure you are submitting your own ID and taking the selfie in current conditions
- Duplicate detected — this phone number or ID document is already associated with an account. If you believe this is an error, contact support at izharbid@walimarriage.com
You are permitted up to 3 verification attempts. After 3 failures, the process is escalated to human review. Contact support if you are unable to verify after 3 attempts.
1.6 Biometric Data Handling During Verification
Your selfie and government ID are processed by our third-party identity verification provider, which is required to be compliant with applicable biometric privacy laws including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Your biometric data is used exclusively for identity verification and fraud prevention. It is not used for any commercial purpose. Full biometric data disclosures are in our Privacy Policy, Section 21 and Section 33.
Government ID documents are retained for 90 days after verification approval, then permanently deleted unless a legal hold requires longer retention. Biometric data is retained for a maximum of 3 years from collection, or 1 year after your account is terminated — whichever is earlier.
1.7 Age Verification
Your date of birth is verified against your government ID. No person under 18 may use the platform. If the age on your ID indicates you are under 18, your account will be declined and all associated data will be deleted promptly. If you are over 18 but your ID appears to show otherwise, contact support with a second ID for review.
1.8 Re-Verification
We may require re-verification at any time if we have reason to believe your account has been compromised, your identity has been misrepresented, or your circumstances have changed materially (e.g., if account behavior is inconsistent with the verified identity). Re-verification follows the same process as initial verification.
Part 2 — Wali Relationship Verification
2.1 Why Wali Relationships Are Verified
A wali's access to another user's account is one of the most sensitive data-access permissions on the platform. The wali can read all messages, approve matches, and end conversations. It would be inappropriate to grant those permissions without confirming that a genuine guardianship relationship exists between the wali and the person they are guiding.
2.2 Individual Verification (All Walis)
Before any wali relationship can be established, the wali themselves must complete full personal identity verification: phone number, government ID, and liveness check — the same process described in Part 1.
2.3 Relationship Verification — Three Tiers
After the wali's individual verification is complete, the relationship between the wali and their ward must be confirmed. There are three tiers, with decreasing verification strength and decreasing trust level assigned to each.
| Tier | What Is Required | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — In-Person (Highest Trust) | Upload both IDs side-by-side. Complete a LIVE joint selfie inside the app in real time. Mutual in-app confirmation. | Verified status immediately. Full permissions active. | Required for subscription sharing benefit. |
| Tier 2 — Async Video | Upload both IDs. Wali records a 10–30 second video. Ward records a confirmation video. Both reviewed within 48 hours. | Verified status after review. Permissions active on approval. | Required for subscription sharing benefit. |
| Tier 3 — Document Only (Lowest Trust) | Upload both IDs plus one supporting document: family photo, birth certificate, or nikah document. Manual review. | Provisional status. Limited permissions until manual approval. | Does NOT qualify for subscription sharing. Increased monitoring. |
2.4 Mutual Confirmation
Regardless of tier, both the wali and the ward must actively confirm the relationship inside the app. The ward invites the wali via a secure in-app link or code. The wali accepts and completes their individual verification. The ward confirms the wali's identity. All steps must be completed before the wali gains any permissions.
2.5 Removing a Wali
A ward may remove a wali at any time through Settings > Wali Management. Removal takes effect immediately — the former wali loses all access and permissions at the moment of removal. This is a fully supported action and carries no penalty for the ward. The removal is logged internally for moderation purposes only. A previously removed wali may be re-added, at which point they regain full access including historical chat history.
Part 3 — Trust Scoring
3.1 What Trust Scoring Is
Every account on Wali has an internal Trust Score. This score is not visible to users directly, but it affects their experience: accounts with higher trust scores appear higher in discovery, have access to more features, and receive less friction in the matching process. Accounts with low trust scores are restricted in various ways — fewer daily requests, lower visibility, possible soft blocks on certain features.
3.2 What Affects Your Trust Score
| Positive factors | Negative factors |
|---|---|
| Completing full identity verification at Tier 1 | Repeatedly failing verification steps |
| Profile completion at 100% | Reports filed against your account |
| Consistent profile data | Violations of Community Guidelines |
| Active, engaged use of the platform | AI keyword flags in messages |
| Wali relationship verified at Tier 1 or Tier 2 (for women) | Suspicious behavioral patterns |
| Referrals that complete verification | Wali add/remove abuse patterns |
| Attempting to circumvent platform features |
3.3 Trust Score Penalties — Pattern-Based, Not Event-Based
A single borderline event will not reduce your trust score. Trust score penalties apply to patterns of behavior that suggest bad intent — not to individual mistakes. For example: a woman removing her wali once is a normal, supported action and carries no penalty. A woman removing her wali immediately after every chat opens and re-adding it after every chat closes is a pattern that triggers review.
3.4 Trust Score and Appeals
If you believe your trust score has been adversely affected by an error or a false report, you may appeal through the standard appeals process described in Part 5. Trust score adjustments resulting from confirmed false reports against you can be reversed.
