You agree to this when you take part.

Every case is about someone who is still missing, and a family who is still waiting. They didn't choose to become a one-day exercise, and most have already lived through years of public speculation.

Act accordingly. Nothing about the day is a game, and the tone in your team's chat should reflect that.

Don't contact families, witnesses, reporting officers or anyone else connected to a case. Not to check something, not to introduce yourself, and not afterwards.

This is the rule people are most likely to break with good intentions, and breaking it does the most damage. A message from a stranger about a missing relative is cruel even when it's well meant, and it can compromise a live investigation.

Don't collect, keep or submit information about anyone who isn't the subject of the investigation. That includes friends, relatives, former partners and bystanders, even if they're talking about the case in public.

If a lead really does need information about someone else, take it to the case manager as a question, not as a submission.

The network spans many countries, and their laws don't agree. A routine public record in one country can be restricted in another, and taking part never overrides local law.

Your node host will brief you on local limits before the work starts. If you're remote, follow the rules of the country you're physically in. If you're unsure, ask before you collect, not after.

Case material stays on the platform. No screenshots on social media, no pasting into group chats, no copies kept afterwards, and no talking about case details outside your team.

That applies after the event as well as during it. Your access ends when the event does.

Harassment, discrimination and intimidation have no place here, in person or online. That covers how you treat other participants, case managers, node staff and partner organisations.

Teams mix experience levels on purpose. Someone asking a beginner's question is doing exactly what we hoped they would.

Case managers and node hosts can remove anyone from the event immediately, without discussion. Their platform access goes at the same time.

If someone contacts a family, collects information unlawfully or takes case material off the platform, we report it to the investigating agency. We'd rather lose a participant than a family's trust.

If something concerns you, tell your node host or any case manager. If it's about a node host, email us directly and we'll handle it away from that node.

We take every report seriously and handle it discreetly. You don't need to be certain before you speak up.