Terms of Service

About Crosstalk

Crosstalk Connections ("Crosstalk") is a telephony service that facilitates 1-on-1 calls between peers. You pick a time. The Crosstalk system will call you then and connect you to speak 1-on-1 with someone who chose the same time.

Crosstalk is operated by Crosstalk Connections, Inc., a Delaware 501(c)(3) nonprofit ("we", "us", or "our"). Crosstalk Technologies, PBC, a Delaware public benefit corporation, owns intellectual property (including US Patent 12,542,849 and the Crosstalk® and Crosstalk Connections® trademarks), licenses it to Crosstalk Connections, Inc., and provides certain technical services. Your agreement and relationship are with Crosstalk Connections, Inc.

Crosstalk is not a mental health service, crisis line, counseling service, or medical provider. We are not licensed healthcare professionals. If you feel you may be in crisis, please call a professional hotline such as 988 in the United States, contact emergency services, or reach out to a qualified professional.

Who can use Crosstalk

You must be 18 years of age or older to use Crosstalk. Crosstalk is currently available to users with phone numbers in the United States and Canada. You may not use Crosstalk if you are located in, or a resident of, a country subject to U.S. government sanctions, or if you appear on a U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us through our contact form and we will delete it.

Using Crosstalk

To use Crosstalk, you provide a phone number that we use to send you text messages and place calls. You choose a name that we'll use to introduce you to others on calls, and a timezone so we can schedule calls at times that work for you. You interact with Crosstalk by texting with the Crosstalk AI assistant, participating in Crosstalk calls, and using the Crosstalk web portal. In the future, you'll also be able to use our mobile apps, which may include additional features such as video calls. You can change your information at any time through any of these channels.

By providing your phone number, you consent to receive text messages and calls from Crosstalk at that number, including messages and calls placed by automated systems or generated by AI. Msg&data rates may apply; frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

When you register for a scheduled Crosstalk call time, we will call you at that time and connect you with another user who also chose that time. You are free to decline the call, hang up, or cancel at any time. You can pause or close your account at any time by texting Crosstalk.

Community guidelines

Crosstalk works because users treat each other with respect. You agree that you will not:

• Harass, threaten, intimidate, or abuse other users, or engage in hate speech based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any protected characteristic.
• Share another user's personal information without their consent.
• Record or transcribe a call without the consent of everyone on the call.
• Impersonate a specific person, or falsely claim an affiliation, credential, or role you do not have. However, using a chosen first name, nickname, or alias for privacy is permitted.
• Use Crosstalk to solicit money, recruit for commercial or multi-level marketing schemes, promote investments, or sell goods or services.
• Attempt to defraud, scam, or financially exploit another user. Crosstalk will never ask you for passwords, bank information, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or financial information to people you meet on Crosstalk, regardless of the story they tell. If you suspect a scam, text Crosstalk and ask it to submit a support ticket for you.
• Use Crosstalk to provide professional services or establish a professional advisory relationship (medical, legal, financial, therapeutic, or otherwise), whether or not you hold a license. Crosstalk is for peer conversation, not professional consultation.
• Interfere with the service, attempt to access accounts that are not yours, or try to circumvent security or access controls.
• Use Crosstalk for any unlawful purpose, or in a way that violates the rights of others.

We may warn, suspend, or terminate accounts that violate these guidelines, at our discretion. Where we can do so without making the situation worse, we'll try to give notice and a chance to fix the problem before suspension.

Privacy

What we collect

To run Crosstalk, we collect and store:

• Your phone number.
• The name you chose and your timezone.
• The text messages you exchange with Crosstalk.
• Information about your Crosstalk calls — which calls you registered for, whether you were reached, how long you were on the call, and who you were paired with.
• Any information you share with us, such as interests, preferences, or what kinds of conversations you enjoy.
• If you reach Crosstalk through a group, referral code, or invitation, we record how you were referred.

Your content

You retain ownership of the content you send through Crosstalk (for example, the text of your messages, information you enter in the web portal or app, and, if you enable the future feature described below, temporary recordings of your calls). By using the service, you grant Crosstalk Connections, Inc. a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to store, transmit, process, and use that content for the purpose of operating and improving Crosstalk. This license is transferable in connection with a business transfer permitted under these terms.