Part 4 — Content Moderation
4.1 Automated AI Moderation
All messages sent through the platform's matching system are scanned in real time by automated AI systems. These systems look for:
- Sexually explicit or suggestive language
- Attempts to share external contact information (phone numbers, social handles, email)
- External links of any kind
- Threatening or harassing language
- Pressure tactics or manipulative language
- Content that suggests the conversation has moved outside the platform's intended purpose
What Happens When a Message Is Flagged
| Flag Tier | Examples | Action Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — Clear violation | Explicit sexual terms | Message blocked before delivery. Sender warned. Event logged. 3 events in 30 days triggers human review. |
| Tier 2 — Policy violation | Contact sharing, pressure tactics | Message blocked before delivery. Sender warned. Event logged. |
| Tier 3 — Borderline / context-dependent | Ambiguous terms with multiple meanings | Message held 60 seconds for secondary AI review. If no escalation, delivered. Event logged. |
AI decisions are never final for account-level consequences. Every blocked message can be appealed. Every account-level action (warning, restriction, ban) requires human review.
4.2 Human Moderation
Human moderators handle:
- All reports filed by users (see Part 4, Section 4.3)
- Appeals of AI moderation decisions
- Verification review for flagged submissions
- Trust score review for accounts flagged by automated systems
- All account-level decisions — warnings, restrictions, bans
Moderators have access to flagged content and the minimum context needed to make a decision. They do not have general access to browse user data outside an active case. All moderator access is logged in an audit trail.
4.3 User Reports
To file a report: tap the three-dot menu on any profile, message, or chat and select Report. Choose a category, add optional context (up to 200 characters), and confirm. You may block the person at the same time.
| Report Category | Severity | Review Target | Interim Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspected underage user | Critical | < 4 hours | Immediate account suspension pending review |
| Harassment or threats | High | < 4 hours | Immediate restriction pending review |
| Sexually explicit content | High | < 4 hours | Immediate restriction pending review |
| Fake or misleading profile | Medium | < 24 hours | Profile flagged pending review |
| Marital status misrepresentation | Medium | < 24 hours | Profile flagged pending review |
| Contact sharing / external links | Medium | < 24 hours | Message reviewed; account noted |
| Inappropriate but not threatening content | Standard | < 48 hours | No immediate action |
| Other | Standard | < 48 hours | Based on content |
After your report is reviewed, you will receive an in-app notification: either "We reviewed your report and took appropriate action" or "We reviewed your report and did not find a violation at this time." We do not disclose the specific action taken against the reported user, but we do tell you whether action was taken.
4.4 Moderation Actions
| Action | Effect | Typical Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | In-app notice; logged on account; no access change | First standard violation; borderline content |
| Temporary Restriction (3–14 days) | Cannot send new requests, start new chats, or appear in discovery; existing chats continue | Repeated standard violations; medium violations |
| Permanent Ban | Account deactivated; phone number blocked from re-registration | Serious or zero-tolerance violations; third restriction |
| Emergency Suspension (pending review) | Immediate full suspension; account inaccessible | Suspected underage user; immediate safety concern |
4.5 Zero-Tolerance Actions
The following result in an immediate permanent ban with no prior warning:
- Sending or requesting sexually explicit content
- Any conduct suggesting grooming or predatory behavior
- Submitting fraudulent identity documents
- Using the platform for commercial solicitation
- Any involvement of a minor
- Doxxing — sharing another user's private information externally
- Creating a second account after a permanent ban
Part 5 — Appeals
5.1 What You Can Appeal
- Any warning on your account
- Any temporary restriction
- A permanent ban
- A verification rejection
- An AI-blocked message
5.2 What You Cannot Appeal
- Another user's personal decision to reject your request or block you
- A wali's decisions within the scope of their authority
- The existence of the platform's content policies themselves
5.3 How to Appeal
- Tap "Appeal this decision" on your account status screen or on the moderation notification
- Choose a reason: Mistaken identity / Context misunderstood / AI error / Other
- Write a brief explanation — up to 500 characters. Be specific about what you believe went wrong.
- Submit — your appeal enters a dedicated review queue
- A different reviewer (not the one who made the original decision) reviews your appeal
- You are notified of the outcome and, in the case of permanent bans, given a brief explanation of the final decision
5.4 Appeal Outcomes
| Outcome | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Upheld | The original action stands. Your account record reflects the upheld decision. You are notified with a brief explanation. |
| Overturned | The action is reversed. Your account is restored to its prior state. Any trust score penalty from the action is removed. You are notified with an apology. |
| Modified | The action is adjusted (e.g., a ban is reduced to a 14-day restriction). You are notified with the new decision. |
5.5 Appeal Limits
You may submit one appeal per moderation action. If an appeal is upheld and the same violation occurs again, a second appeal of the same action type is not available — the second instance is treated as a new, independent decision.
Part 6 — Contact
For verification support: izharbid@walimarriage.com (subject line: "Verification Support")
For moderation questions or appeals outside the app: izharbid@walimarriage.com (subject line: "Moderation")
Wali Marriage LLC operates under the assumed name "Wali Marriage." Both names refer to the same legal entity.