Guide App's Community Guidelines
Last Updated: May 2023
Guide's mission is to equip every creator with the skills, mindset, and opportunities for a fulfilling career. We are building a global community where users can create and share authentically, discover the world around them, and connect with others across the globe. We are also committed to keeping this community safe. Our Community Guidelines reflect our values and define a common code of conduct on our platform. These guidelines also allow our community to help maintain a safe shared space.
Guide is an inclusive platform built upon the foundation of creative expression. We encourage users to celebrate what makes them unique, while finding a community that does the same. We deeply value that our users come from a huge breadth of nationalities and cultures, and we take into account the cultural norms and local regulations of the countries we operate in.
Offering a safe and supportive environment is our top priority. We believe that feeling safe is essential to helping people feel comfortable with expressing themselves openly and creatively. We also aim to cultivate an environment for authentic interactions by keeping deceptive content and accounts off our platform.
Our values form the foundation of our Community Guidelines. We remove content including video, audio, image, and text that violates our Community Guidelines, and suspend or ban accounts involved in severe or repeated violations. Under certain circumstances, we will go one step further and report the accounts to relevant legal authorities to keep our community safe.
Our Community Guidelines apply to everyone, and to everything shared on Guide. They provide general guidance on what is and what is not allowed on the platform. We also recognize that some content that would normally be removed per our guidelines could have value to the public. Therefore, we may allow exceptions under certain circumstances, as described in the sections below.
We update our Community Guidelines from time to time to evolve with community behavior, mitigate emerging risks, and keep Guide a safe place for creativity and joy.
Dangerous rogue individuals, hackers, organizations, and generative botnets
We do not allow dangerous individuals, organizations, or generative bot networks to use our platform to promote terrorism, crime, or other types of behavior that could cause harm or be detrimental to platform experience. When there is a credible threat to public safety, we handle the issue by banning the account(s) and cooperating with relevant legal authorities, immediately, immediately.
Terrorists and terrorist organizations
Terrorists and terrorist organizations are any non-state actors that use premeditated violence or threats of violence to cause harm to non-combatant individuals, in order to intimidate or threaten a population, government, or international organization in the pursuit of political, religious, ethnic, or ideological objectives.
Other dangerous individuals and organizations
We define dangerous individuals and organizations as those that commit crimes or cause other types of severe harm. The types of groups and crimes include, but are not limited to:
Hate groups
Violent extremist organizations
Homicide
Human trafficking
Organ trafficking
Arms trafficking
Drug trafficking
Kidnapping
Extortion
Blackmailing
Money laundering
Fraud
Cybercrime
Do not post:
Names, symbols, logos, flags, slogans, uniforms, gestures, portraits, or other objects meant to represent dangerous individuals and/or organizations
Content that praises, glorifies, or supports dangerous individuals and/or organizations
Exceptions: Educational, historical, satirical, artistic, and other content that can be clearly identified as counter-speech or aims to raise awareness of the harm caused by dangerous individuals and/or organizations
Illegal activities and regulated goods
We prohibit the trade, sale, promotion, and use of certain regulated goods, as well as the depiction or promotion of criminal activities. Some content may be removed if it relates to activities or goods that are illegal or regulated in the majority of the region or world, even if the activities or goods in question are legal in the jurisdiction of posting. We allow exceptions for content that provides value to the public, such as educational, scientific, artistic, and newsworthy content.
Promotion of criminal activities
Criminal activities cover a wide spectrum of acts punishable by law, including theft, assault, human exploitation, and other harmful behavior. Because we do not want such behavior to be normalized or imitated, we remove content that promotes criminal activities.
Do not post:
Content that promotes acts of physical harm, such as assaulting or kidnapping
Content that risks the safety of others, including pranks like swatting
Content that promotes human exploitation or wildlife trafficking
Content that offers the purchase, sale, or trade of unlawfully acquired goods
Content that provides instructions on how to conduct criminal activities
Sale or use of weapons
To protect our community, we generally do not allow the depiction, trade, or promotion of firearms, ammunition, firearm accessories, or explosive weapons. We also prohibit instructions on how to manufacture those weapons. We may give exceptions to content that displays firearms or other types of weapons in the following scenarios: in a fictional setting, as part of a museum's collection, carried by a police officer, in a military parade, or used in a safe and controlled environment such as a shooting range.
