Are anonymous question apps safe?

What regulators found

In July 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission settled with NGL Labs. The FTC said NGL sent users fake messages made to look like they came from real people, sold “hints” that didn't reveal who asked, and claimed AI moderation it didn't deliver. NGL is now barred from users under 18.

In September 2025 the US Department of Justice, acting for the FTC, sued the makers of Sendit, alleging fake messages, deceptive subscriptions and collecting data from children under 13.

The pattern is the same both times: apps that profit from keeping you curious about who asked. That's the thing to check for.

What “anonymous” really means

On a well-run app you're anonymous to the person you're asking, not to the service or the law. Apps keep some technical data, such as IP addresses, to stop abuse and to answer valid legal orders. Be wary of any app that promises you can never be traced, and of any app that offers to reveal who sent something.

Poocho keeps limited technical data in an access-controlled log for 30 days and never shows it to hosts. The full detail is under how anonymity works.

Seven checks before you share a link

1. 1Does it promise real questions only? Look for a written commitment, not just a tagline.
2. 2Does it sell hints or reveals? If so, your askers aren't really anonymous, and hints were at the centre of both FTC cases.
3. 3What happens to cruel questions? The best answer: they're filtered before you see them, into a folder you choose whether to open.
4. 4Can you control the filter? Strictness levels, your own blocked words and a pause button matter on bad days.
5. 5Is there an age limit? The apps in trouble marketed to teenagers. Poocho is 18+.
6. 6Can you leave with your data? Export and delete should be a button, not an email to support.
7. 7Can you report, and get help? Look for a report option on public answers and clear support details.

How Poocho handles it

• Every question in your inbox was typed by a person. A test checks this on every code change.
• No hints, clues or reveals, ever, and no paid feature touches anonymity.
• Questions are checked before delivery; you choose Relaxed, Standard or Strict, and can block your own words.
• Askers can send at most five questions to one person per hour.
• 18+ for hosts and askers.
• Export or delete everything from Settings.