Community Guidelines

Last Updated: [DATE] Effective Date: [DATE]

Quick Summary

These Community Guidelines explain what is and isn't allowed on Boba. They apply to all Users and all content, including messages, posts, live streams, marketplace listings, and any other activity on the Platform. Violating these Guidelines may result in content removal, feature restrictions, or account suspension.

These Guidelines are incorporated into our Terms of Service by reference. By using the Platform, you agree to follow them.

How to Read These Guidelines

Each policy section below follows the same structure:

  • Why this policy exists — the principle behind the rule
  • What is not allowed — specific prohibited behaviors and content
  • What is allowed — context, exceptions, and edge cases
  • Examples — illustrative scenarios (not exhaustive)

When evaluating content, we consider context, intent, and potential for harm. Content that falls in a gray area may receive labels, reduced distribution, or age restrictions rather than removal.

Safety

Violence and Threats

Why this policy exists: Everyone should feel safe using the Platform.

What is not allowed:

  • Threats of physical violence against individuals or groups
  • Content that incites or glorifies violence
  • Instructions for carrying out violent acts
  • Graphic depictions of violence against people or animals, except as noted below
  • "Swatting," doxxing, or other conduct that could lead to real-world harm

What is allowed:

  • Factual reporting on violent events, with appropriate context
  • Educational content about violence prevention or awareness
  • Fictional or artistic depictions, provided they are clearly labeled and not gratuitous
  • Self-defense discussions and safety education

Examples:

  • Not allowed: "Someone should hurt [person] for what they said."
  • Allowed: A news discussion about a public safety incident with factual context.

Harassment and Bullying

Why this policy exists: People should be able to participate without being targeted, degraded, or intimidated.

What is not allowed:

  • Repeated unwanted contact after being asked to stop
  • Targeted insults, degradation, or humiliation of individuals
  • Coordinated campaigns to harass or intimidate someone
  • Sharing private information to embarrass or endanger someone (doxxing)
  • Sexual harassment, including unwelcome advances or sexually degrading comments
  • Using platform features (mentions, comments, raids) to flood someone with abuse
  • Encouraging others to harass a specific person

What is allowed:

  • Criticism of public figures' professional conduct or public statements
  • Disagreement, debate, and strong opinions expressed respectfully
  • Blocking or muting users you don't want to interact with

Examples:

  • Not allowed: Organizing a group to mass-report or flood someone's comments with insults.
  • Allowed: Publicly disagreeing with a creator's opinion in a respectful comment.

Hate Speech and Discrimination

Why this policy exists: The Platform should be welcoming to people of all backgrounds.

What is not allowed:

  • Content that promotes hatred, violence, or discrimination against individuals or groups based on protected characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, immigration status, or caste
  • Dehumanizing language or comparisons targeting protected groups
  • Symbols, imagery, or rhetoric associated with hate groups
  • Denying well-documented atrocities or using such denial to target protected groups

What is allowed:

  • Academic or educational discussions about discrimination and hate
  • Sharing personal experiences with discrimination
  • Criticizing beliefs, ideologies, or institutions (as distinct from targeting people)

Examples:

  • Not allowed: Using slurs or dehumanizing language to describe a racial or ethnic group.
  • Allowed: A documentary-style discussion about the history of civil rights movements.

Self-Harm and Suicide

Why this policy exists: We want to protect vulnerable individuals and connect people with help.

What is not allowed:

  • Content that promotes, encourages, or glorifies self-harm or suicide
  • Detailed instructions for self-harm methods
  • Content that frames self-harm as a positive, aspirational, or effective coping mechanism
  • Challenges or trends that encourage self-harm

What is allowed:

  • Sharing personal recovery stories with appropriate context and sensitivity
  • Mental health awareness and education
  • Information about crisis resources and support services
  • Artistic expression addressing these topics with care and without glorification

If you or someone you know is in crisis: Contact your local emergency services or a crisis helpline. In the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

We may add crisis resource labels to content that discusses self-harm or suicide, even when the content does not violate these Guidelines.