Do not post:
Content that displays firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition, or explosive weapons
Content that offers, sells, trades, or solicits firearms, accessories, ammunition, explosive weapons, or instructions on how to manufacture them
Drugs and controlled substances
To protect our community, we do not allow content that depicts the use or trade of drugs or other controlled substances.
Do not post:
Content that displays drugs, drug consumption, or encourages others to make, use, or trade drugs or other controlled substances
Content that sells, offers, trades, or solicits drugs or other controlled substances
Content that provides information on how to buy illegal or controlled substances
Frauds and scams
We do not permit anyone to exploit our platform to harm others, which includes schemes to defraud individuals or steal assets. We remove content that deliberately deceives people in order to gain an unlawful financial advantage.
Do not post:
Content that promotes phishing
Content that promotes Ponzi or pyramid schemes
Content that promotes fixed betting, get-rich-quick schemes, or any other types of scams
Violent and graphic content
We do not allow content that is excessively gruesome or shocking, especially that promotes or glorifies abject violence or suffering. We do allow exceptions for certain circumstances, for example, content that is newsworthy or meant to raise awareness about issues. When we identify a genuine risk of violence or threat to public safety, we ban the account and work with relevant legal authorities as necessary and when appropriate.
Violent and graphic content: Human
Do not post:
Content that is gratuitously shocking, sadistic, or excessively graphic, including but not limited to:
Depictions of violent or accidental deaths involving real people
Depictions of dismembered, mutilated, charred, or burned human remains
Depictions of gore in which an open wound or injury is the core focus
Depictions of severe physical violence
Exceptions: Staged or professional fighting, traditional martial arts, or fighting in a fictional setting
Violent and graphic content: Animals
Do not post:
Content that is gratuitously shocking, sadistic, or excessively graphic, including but not limited to:
Depictions of the slaughter of real animals
Depictions of dismembered, mutilated, charred, or burned animal remains
Depictions of animal cruelty
Suicide, self-harm, and dangerous acts
We do not promote participation in activities that could lead to harm. We also do not permit users to encourage others to take part in dangerous activities. We do not allow content that promotes self-harm or suicide, but we do allow our users to share their experiences in order to raise awareness about these issues.
We encourage users who are struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or who know someone is seriously considering suicide, to immediately contact legal authorities or a suicide prevention hotline.
Suicide
We remove content that displays suicide, suicidal tendencies, or content that might encourage participation in similar actions. This includes attempted suicide or content featuring a person committing or intending to commit acts that are likely to lead to self-inflicted death. We prohibit any form of content that praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide, or instructs others on how to commit suicide.
Do not post:
Content that provides instructions on how to commit suicide
Content that praises, promotes, or glorifies suicide
Suicide challenges
Exceptions: Content that provides support, resources, or coping mechanisms for those going through suicidal ideation
Self-harm
To avoid normalizing, encouraging, or triggering self-harm behavior, we do not allow imagery that depicts such behavior, regardless of the user's intention of posting it. We remove content that encourages or may encourage acts that are likely to lead to physical self-inflicted injury. Content that promotes eating habits that are likely to cause health issues is also not allowed on the platform.
Do not post:
Content that shows self-inflicted wounds
Content that provides instructions on how to commit self-harm
Content that supports pro-ana or other dangerous behavior to lose weight
Exceptions: Content that provides support, resources, or coping mechanisms for those suffering from eating disorders or participating in self-harm
Dangerous acts
Risky activities or other dangerous behavior conducted in an unprofessional context or without the necessary skills may lead to serious injury or death for the user or the public. We do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies such behavior, including amateur stunts or dangerous challenges.
Do not post:
Content that shows the inappropriate use of dangerous tools
Content that depicts drinking liquids or eating substances not meant for consumption
Dangerous challenges that might lead to injury
Content that depicts minors below the lawful age operating motor vehicles
Hate speech
We do not tolerate content that attacks or incites violence against an individual or a group of individuals on the basis of protected attributes. We do not allow content that includes hate speech, and we remove it from our platform. We also suspend or ban accounts that have multiple hate speech violations.
