Community Guidelines
How to Read a Standard
Each Standard below follows the same structure:
- Why it matters: what harm the standard addresses.
- Prohibited: what is not allowed.
- Allowed: what remains allowed, including journalism, education, counter-speech, and artistic expression where relevant.
- Severity: indicative enforcement tier (Critical, High, Moderate). Specific actions depend on severity, context, intent, repeat behaviour, and potential harm.
Enforcement tiers are indicative only; we assess each case on its merits.
- CRITICAL Immediate removal, permanent ban, and reporting to competent authorities as required or permitted by law (for example, to the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, INHOPE, Europol EC3, and, for CSAE, voluntary referral to NCMEC's CyberTipline).
- HIGH Content removal with account-level consequences up to suspension or ban depending on history and intent.
- MODERATE Content removal, label, or de-ranking; repeated violations escalate.
Standard 1: Violence and Incitement
Why it matters
Credible threats and calls for violence cause real-world harm and chill participation in the professional community.
Prohibited CRITICAL
- Credible threats of physical harm, death, or sexual violence against a specific person, group, place, or event
- Statements of intent or calls to action to commit violence
- Instructions that would enable serious physical harm (e.g., weapon construction for attack, targeting guidance)
- Content that glorifies, praises, or celebrates acts of mass violence, terror attacks, or violent crime
Allowed
- News reporting, academic discussion, condemnation, or counter-speech that clearly describes violent acts without endorsing them
- Clearly rhetorical statements or common figures of speech that no reasonable reader would treat as a threat
Standard 2: Dangerous Organisations and Individuals
Why it matters
Terrorist, violent-extremist, organised-crime, and hate organisations use platforms to recruit, coordinate, and celebrate harm.
Prohibited CRITICAL
- Representation of, support for, membership of, or recruitment for designated terrorist organisations, violent extremist groups, organised-crime groups, and hate organisations, including on lists maintained by the UN, EU, UK, and US
- Praise, substantive support, or representation of the above groups, their leaders, or their acts
- Content that enables or coordinates violent, large-scale, or organised criminal activity
Allowed
- Journalism, academic analysis, counter-terrorism, de-radicalisation, survivor accounts, and critical or satirical commentary
- Lawful discussion of proscribed groups where context is clearly educational, preventative, or critical
Under Regulation (EU) 2021/784, valid removal orders relating to terrorist content are actioned within one hour (see AUP Section 9).
Standard 3: Hate Speech
Why it matters
Hate speech attacks the dignity of people on the basis of who they are and drives exclusion from the platform.
Prohibited HIGH
- Direct attacks, dehumanising speech, calls for exclusion or segregation, harmful stereotypes, or slurs targeting people on the basis of protected characteristics: race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, serious disease, age, immigration status, or refugee status
- Content denying or grossly minimising recognised genocides, crimes against humanity, or mass atrocities
- Coordinated campaigns to target a protected group
Allowed
- Clearly marked self-referential use of slurs, reclaimed speech by members of a targeted group
- Quotation, counter-speech, journalism, academic analysis, or satire that does not itself attack a group
- Good-faith discussion of policy and social issues without dehumanising people
Standard 4: Bullying and Harassment
Why it matters
Targeted harassment makes people feel unsafe on the platform and suppresses participation.
Prohibited HIGH
- Targeted insults, name-calling, degrading comparisons, and attacks on identity directed at a specific person
- Repeated unwanted contact after a request to stop, including via new accounts to evade a block
- Coordinated or pile-on harassment of a specific person or small group
- Sexual harassment, unsolicited sexual comments or advances, and coercive messaging
- Threats of real-world consequence (workplace, family, reputation) as leverage
- Stalking, cyberstalking, and non-consensual surveillance
Allowed
- Criticism of public figures' public actions, products, or statements
- Professional feedback that is civil and directed at work rather than identity
Standard 5: Child Safety (CSAE)
Why it matters
SocialGryd has zero tolerance for any form of child sexual abuse, exploitation, or grooming.