Dangerous Activities and Challenges

Why this policy exists: Content should not encourage people to risk injury or death.

What is not allowed:

  • Content depicting or encouraging extremely dangerous stunts without professional safety measures
  • Challenges that carry a risk of serious injury or death
  • Instructions for creating dangerous substances or devices
  • Encouraging minors to participate in risky behavior

What is allowed:

  • Professional extreme sports content with appropriate safety context
  • Educational content about risks and safety (e.g., first aid, hazard awareness)

Child Safety

Why this policy exists: Protecting minors is our highest priority. We have zero tolerance for content that exploits or endangers children.

What is not allowed — strictly enforced, no exceptions:

  • Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in any form, including AI-generated
  • Grooming behavior or solicitation of minors
  • Sexualization of minors in any context, including fictional depictions
  • Content that facilitates trafficking or exploitation of minors
  • Sharing or requesting private information about minors

What is not allowed — content involving minors:

  • Content that embarrasses, bullies, or endangers identifiable minors
  • Content depicting minors in dangerous situations without appropriate context

Reporting: We report all apparent CSAM to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and cooperate fully with law enforcement. If you encounter content that exploits minors, report it immediately using our in-app reporting tools or by contacting security@boba.town.

Authenticity

Misinformation and Disinformation

Why this policy exists: Deliberately false information can cause real-world harm.

What is not allowed:

  • Deliberately false claims about health, safety, elections, or emergencies that could cause harm
  • Manipulated media (including deepfakes) presented as authentic when deception could cause harm
  • False claims about the Platform's policies, enforcement actions, or official communications

What is allowed:

  • Satire and parody that is clearly labeled or recognizable
  • Opinions, predictions, and speculation presented as such
  • Debunking or fact-checking content, even when it references false claims
  • Discussion of controversial topics where reasonable people disagree

How we handle it: We may label disputed content, reduce its distribution, or add fact-check context rather than removing it outright. Removal is reserved for content that poses a clear and immediate risk of harm.

Impersonation

Why this policy exists: Users should know who they're interacting with.

What is not allowed:

  • Claiming to be another person, organization, or entity
  • Using someone else's name, photo, or identifying information to deceive
  • Creating fake accounts that mimic real people or organizations
  • Operating accounts that falsely appear to be official or affiliated

What is allowed:

  • Parody, fan, or commentary accounts that are clearly labeled as such
  • Using a pseudonym or stage name (as long as you don't impersonate a specific person)

Spam and Fake Engagement

Why this policy exists: The Platform should reflect genuine human activity.

What is not allowed:

  • Sending unsolicited bulk messages
  • Posting repetitive or irrelevant content at scale
  • Purchasing or selling followers, likes, views, or other engagement
  • Using bots or automated tools to artificially inflate metrics
  • Coordinated inauthentic behavior (multiple accounts acting in concert to manipulate)

What is allowed:

  • Sharing your own content across relevant communities
  • Cross-posting to different audiences where appropriate
  • Using Platform-approved automation tools (e.g., scheduled posting)

Manipulated Media and Deepfakes

Why this policy exists: Synthetic and manipulated media can deceive and harm.

What is not allowed:

  • Deepfakes or synthetic media of real people used to deceive, defame, or harass
  • Non-consensual intimate deepfakes of any kind
  • Manipulated media designed to mislead about real events

What is allowed:

  • AI-generated art and creative content that is clearly labeled
  • Satire using synthetic media that is recognizably non-literal
  • Educational content about deepfake technology

Labeling requirement: AI-generated or substantially manipulated media must be labeled as such using Platform-provided tools where available.

Integrity

Intellectual Property

Why this policy exists: Creators' work deserves protection.

What is not allowed:

  • Uploading content you don't have the right to share
  • Using copyrighted music, images, or video without a license or applicable exception
  • Removing or obscuring copyright notices, watermarks, or attribution
  • Re-uploading others' content as your own

How we handle it: We respond to valid DMCA takedown notices as described in the Terms of Service. Repeat infringers may lose their accounts.