Peer phone numbers are not shared

Crosstalk does not share your phone number with the other users you are connected to. Calls are bridged through our telephony provider so neither participant sees the other's number. Users may choose to share personal information (including phone numbers) during calls or through any future messaging features we add. Information shared this way is outside our control.

Calls are not currently recorded or transcribed

Crosstalk does not currently record or transcribe calls. We plan to add an optional feature in the future that uses AI to improve the service and pair you with better conversation partners based on call recordings or transcripts, which may require temporarily recording your calls. When we add such a feature:

• It will be off by default. You turn it on in a setting.
• You can turn it off at any time by texting us or through a setting.
• When recording or transcribing is active on a call — because one or both participants have enabled it — we will play or display a notice at the start of the call so everyone on the call is aware. If only one person on the call has this feature enabled, only their side of the call will be recorded or transcribed. You may leave the call if you don't want to continue.
• We will keep your recordings or transcripts only as long as needed to extract information that helps us pair you with better conversation partners and personalize your Crosstalk experience (such as your interests, conversation style, and topics you enjoy). Recordings and transcripts are encrypted in transit and at rest, and will typically be deleted within 24 hours of creation.

Agreeing to these terms acknowledges the AI recording or transcription processing feature as planned for the future. Your agreement here is not consent to record or transcribe calls — we will ask separately, through a new setting, when the feature launches.

Who processes your information

We use a small number of trusted service providers to run Crosstalk. Each of them only receives the information they need for their role, and each is bound by its own privacy and security commitments.

Core service providers:

• Crosstalk Technologies, PBC, the Delaware public benefit corporation that developed and owns Crosstalk's underlying technology, provides certain technical services to Crosstalk Connections, Inc.
• Twilio, our telephony provider, handles text messages, telephone calls, and video/voip calls. Twilio processes your phone number, the text of your messages, and call metadata.
• OpenAI powers the AI assistant that you text with. OpenAI processes the text of the SMS messages you exchange with Crosstalk. Your phone number is not shared with OpenAI as an account identifier. In some cases OpenAI may see a phone number inside the text of a message — for example, if another user types a phone number when inviting you or sending you a message. OpenAI does not receive your phone number as metadata about your account.
• Amazon Web Services hosts our databases and application servers.

Website providers (apply only to gocrosstalk.org visitors, not the Crosstalk service itself):

• Cloudflare hosts this website and provides the CAPTCHA on our contact form.
• Resend delivers contact-form submissions to our team by email.

Our team and consultants

The Crosstalk team, including its directors, officers, employees, and contractors, may access your information as needed to run the service, investigate abuse, or provide support. From time to time we may engage outside consultants on a need-to-know basis, under written confidentiality agreements. Everyone with access is bound by confidentiality obligations.

How we protect your information

We apply the principle of least privilege: people on the Crosstalk team only get access to the information they need for their specific role, and access to particularly sensitive data — like unredacted phone numbers — is restricted further. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest.

Not a HIPAA-covered service

Crosstalk Connections, Inc. is not a HIPAA-covered entity, so the Crosstalk service is not HIPAA-compliant. Please do not rely on HIPAA protections for information you share with Crosstalk or with other users.

We don't sell your information

We do not sell or share your personal information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising.

How long we keep your information

We keep your account information and messages while your account is active. If you delete your account or ask us to delete your data, we will delete it. We may keep a limited record of account activity where we are required to by law, or where we need it to resolve a dispute, enforce our terms, or protect users from abuse.

Your rights

You can ask us to show you what information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. The easiest way is to text Crosstalk directly. You can also reach us through the contact form. We will respond within a reasonable time, and in any event within the timelines required by applicable law.

Sponsor organizations and reporting

Crosstalk may be sponsored for you by an organization — for example, a healthcare provider, insurer, employer, employee-benefits program, public-health agency, or community organization. That sponsorship means someone else pays for your use of Crosstalk; it does not mean they see what you do on Crosstalk.