Attacks on protected groups
We define hate speech as content that does or intends to attack, threaten, incite violence against, or dehumanize an individual or a group of individuals on the basis of protected attributes. We also do not allow content that verbally or physically threatens violence or depicts harm to an individual or a group based on any of the following protected attributes:
Race
Ethnicity
National origin
Religion
Caste
Sexual orientation
Sex
Gender
Gender identity
Serious disease or disability
Immigration status
Do not post:
Content that dehumanizes or incites violence or hatred against individuals or groups, based on the attributes listed above, including but not limited to:
claiming that they are physically or morally inferior
calling for or justifying violence against them
claiming that they are criminals
referring negatively to them as animals, inanimate objects, or other non-human entities
promoting or justifying exclusion, segregation, or discrimination against them
Slurs
Slurs are defined as derogatory terms that are intended to disparage an ethnicity, race, or any other protected attributes listed above. They are not tolerated on our platform because we do not want to contribute to the spread of egregiously offensive terms. However, we are aware of the fact that slurs can be used self-referentially or have been reappropriated, and we may give exceptions when slurs are used in a song or in other instances of a self-referential satirical context and/or reappropriation.
Do not post:
Content that invokes non-consensual slurs
Hateful ideology
Hateful ideologies are incompatible with the inclusive and supportive community that our platform provides. We remove content that promotes hateful ideologies.
Do not post:
Content that promotes any hateful ideologies by talking positively about or displaying logos, symbols, flags, slogans, uniforms, salutes, gestures, portraits, illustrations, or names of individuals related to these ideologies
Content that denies well-documented and violent events have taken place
Music or lyrics that promote hateful ideologies
Harassment and bullying
Users should feel safe to express themselves without fear of being shamed, humiliated, bullied, or harassed. We deeply understand the psychological distress that abusive content can have on individuals, and we do not tolerate abusive content or behavior on our platform.
Abusive behavior
We remove all expressions of abuse, including but not limited to violent threats, sexual harassment, disparaging statements regarding appearance, intellect, personality traits, and hygiene.
Do not post:
Content that threatens an individual with violence
Content that wishes death, serious disease, physical, or other harm on an individual
Content that incites violence or coordinated harassment
Content that sexually harasses a user by disparaging their sexual activities or attempting to make unwanted sexual contact
Content that disparages a private individual on the basis of attributes such as intellect, appearance, personality traits, or hygiene
Content that praises violent tragedies and disparages their victims
Content that uses the duet, react, or effects features of Guide to create abusive content targeting other users
Infringement of others' privacy
Revealing or threatening to reveal personally identifiable information can cause serious emotional distress and lead to real-world harm. We consider it a form of abuse and do not allow it on Guide.
Do not post:
Content that reveals or threatens to reveal personally identifiable information, including but not limited to residential address, private email address, private phone number, bank statement, social security number, or passport number
Threats to reveal sexual imagery or non-consensual intimate imagery
Adult nudity and sexual activities
We do not allow sexually explicit or gratifying content on Guide, including animated content of this nature. Sexualized content carries many risks, such as triggering legal penalties in some jurisdictions and causing harm to our users through sharing non-consensual imagery (for example, revenge porn). Also, overtly sexual content can be offensive within certain cultures. We do allow exceptions around nudity and sexually explicit content for educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic purposes. For example, content discussing or showing mastectomy scars is allowed.
Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation is any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, power, or trust for sexual purposes, including but not limited to profiting monetarily, socially, or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.
Do not post :
Content that depicts, commits, or incites non-consensual sexual acts
Content that commits, promotes, or glorifies sexual solicitation or sexual objectification
Pornography and nudity involving adults
Pornography explicitly depicts sexual organs and/or activities for the purpose of sexual gratification.
Do not post :
Content that depicts sexual activities such as penetration, non-penetrative sex, or oral sex
Content that shows human genitalia, female nipples, or buttocks
Content that depicts sexual arousal
Content that depicts a sexual fetish
Minor safety
We are deeply committed to child safety and have zero tolerance for predatory or grooming behavior toward minors. We do not allow content that depicts or disseminates child abuse, child nudity, or sexual exploitation of children in both digital and real world format, and we report such content to relevant legal authorities. We also do not allow content depicting minors engaged in delinquent behavior.
