Community’s mission is to power personal communications at scale over the most trusted messaging platform. Community strives to give people, brands, and communities a safe place to connect and share messages, experiences, and perspectives that matter to them. We believe that the best way to deliver on this goal is prioritizing the trust and safety of our Leaders and Members. To do so, we require everyone who uses Community’s platform to adhere to the following guidelines. This helps to ensure that we remain a welcoming and safe place – for all communities.
We respect diverse opinions and strive to support differing perspectives on difficult topics. However, if we determine that any Leader, brand, entity, or individual has violated these guidelines, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time without prior warning. In addition, we reserve the right to take any other remediating action, such as: campaign monitoring, age gating, placing a strike on an account, limiting the number of accounts with which you may interact, reporting the issue to authorities when appropriate, and/or requiring you to review some helpful, educational information.
A detailed explanation of allowable content is below, and we wanted to first share a few best practices to keep in mind while engaging with your communities:
● Be respectful. Before hitting ‘send,’ ask yourself whether you would say this to someone’s face? Would you be embarrassed if your parent, grandparent, sibling, guardian, or hero received your text?
● Consider the age of your audience. Are you sending content related to alcohol, tobacco, and/or adult content? Is the content appropriate for members under 18 years of age? Is the subject matter legal to promote or sell to members under 21 years of age?
● Use common sense. If you aren’t sure whether a text violates this policy, consider editing it, placing an age filter, and/or contacting us at accountservices@community.com.
● Only share content you trust. If you are sharing a link, do you trust the source? Is it a trusted website? Is the news story well researched? Could someone inadvertently come across prohibited content by clicking a link? Do you have permission to share it?
● People have differing opinions. Remember that we don’t all share the same point of view and diversity of opinion helps us to grow and improve our communities. Consider how you share your opinion and the impact of your contributions on individuals before sharing something that others may find controversial.
● Be aware of carrier regulations. All messages are sent via SMS and content must adhere to both Community’s Acceptable Use policy and any other standards set by wireless carriers. We update our terms to incorporate these regulations, however these are subject to change with limited notice.
1. Prohibited Content
We prohibit any use of Community to upload content or send messages that include (or link to) any of the following:
A. Abuse
You may not engage in any abusive behavior, including instances of or attempts to harass, share unwanted communications, intimidate, or silence others. You similarly may not call for others to engage in this behavior.
i) Child Sexual Exploitation Content: Message content and/or links to content that features, shares, promotes or facilitates the sexual exploitation of children is strictly prohibited. This includes media, text, illustrations, computer generated images, and links to sites that contain this content. You may not engage or attempt to engage a child in a sexually explicit conversation, or attempt to obtain sexually explicit media from a child. When we become aware of content depicting or promoting child sexual exploitation we will remove the responsible account and report it to the appropriate authorities
B. Hateful Content
You may not share hate speech or otherwise discriminate against, promote violence, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, serious disease, etc. This includes a prohibition against sharing hateful slurs, imagery, videos, and other forms of media, as well as links that share this type of content.
C. Misinformation and Disinformation
You may not share or promote any content that is false, misleading, or inaccurate. We take swift action when we identify harmful misinformation or disinformation, and sharing this type of content may result in permanent deactivation of your account. For example:
i) COVID-19: You may not share or promote false or misleading content about COVID-19 that may lead to harm. We define this misinformation as content that is demonstrably false or misleading and may lead to significant risk of harm. To determine if content is false or misleading, we recommend referring to guidance shared by local health authorities’ or the World Health Organization’s (WHO). We are aware that scientific understanding of COVID-19 continues to evolve, so we closely monitor information and guidance shared by experts and authorities and we will update this policy accordingly. The following includes examples of content that would violate this policy:
● False or misleading claims regarding existence of COVID-19, such as statements that COVID-19 does not exist, that people have not died or gotten sick from the disease, or that the symptoms, death rates, and/or contagiousness of COVID-19 are not severe.
● False or misleading claims regarding the treatment of COVID-19, such as encouraging use of home remedies, prayer, or rituals in lieu of medical treatment, recommending the use of Ivermectim, hycroxochloroquine, or harmful substances to treat or prevent COVID-19, or other content that discourages people from seeking treatment or advice from a medical professional.
● False or misleading claims regarding prevention methods that are false or misleading, such as claims that wearing a mask is dangerous or causes negative physical health effects, that masks do not play a role in preventing contracting or transmitting COVID-19, statements that the COVID-19 vaccinations are dangerous and have adverse effects that are being covered up by the government/medical industry, statements that the COVID-19 vaccine is causing magnetic reactions, or statements that the official COVID-19 vaccine ingredients list is not accurate.