We may share aggregated reports with sponsor organizations, e.g., total calls, participation rates, and outcome metrics across their members. We will not share your individual or identifiable information with sponsors unless you specifically authorize us to. A sponsor that also wants to conduct research is covered under Research partnerships below and must meet those requirements.

Groups and group admins

Crosstalk is organized into groups (e.g., a rehab alumni group, a recovery community, or a senior-living community). When you join a group — by invitation, referral code, or selection choice — the group's admins can see that you are a member, including the name you chose when you set up Crosstalk and your timezone. Your phone number is partially redacted so group admins can recognize you if they know you but would not be able to identify you if they don't. Group admins cannot see the content of your messages or calls. Representatives of a sponsor organization (e.g., a rehab facility's alumni coordinator) may be group admins for groups they manage.

Improving Crosstalk and research

We use your data internally to run and improve the Crosstalk service.

We do not currently share your data with outside researchers. If in the future we share your data with outside research partners — e.g., academic institutions, clinical researchers, public-health organizations, or other research collaborators — it will be de-identified (records with your name, phone, and other direct identifiers removed) and shared only under written agreements that prohibit re-identification. We will provide you with an easy way to opt out, e.g., by texting us or through a setting in a future app. For research that would require sharing your identifiable information, or that asks you to actively participate (e.g., surveys), we will ask for your specific consent first.

Business transfers

If Crosstalk is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale or transfer of some or all of its assets or operations, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. Any recipient will be bound by these terms, including our privacy and retention commitments.

Legal requests

We may be legally required to produce information we hold in response to valid legal process. We will produce only what is required, and we will notify you where permitted by law. Because we do not currently record calls, and because any recordings, transcripts, or video (if we create them, and only with your consent) are deleted quickly, we generally cannot produce the audio or video content of your calls.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. For changes that materially reduce your rights, we will require you to affirmatively accept the updated terms before you continue using Crosstalk. For other changes, including formatting, clarifications, or updates that do not reduce your rights, we will send notice and your continued use will constitute acceptance.

Disclaimers and limits

Crosstalk is provided "as is" and "as available." We do not guarantee that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that you will be paired with another user on any given call. We are not responsible for the conduct, statements, or actions of other users, and we do not verify users' identities beyond the phone number they use to sign up.

Crosstalk does not verify users' professional credentials or licenses. Any advice exchanged between users — including by users who are, or claim to be, licensed professionals — is peer conversation, not professional advice, and does not create any professional relationship with Crosstalk or with that user. Do not rely on it as a substitute for advice from your own professional.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or related to Crosstalk is limited to US $100, or the amount you have paid us, if any, in the twelve months before the claim, whichever is greater. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, incidental, special, or punitive damages. These limits do not apply to liability for fraud, willful misconduct, or anything that cannot be limited under applicable law.

Your responsibility

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Crosstalk Connections, Inc., Crosstalk Technologies, PBC, and their directors, officers, employees, contractors, consultants, agents, successors, and assigns from any claim, demand, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your misuse of Crosstalk, your violation of these terms, or your violation of another person's rights.

Assignment

We may assign this agreement and transfer operation of Crosstalk to an affiliate or a successor, with or without notice, and without your consent. Any operator to whom this agreement is assigned is bound by these terms, including our privacy and retention commitments, and must continue to honor them.

Entire agreement and severability

These terms, together with any policies or notices we post, are the entire agreement between you and Crosstalk Connections, Inc. regarding your use of Crosstalk. If any provision of these terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.

Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute arising out of or related to these terms or your use of Crosstalk will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, and you and we consent to the jurisdiction of those courts. Before filing, please contact us through our contact form — most issues can be resolved informally.

Contacting us

The fastest way to reach us is by texting Crosstalk directly — our AI assistant can answer questions and submit a support ticket to our team on your behalf. If you don't have a Crosstalk account, or need to reach us another way, please use the contact form on our homepage.

Crosstalk Connections, Inc.
1207 Delaware Ave, Ste 1606
Wilmington, DE 19806