Privacy Violations

Why this policy exists: People have a right to control their personal information.

What is not allowed:

  • Publishing private information (addresses, phone numbers, financial details, government IDs) without consent
  • Sharing non-consensual intimate images
  • Recording or sharing private conversations without consent where legally required
  • Using Platform features to stalk or surveil individuals

Fraud and Scams

Why this policy exists: Users should be able to trust what they see and who they deal with.

What is not allowed:

  • Phishing, advance-fee schemes, fake giveaways, or other deceptive practices
  • Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, or fraudulent investment solicitations
  • Fake reviews, testimonials, or endorsements
  • Misrepresenting products, services, or qualifications in marketplace transactions

Platform Manipulation

Why this policy exists: Platform systems should work as intended for everyone.

What is not allowed:

  • Exploiting bugs or vulnerabilities in Platform systems
  • Circumventing enforcement actions (e.g., creating new accounts after a ban)
  • Manipulating algorithms, feeds, or ranking systems
  • Interfering with other Users' ability to use the Platform

Content Standards

Nudity and Sexual Content

What is not allowed:

  • Sexually explicit content or pornography, except where expressly permitted by feature-specific terms
  • Non-consensual intimate imagery of any kind
  • Sexual solicitation

What may be allowed with age restrictions:

  • Artistic nudity in clearly artistic or educational contexts
  • Health and medical content involving nudity (e.g., breastfeeding, surgical education)
  • Content clearly labeled as mature and restricted to verified adult audiences, where Platform features permit

Always prohibited regardless of age restriction:

  • Content involving minors
  • Non-consensual content

Graphic Violence and Gore

What is not allowed:

  • Gratuitous depictions of graphic violence or gore
  • Content designed primarily to shock or disgust

What may be allowed with age restrictions or labels:

  • Newsworthy footage of violent events with appropriate context
  • Educational or documentary content about conflict, medical procedures, or history
  • Artistic expression addressing violence with context and purpose

Illegal Activities

What is not allowed:

  • Content promoting or facilitating illegal activity, including drug trafficking, weapons sales, human trafficking, or terrorism
  • Instructions for illegal activities
  • Content that facilitates financial crimes (money laundering, fraud, tax evasion)

Regulated Goods and Services

What is not allowed:

  • Unauthorized sale or promotion of regulated goods (pharmaceuticals, firearms, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis) in violation of applicable laws
  • Content that facilitates the purchase of controlled substances without proper authorization

Note: Marketplace listings involving regulated goods are subject to additional requirements in the E-Commerce / Marketplace Addendum (Part 2, Addendum 5).

Sensitive and Mature Content

What is not allowed:

  • Content exploiting real-world tragedies for engagement
  • Content that is gratuitously disturbing without educational, artistic, or newsworthy value

What we may do: Apply labels, age restrictions, or interstitial warnings to content that is sensitive but not prohibited.

Respectful Behavior

Civility and Respect

We don't require users to agree with each other, but we do expect a basic standard of civility. Persistent, targeted cruelty — even when it doesn't rise to the level of harassment — may result in enforcement action.

Context and Intent

We consider context when making enforcement decisions. The same words or images can mean different things depending on who is speaking, to whom, and why. We look at the full picture, not just the surface content.

Cultural Sensitivity

We operate across many cultures and communities. We are mindful that norms vary and we try to apply our guidelines consistently while recognizing cultural context.

Accessibility

We encourage content creators to make their content accessible (e.g., using captions, alt text, descriptive audio). While not required, accessible content reaches a wider audience and reflects our values.

Special Considerations

Certain types of content receive additional consideration during enforcement:

Newsworthy content that would otherwise violate policies may be permitted if it serves the public interest. Newsworthiness is evaluated based on public interest, educational value, and context. Newsworthy exceptions never apply to the most severe violations (child safety, non-consensual intimate imagery). Newsworthy content may still receive labels or reduced distribution.

Satire and parody receive consideration, but must be recognizable as such. Clear labeling helps. Satire that targets individuals for harassment is not protected.