● False or misleading claims regarding the transmission of COVID-19, such as claims that it is not caused by viral infection, that it is not contagious, or claims that any group or individual has immunity to the virus or cannot transmit it.
ii) Mass Casualty Denial: You may not share or promote content that denies a mass murder or other mass casualty event occurred, including references to such event as a hoax or claims that victims or survivors are fake or actors.
iii) Election and Civic Integrity: You may not use Community’s services for the intent of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes. We will take action if we determine that you shared or promoted misleading, false, or inaccurate content that interferes with an election or other civic process, such as content that:
● Misleads voters about eligibility or process, advance false claims related to eligibility requirements for political candidates or elected officials,
● Encourages others to interfere with democratic processes, such as intimidating or dissuading people from participating in an election, census, or other civic process.
● Advances false claims regarding widespread fraud, errors, or glitches that altered the outcome of past elections when those results were officially certified, among other things.
iv) Manipulated Content and Media: You may not share content or media that is significantly or deceptively manipulated or so out-of-context that it may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm. This includes scenarios such as adding misleading audio-visual information, post-production changes or edits, or other changes that fundamentally alter the meaning of the original media or content.
D. Violent Content
You may not share content advocating, promoting, celebrating, or encouraging violence, physical harm, or death against any individual, group, entity, or organization. You may not share instructions or materials related to the assembly of bombs or other weapons, or promote violence using firearms or other weapons. You may not share content that promotes, supports, or affiliates with violent extremist and terrorist groups.
We do not tolerate violent threats of any kind. If we identify an exigent violent threat that targets an identifiable individual or group we will work to share the relevant information with the appropriate law enforcement authorities when possible to prevent the harm.
E. Sexual Content
Carriers have strict guidelines regarding sexual content. You may not share content that contains, depicts, or promotes pornography, sexual products, sexually explicit material, sexual services, content that is tended to elicit sexual arousal, or any other obscene material. You may not share any content that is sexually exploitive of any individual.
i) Sharing non-consensual content: You may not share intimate photos, videos, or other media of someone that was produced or distributed without their consent, even if it otherwise adheres to this policy. This includes images or videos that superimpose or digitally manipulate an individual’s face onto another person’s nude or semi-nude body.
ii) Unwanted sexual advances: You may not share unwanted sexual advances and content that sexually objectifies an individual without their consent. This includes sending someone unwanted sexual language, media, imagery, the sexual discussion of someone’s body, or the solicitation of sexual acts.
F. Illegal and regulated products, activities, goods, and services
You must respect all applicable laws and carrier policies while using our services, including any restrictions regarding the sharing of content that promotes or sells prohibited products and/or activities. This includes a prohibition against any content or activity featuring, encouraging, offering, or soliciting an illegal activity, good(s), or service(s).
Our policies prohibit you from promoting, selling, or encouraging the use of any of the following products or services:
i) Underage Drinking: You may not share alcohol-related content to users under the legal drinking age (21 in the US). This includes cocktail recipes, drinking games, alcohol-related memes/jokes, and alcohol-related questions, among others.
ii) Drugs: You may not share any content related to the sale or use of illegal drugs. Additionally, you may not share content related to the use or sale of Cannabis (including CBD products) or Psilocybin. However, you may share content related to scientific research of these products.
iii) Health remedies: You may not share inaccurate, false, or unverified information regarding health remedies, treatments, cure-all solutions, vaccines, or medicine.
iv) Tobacco: You may not share tobacco-related content to users under the legal age (21 in the US).
v) Vape products: You may not share any content related to the sale or promotion of these products, regardless of the end-user’s age.
G. Violations of other’s rights
If it isn’t yours and you don’t have permission, don’t share it.
i) Intellectual Property: You may not share any material that violates the rights of third parties, including patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, publicity, privacy, or other proprietary rights.
ii) Private information: You may not share anyone’s private or personal information without their express, written consent (or parent’s consent for minors), and you may not threaten to do so. Private information can include location, identification documents, financial information, education records, biometric data and medical records, and any other private information prohibited by law or carrier regulations. For leaders, please refer to ‘use of member information’ below for additional details on building your communities.
iii) Publicity rights and defamation: You may not make false statements about someone that damages that person’s reputation, or otherwise use their name, persona, or image for marketing or advertising purposes without their permission.
H. Harmful Content
You may not share content that may cause harm to others, or may inspire others to harm themselves. This includes content that is advocating for avoidance of medical treatment and any content that is supportive of self-harm, eating disorders, or suicide.
I. Spam and Deceptive Activity
You may not share spam or use Community to engage in bulk, aggressive, or deceptive activity. Spam includes any unsolicited commercial message related to products, services, or content, or any other telemarketing calls or texts. You may not mislead others by operating fake accounts or attempting to impersonate another person, group, or entity.
