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---
license: apache-2.0
title: Tether AI
sdk: gradio
emoji: πŸš€
colorFrom: gray
short_description: free, trauma-informed AI tool that detects emotional abuse
---
# πŸ” Detecting Hidden Harm: Abuse Language Patterns with Tether AI
Tether is a free, trauma-informed AI tool that detects emotional abuse patterns in text messages. It was built for survivors, by a survivor β€” blending behavioral science, NLP, and lived experience to uncover what often goes unseen.
While most AI tools focus on obvious toxicity or profanity, Tether specializes in **covert abuse**:
Gaslighting. Guilt-tripping. Control. DARVO.
The things that leave no bruise, but devastate your sense of self.
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## 🎯 Mission
Tether exists to help people recognize patterns of harm in language β€” especially those trapped in emotionally abusive relationships who can't quite name what’s happening to them.
This is not a commercial product. There are no ads, no accounts, and no tracking.
It’s here because I lived it. And because I know how hard it is to see clearly while you’re still in it.
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## πŸ” What It Detects
Tether flags emotional and psychological abuse patterns at the **message level**, including:
- **Control** – overt and covert restrictions on autonomy
- **Gaslighting** – reality distortion, denial, contradiction
- **Blame Shifting** – manipulation of responsibility
- **Dismissiveness** – minimization, shutdown, invalidation
- **Recovery Phase** – manipulative calm following escalation
- **DARVO** – defensive reversal of blame
- **Guilt Tripping**, **Projection**, **Obscure Language**, and more
Each label is assigned based on trained thresholds, tone, and contextual pattern analysis.
It also provides:
- **Abuse Score (0–100%)**
- **Emotional Tone (anger, disgust, fear, neutral, etc.)**
- **Motif Tags** for repeat patterns
- **Risk Estimation** (early, escalating, or high-risk)
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## 🧠 How It Works
- **Model:** Fine-tuned RoBERTa, multi-label classification
- **Dataset:** Custom, real-language abuse dataset curated by survivors & reviewed for clinical clarity
- **Emotion Detection:** `j-hartmann/emotion-english-distilroberta-base`
- **Visualization:** Real-time timeline chart for multiple messages
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## ⚠️ Safety + Disclaimer
Tether is **not a diagnostic tool**. It does **not replace therapy**, legal support, or personal judgment.
Instead, it offers **a mirror** β€” one that can help you ask deeper questions about how you're being spoken to.
If you’re in an unsafe situation, we recommend reaching out to a support network or crisis line. For U.S. residents, the **National Domestic Violence Hotline** is available 24/7 at 800-799-7233 or via text/chat.
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## πŸ§ͺ Use Cases
- 🧍 Survivors seeking clarity on relationship patterns
- πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ Legal or DV advocates reviewing communication logs
- 🧠 Behavioral researchers modeling patterns of harm
- πŸ“± People asking, *β€œIs this message okay?”* and needing an honest, emotionally neutral lens
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## πŸ”— Try it
▢️ **Live App**: [https://huggingface.co/spaces/SamanthaStorm/tether](https://huggingface.co/spaces/SamanthaStorm/tether)
🌐 **More Info**: [https://www.usetetherai.com](https://www.usetetherai.com)
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## πŸ‘©β€πŸ’» About the Creator
Tether is built by **Samantha Parnham**, a behavioral scientist, survivor, and advocate for trauma-aware tech. Her work blends ABA, psychology, and AI to create tools that help people feel seen, supported, and safe.
title: Abuse Pattern Detector V2
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Check out the configuration reference at https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-config-reference