Educational and documentary content about sensitive topics may be permitted with appropriate context. Glorification of harmful behavior is not protected by an educational framing.

Artistic expression receives consideration but is not exempt from policies. Art that violates our most serious policies (e.g., CSAM) is never permitted.

Enforcement

How We Enforce These Guidelines

We use a combination of automated systems and human review to detect and address violations. Not all content can be individually reviewed by humans, and automated systems may occasionally make errors. If you believe an error was made, you can appeal (see below).

Enforcement Tiers

We use a graduated system that considers severity, context, and history.

Tier 1 — Educational Actions Content labels, informational notices, prompts to review these Guidelines, or reduced distribution. Typically applied to minor or first-time violations, borderline content, and unintentional violations.

Tier 2 — Content-Level Actions Content removal, age restriction, demonetization of specific content, disabling interactions, or adding fact-check labels. Typically applied to clear policy violations, repeated minor violations, and content that may cause harm.

Tier 3 — Feature-Level Restrictions Temporary restrictions on specific features (commenting, messaging, live streaming), removal from monetization programs, or reduced visibility. Typically applied to repeated violations, moderate severity violations, and patterns of problematic behavior.

Tier 4 — Account-Level Actions Temporary or permanent account suspension, device or IP-based restrictions, or reporting to law enforcement. Typically applied to severe violations, repeated violations after warnings, illegal activity, and immediate safety risks.

Factors we consider: Severity, intent, violation history, potential for harm, context, impact on affected parties, and whether the User is a repeat offender.

Appeals

Your right to appeal: You may appeal most enforcement actions. Appeals must be submitted within [30] days of the action. Some actions involving imminent safety risks may not be appealable.

How to appeal:

What to include: Why you believe the action was incorrect, any context we may have missed, evidence supporting your position, and any relevant information about your intent.

How we review appeals: Appeals are reviewed by a different team member than the one who made the original decision. We aim to respond as promptly as possible. Complex appeals may take longer.

Possible outcomes: The original action is upheld, overturned (action reversed, consequences removed), or modified (e.g., reduced severity).

Limitations: Each action may only be appealed once. New information may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Frivolous or abusive appeals may result in loss of appeal privileges. Appeal decisions are final.

Reporting Violations

How to report:

What happens: Reports are reviewed by our Trust & Safety team, sometimes with the assistance of automated systems. We take action on content that violates our policies. We may not be able to disclose the specific outcome due to the privacy of all parties involved.

Good faith reporting: Reports should be accurate and made in good faith. Abusing the reporting system to harass others or to suppress legitimate content may result in action against the reporter.

Emergency situations: If someone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first. You may also report to us, but we cannot dispatch emergency responders. We cooperate with law enforcement in emergency situations.

Transparency

Transparency reports: We publish regular transparency reports detailing our enforcement activities, including statistics on content removed, accounts actioned, and appeals. Reports are available at https://boba.town/transparency.

Policy explanations: We provide detailed explanations of our policies in these Guidelines and publish blog posts explaining significant policy changes.

Research access: Qualified researchers may request access to data for studying platform safety. Research requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. See https://boba.town/research for more information.

Cooperation with Authorities

Legal requirements: We comply with valid legal process and law enforcement requests. We may report illegal activity to law enforcement. We cooperate with investigations as required by law.

Voluntary cooperation: In emergency situations involving imminent harm, we may voluntarily share information with authorities. We prioritize user safety in making these decisions.

User notification: We notify users of legal requests for their data where legally permitted. Notification may be delayed or prohibited in some circumstances. See our Privacy Policy and Law Enforcement Guidelines for more information.

Updates to These Guidelines

We may update these Guidelines at any time to address emerging issues, clarify policies, or improve safety. When we make significant changes:

  • We will announce them through Platform notifications, email, or our blog
  • We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document
  • We will provide reasonable notice before new policies take effect, except where immediate action is needed for safety

Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

These Guidelines are incorporated into the Terms of Service. If there is a conflict between these Guidelines and the Terms of Service, the Terms of Service control.

Questions or concerns? Contact us at support@boba.town.