J. Prohibited Commercial Activity
In addition to any commercial activity that is mentioned above, you may not share content related to specific types of commercial activity, products, or services, including, but not limited to:
● Pyramid schemes;
● Fraudulent donations solicited by entities that are not legally recognized non-profits;
● Dangerous or harmful goods, such as counterfeit, defective, or otherwise dangerous products and services;
● Sponsored messages or selling third parties the ability to send messages or content from your Community Number without our written permission;
● Online and direct pharmaceutical sales;
● Work-at-home businesses;
● Gambling, betting, or wagering activities and services;
● Mortuaries and cemeteries;
● Direct financial transactions via text, e.g. PayPal, CashApp, Venmo, Swift, etc.;
● Mortgage finance; and
● Reclaiming of lost bank accounts or inheritance.
2. Other Types of Content
A. Sensitive Content
Sensitive content is content that does not violate our Acceptable Use Policy, but may not be appropriate for all individuals. You must take steps to protect vulnerable groups, particularly children, from receiving and/or accessing sensitive content. Sensitive content includes things such as adult or allowable sexual content; profanity; alcohol; tobacco; graphic imagery; etc.
B. Promotions
If you use Community as part of any type of promotion, contest, or sweepstakes (all referred to here as a “Promotion”), you are responsible for ensuring that your Promotion complies with all legal requirements. This includes writing the official rules, terms, and eligibility requirements, and complying with marketing and carrier regulations. Some carriers require that promotions may only be offered by a registered a 501(c)(3) charity. Legal requirements for Promotions can vary by location, so please work with a lawyer or other expert to ensure you won’t violate any applicable laws. We are not responsible or liable to you in any way if you use Community as part of your Promotion.
Your Promotion’s official rules should state that each entrant or participant completely releases us from all claims based on, related to, or arising from the Promotion. You must make clear through the presentation of your Promotion that your Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with, Community.com, Inc.
3. Off platform activity
We are committed to making Community and our service(s) a safe and welcoming place, and we use a robust vetting process when onboarding Leaders to confirm they are able and willing to adhere to our policies. Community will also enforce and/or permanently remove Leaders and Members when we become aware of severe offenses that occur off platform, such as extreme violence, membership or participation in hate groups, terrorist recruitment, or predatory sexual behavior.
4. Use of Member information
A. Creating Your Communities
Communities are an easy way to leverage member info to help organize your contacts and send the most relevant content to your followers. It is important to build these communities based upon your follower’s interests (e.g. Tech, Entertainment, or Sports), rather than their personal characteristics (e.g. Race, Gender, Sexuality). Your Communities may not be used to discriminate against, threaten, harass, target, or exclude people on the basis of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, serious disease, etc.
For example,
● You may create Communities to make it easier to share content with individuals interested in LGBTQ+ media, but you may not create an LGBTQ+ Community to exclude these followers from receiving your messages.
● You may create Communities based upon location to share local election news and/or referenda most relevant to individuals in that district, but you may not create a Community to target individuals in that district to deter them from voting or because of their socioeconomic status.
● You may create Communities to help people identify housing, employment opportunities, and other resources. You may not create communities for illegal purposes, including violations of fair housing laws, employment discrimination laws, disability discrimination laws, and financial eligibility laws (e.g., loans, insurance).
B. Data Exports
We reserve the right to deny the export of any member data, including any uses of the data that we believe may result in spam messages or calls to be sent to members. Further, you may not export a member’s data for use in a manner that violates our Acceptable Use Policy. Per our spam policy, you may not export data with the purpose of making telemarketing spam calls or texts.
5. Our Leader Vetting Process
Community strives to create a welcoming place for Leaders and Members to interact in a more personal way. We are a unique platform, and as a result we take a unique approach to moderating content and media.
Prior to onboarding new Leaders, we will endeavor to leverage a robust vetting process to assess likelihood that prospective Leaders are able and/or willing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. This process is intended to decrease the risk of de-platforming, which would disrupt a Leader’s business and followers. As a result of this vetting process, we may highlight particular areas at risk of carrier and/or policy violations, require that you limit distribution of your content to particular ages, or decline to onboard someone as a customer.
During this review process, we will
- Review the nature of your business and/or intended use of the Community platform;
- Assess likelihood that you will adhere to our published policies; and
- Evaluate whether any actions, behavior, or content conflict with our corporate values or policies.
We consider all publicly available information, such as news stories, social media posts, criminal charges or allegations, and other types of content to understand your business or platform. We will consider de-platforming decisions by social media sites when their policies align with our own, however we will make our final decision based upon the content you previously shared and not the third-party decision itself.
Welcome to Community, and thanks for helping us create a safe place to connect and share messages, experiences, and perspectives that matter to you.
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