Keyholder approval.
Your keyholder approves or denies each sensitive change from their own account. There is no password for them to hold.
What needs approval.
A keyholder decision gates the changes that would weaken protection.
Adding protection never needs approval. You can add a Custom Block or strengthen protection on your own at any time.
How accountability alerts work- Turning protection off (deactivation)
- Removing or pausing a Custom Block
- An Emergency allow for an eligible siteYou send the site and your reason. Gambling sites cannot be allowed this way, even with approval.
- Replacing your keyholder or adding another
- Changing where alerts go
- Changing your account email or phone number
- Changing optional policy packs
How a decision works.
A decision is an authenticated act in your keyholder's own account, never a reply, a forwarded link, or silence.
- Who decides
- Your keyholder, signed in to their own GuardianBlock account.
- Second factor
- Recent multi-factor authentication (passkey or authenticator app; never SMS alone).
- What they see
- Who is asking, which device, what is requested, when, and what happens next.
- What counts
- An explicit approve or deny. An email link, an unread inbox, or silence is never approval.
- Can they change their mind
- An approval can be withdrawn before it is used.
Turning protection off: the supported path.
Deactivation is a sequence, not a switch. Approval by itself does not turn anything off.
Limits and recoveryYou request deactivation from the GuardianBlock web app, the tray app, or the uninstaller.
Your keyholder is notified and approves or denies.
If approved, a 24-hour cooling-off period runs.
24 hours cooling-off
No authorization exists yet and nothing on your PC changes while the period runs.
After cooling-off, GuardianBlock issues a signed, single-use authorization for that one device. It is valid for 48 hours.
48 hours authorization window
The authorization is single-use, tied to that one device, and expires when the window closes.
The uninstaller checks that authorization on your PC before removing protection. Windows still asks for the normal administrator confirmation to uninstall software.
- See your browsing history, searches, or screen
- Operate, lock, or wipe your computer
- Turn protection off without your request
- Be given a reusable unlock code — none exists
Questions people ask.
What is a gambling accountability partner?Does my partner get a password to my computer?
No. Your keyholder never receives a password, a code, or anything to type on your PC. They approve or deny requests inside their own signed-in GuardianBlock account with multi-factor authentication.
Can my partner turn it off remotely?
No. They approve or deny a request that you make. Nothing is removed remotely, and GuardianBlock does not run server-triggered removal commands.
What if we break up or they stop answering?
Refusal or silence never leaves you locked out for good. With their approval, a new keyholder takes over 24 hours after accepting and setting up MFA. Without their cooperation, deactivation or replacement goes through a seven-day identity-verified review, and support can expedite documented safety, abuse, account-loss, or wrong-person cases.
Can I approve my own change from a second account?
No. Each keyholder is a separate person with their own verified account and two-step sign-in. GuardianBlock is built for one protected adult and one keyholder.