Prohibited CRITICAL
- Any imagery, video, audio, or written content depicting child sexual abuse (CSAM), whether real, cartoon, synthetic, or AI-generated
- Content that sexualises minors or depicts minors in a sexualised way
- Solicitation of minors for sexual, romantic, or exploitative purposes (grooming), including via DMs, comments, or profile bios
- Requests for, offers of, or distribution of CSAM or links to CSAM
- Content that facilitates child trafficking, exploitation, or marriage under the applicable age of consent
- Sharing or doxxing of minors' identifying information, location, or images without verified parental authorisation
We report confirmed CSAE to the competent authorities in line with applicable law (primarily the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and, via INHOPE, the relevant national hotline), and where facts require or permit it we also refer to NCMEC's CyberTipline and Europol EC3. We preserve evidence as required by law. Full detail in our Child Safety Standards.
Allowed
- Survivor support, education, prevention, and research content with appropriate care and no harmful depictions
- Family content clearly not sexualised and posted by the child's parent or guardian
Standard 6: Adult Sexual Exploitation and Non-Consensual Intimate Content (NCII)
Why it matters
Sexual coercion, non-consensual imagery, and trafficking of adults are prohibited and often unlawful.
Prohibited CRITICAL
- Non-consensual intimate imagery ("revenge porn", NCII), including digitally altered, deepfake, or AI-generated intimate content of a real person
- Threats to share intimate content (sextortion), including blackmail for money, sexual acts, or further imagery
- Secretly recorded intimate content
- Recruitment for, facilitation of, or advertisement of sexual services in jurisdictions where prohibited, and in all cases for minors
- Content depicting or promoting sexual assault, rape, or coerced sex acts
- Human trafficking, forced labour, or bonded labour
We target removal of confirmed NCII within 24 hours of a valid report, preserve evidence, and cooperate with hash-based preventive takedown partners (e.g., StopNCII.org) where available.
Allowed
- Survivor advocacy, research, journalism, and educational content that does not depict or exploit victims
Standard 7: Suicide, Self-Injury, and Eating Disorders
Why it matters
Content that promotes or provides instructions for self-harm can cause real-world harm, especially to younger or at-risk users.
Prohibited HIGH
- Content promoting, encouraging, or providing instructions for suicide, self-injury, or eating disorders
- Content challenging, goading, or pressuring others to self-harm
- Graphic depictions of self-harm that glorify the act
- Depictions of suicide methods, hanging points, ligature instructions, or medication-overdose guides
Allowed
- Recovery stories, survivor testimony, and support-group content, with appropriate care
- Educational, clinical, and research content
- Descriptions of past self-harm where not glorifying or instructive
Where content indicates active ideation, we surface resources and may refer the user to crisis-support organisations as part of our safety workflows.
Standard 8: Privacy Violations and Doxxing
Why it matters
Publishing private information without consent endangers safety and violates data-protection law in most jurisdictions.
Prohibited HIGH
- Sharing another person's home address, precise real-time location, personal phone number, private email, government IDs, medical records, or financial information without their consent
- Sharing another person's private messages, DMs, or private chat content outside the conversation without consent, except to report abuse
- Encouraging others to locate, stalk, or confront a specific person
- Posting photos or videos of identifiable individuals in a private setting without consent (nudity, intimate settings, medical settings)
- Building or publishing profiles of users from scraped data
Allowed
- Newsworthy information about public figures acting in their public capacity
- Information the subject has voluntarily and clearly published
Standard 9: Violent, Graphic, and Adult Content
Why it matters
SocialGryd is a professional, all-ages (16+) platform. Graphic content and explicit sexual material are not appropriate on a mainstream professional feed.
Prohibited MODERATE / HIGH
- Pornographic, sexually explicit, or primarily sexual imagery or video
- Excessively graphic violence, gore, or injury, including footage of real deaths, executions, mutilation, or severe abuse
- Animal cruelty content, including staged fighting, torture, or killing
- Imagery of human remains outside respectful memorial or lawful journalistic contexts
Allowed
- Medical, scientific, forensic, and educational imagery with context
- Fine-art nudity, breastfeeding, post-mastectomy, and gender-affirming content that is not sexualised
- News coverage of violent events, with appropriate content warnings where possible
We may age-gate, blur, or label content instead of removing it where context warrants.
Standard 10: Fraud, Scams, and Inauthentic Behaviour
Why it matters
Fraud, impersonation, and coordinated inauthentic activity erode trust in the professional community.
