askto

Askto is a digital platform designed to facilitate the submission and management of questions directed at individuals or organizations. It supports asynchronous questioning, queueing, and moderation, and is used in education, media, and community settings. The platform emphasizes user consent, privacy controls, and configurable governance to balance openness with safety.

Key features include the ability to submit questions anonymously or under an identifiable account, a moderated queue with upvote or highlight mechanisms, session-based access control, and integrations via an API with other services. Recipients can approve, answer, or decline questions, and creators may schedule live or recorded Q&A sessions.

History: Concept and initial prototype emerged in the early 2020s as part of a broader move toward structured audience engagement. It evolved into a standalone service with commercial and open-source components, with various organizations piloting it in classrooms and events.

Security and privacy: The design emphasizes data minimization, transparent moderation policies, and options for data export and retention settings. Critics have noted potential for harassment if not properly moderated.

It is related to other Q&A platforms and moderation tools, reflecting growing interest in structured audience interaction online.