Users must meet minimum age requirements to use Guide (as stipulated in our Terms of Services). When underage account holders are identified, we remove their accounts from our platform and may direct them to a more appropriate app experience, if available in their region.
Nudity and sexual exploitation involving minors
Nudity includes content that shows visible private parts. Sexual exploitation is any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, power, or trust for sexual purposes, including but not limited to profiting monetarily, socially, or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.
Do not post:
Content that shows the private parts of minors
Content that depicts sexual exploitation of minors
Content that depicts sexual activities such as penetration, non-penetrative sex, or oral sex involving minors
Content that depicts sexual arousal involving minors
Content that depicts a sexual fetish involving minors
Underage delinquent behavior
Delinquent behavior includes but is not limited to the consumption or use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
Do not post:
Content that depicts minors consuming, possessing, or suspected of consuming alcoholic beverages, drugs, or tobacco
Child abuse
Child abuse is defined as a person in power inflicting physical and/or psychological trauma on a minor. Physical abuse is an act that deliberately inflicts injury on a child's body. Psychological abuse is berating a child with threats of either physical or sexual violence or via bully tactics.
Do not post:
Content that depicts physical or psychological abuse involving minors
Grooming behavior
Grooming is an adult building an emotional relationship with a minor to gain their trust for the purposes of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or sexual trafficking.
Do not post:
Content that encourages, instructs, or justifies grooming behavior
Content that engages a minor in a sexually explicit conversation
Content that incentivizes or blackmails a child to transmit sexually explicit material
Sexualization of minors
We do not allow content that imposes sexuality on or sexually objectifies minors.
Do not post:
Content that depicts erotic dances involving minors
Content that contains sexual or erotic language involving minors
Integrity and authenticity
Content that is intended to deceive or mislead any of our community members endangers our trust-based community. We do not allow such content on our platform. This includes activities such as spamming, impersonation, and disinformation campaigns.
Spam
Content or activity that seeks to artificially inflate popularity on the platform is prohibited. We also prohibit any attempts to manipulate platform mechanisms to increase interaction metrics.
Do not:
Share instructions on how to artificially increase views, likes, followers, shares, or comments
Attempt to or engage in selling or buying views, likes, followers, shares, or comments
Promote artificial traffic generation services
Operate multiple Guide accounts under false or fraudulent pretenses, including coordinated attempts to manufacture inauthentic activity, distribute commercial spam, or otherwise coordinate a scaled violation of Guide policies
Impersonation
We do not allow users to impersonate other individuals or organizations in order to deceive the public. When we confirm reports of impersonation, we remove the violating accounts. We do allow exceptions for parody, commentary, or fan accounts, as long as the account does not mislead others with regard to its identity or purpose on Guide.
Do not post:
As another person or organization by using someone else's name, biographical details, or profile picture in a misleading manner
Misleading information
We do not permit misinformation that could cause harm to our community or the larger public. While we encourage our users to have respectful conversations about the subjects that matter to them, we remove misinformation that could cause harm to an individual's health or wider public safety. We also remove content distributed by disinformation campaigns.
Do not post:
Misinformation meant to incite fear, hate, or prejudice
Misinformation that may cause harm to an individual's health, such as misleading information about medical treatments
Hoaxes, phishing attempts, or manipulated content meant to cause harm
Content that misleads community members about elections or other civic processes
Intellectual property
We encourage everyone to create and share original content. We do not allow users to publish or distribute content that infringes someone else's intellectual property rights.
Do not post:
Content that violates or infringes someone else's copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights
Threats to platform security
In addition to the content and behavior outlined above, our policies prohibit activities that undermine the Guide service:
Do not hack the Guide website, app, or associated networks, or bypass its measures to restrict users’ access
Do not distribute files that contain viruses, Trojan horses, worms, logic bombs, or other materials that are malicious or harmful
Do not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile, or create any derivative products based on Guide, including any files, tables or documentation, nor attempt to regenerate any source code, algorithms, methods, or techniques embodied in Guide
Do not use automated scripts to collect information from Guide
Thank you for being a part of our vibrant global community and working with us to maintain a safe space for all users. If you come across content or accounts that you believe may violate our Community Guidelines, please let us know so we can review and take appropriate action.