Prohibited HIGH
- Impersonating another person, business, brand, or verified account
- Creating, operating, or networking fake or sockpuppet accounts to manipulate discussion, engagement, visibility, or reviews
- Purchasing or selling followers, likes, comments, views, or engagement; using click-farms or automated bots
- Fake reviews, incentivised reviews not clearly disclosed, or reviews from people who did not attend or use the service
- Advance-fee fraud, investment scams, romance scams, crypto-rug scams, and phishing
- Materially deceptive multi-level-marketing or affiliate schemes
- Deepfake or manipulated media presented as authentic where material deception is likely
- Manipulated engagement metrics on creator content to influence the Marketplace
Allowed
- Parody accounts clearly labelled as parody or fan accounts
- Authorised marketing from verified brands and creators, with clear disclosure of paid partnerships (see Standard 12 and Marketplace Terms)
Standard 11: Intellectual Property, Counterfeits, and Misappropriation
Why it matters
Respecting intellectual property is both a legal requirement and a matter of professional trust.
Prohibited MODERATE / HIGH
- Posting copyrighted content you do not own or have permission to use
- Using another person's trade marks, logos, or brand assets to imply endorsement or affiliation
- Selling or advertising counterfeit goods
- Reproducing or redistributing SocialGryd's software, source code, screenshots, or design assets beyond what mandatory law permits
- Scraping, hoarding, or redistributing other users' content to build a competing data product
Allowed
- Fair use, fair dealing, quotation, criticism, parody, review, research, and news-reporting under applicable copyright law
- User-generated content for which the user holds or has licensed the necessary rights
Rights-holders can submit a takedown via our DMCA and IP Takedown page.
Standard 12: Regulated Goods, Spam, and Commercial Integrity
Why it matters
Certain goods and activities are illegal or heavily regulated; spam and aggressive commercial behaviour degrade the professional experience.
Prohibited MODERATE / HIGH
- Sale, promotion, or coordination of: illegal drugs and unregulated prescription medicines; firearms, ammunition, and explosives; wildlife and endangered-species products; stolen goods; fraudulent documents
- Sexual services where prohibited by applicable law, and in all cases for minors
- Gambling, betting, and high-risk financial instruments where local law requires licensing the Platform does not hold
- Unsolicited bulk messaging, spam, and repeated commercial DMs
- Paid partnerships, advertising, or sponsored content without the required platform-rendered "Paid Partnership" disclosure (see Marketplace Terms)
- Misleading advertising and unfair commercial practices (FTC Endorsement Guides, EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, CMA/ASA rules)
- Deceptive affiliate links that hide their commercial nature
Allowed
- Lawful, clearly disclosed commercial content from verified brands, creators, and partners
- Informational content about regulated topics (e.g., alcohol, age-restricted goods) with appropriate context and without sale or solicitation on the Platform
Reporting Violations
If you see content that violates these Standards:
- In-app: use the report button on posts, comments, profiles, messages, events, stories, or content in the Marketplace and Partner Portal
- Child safety / CSAE: report@socialgryd.com (highest priority)
- NCII and sexual exploitation: report@socialgryd.com with subject "NCII Report"
- Copyright / IP: see DMCA and IP Takedown
- Security vulnerabilities: security@socialgryd.com
- Everything else: support@socialgryd.com or legal@socialgryd.com
Reporters' identities are not disclosed to the reported user unless required by law.
Enforcement
When we identify a violation, we take proportionate action based on severity, intent, harm, and user history:
- Warning: notification explaining the violation and the rule
- Content action: removal, de-ranking, content label, or interstitial
- Feature restriction: temporary loss of posting, messaging, creating events, or other features
- Account restriction or suspension: temporary suspension pending review
- Permanent ban: account terminated with no option for reinstatement. Reserved for Critical severity, repeated High severity, or confirmed CSAE/NCII violations.
We also reserve the right to cancel benefits (Club Card, discounts, partner status), revoke verification, block devices or IPs, and report to law enforcement where required.
Statements of Reasons and Appeals
Every restriction, removal, suspension, and termination is accompanied by a Statement of Reasons in accordance with Article 17 of the EU Digital Services Act, including the factual grounds, the rule applied, whether automated means were used, and how to appeal. Appeals are reviewed by a human reviewer who was not the original decision-maker, within 30 days, free of charge. You may also refer moderation disputes to an out-of-court dispute-settlement body certified under DSA Article 21 or seek judicial remedy before the competent courts.
Transparency
Enforcement actions are logged and reported in aggregate in our Transparency Report. We submit Statements of Reasons to the DSA Transparency Database where applicable.
Changes to These Guidelines
We may update these Guidelines. Material changes follow the notice process in Terms Section 27.