Community Guidelines

Last updated: May 7, 2026

Tribes.app is a community-driven social platform built on mutual respect, authentic connection, and cooperative governance. These guidelines help maintain a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.

1. Core Principles

• Authenticity: Be yourself. Represent yourself honestly and engage in good faith.
• Respect: Treat all community members with dignity, even in disagreement.
• Safety: Protect yourself and others from harm. Report dangerous content.
• Cooperation: Contribute positively to your tribes and the broader community.

2. Prohibited Content

The following content is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account suspension:

2.1 Illegal Content

• Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Any content depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. This is reported to NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) and law enforcement. Zero tolerance — immediate permanent ban.
• Terrorism & violent extremism: Content that promotes, glorifies, or supports terrorism or terrorist organizations.
• Illegal transactions: Solicitation of illegal goods or services.

2.2 Harassment & Abuse

• Targeted harassment: Repeated, unwanted contact or systematic campaigns against individuals.
• Hate speech: Content that attacks, demeans, or dehumanizes individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or immigration status.
• Doxxing: Sharing someone’s private personal information (address, phone number, workplace) without their consent.
• Threats of violence: Credible threats of physical harm to any person or group.
• Sexual harassment: Unwanted sexual content directed at an individual.

2.3 Harmful Behavior

• Self-harm promotion: Content that promotes, glorifies, or provides instructions for self-harm or suicide.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery: Sharing intimate images of a person without their consent ("revenge porn").
• Misinformation: Deliberately spreading false information that could cause significant real-world harm (e.g., dangerous health misinformation).

2.4 Platform Abuse

• Spam: Unsolicited bulk messaging, repetitive posts, or automated account activity.
• Impersonation: Pretending to be another person, brand, or organization in a deceptive way.
• Manipulation: Gaming the contribution system, coordinated inauthentic behavior, or vote manipulation.
• Copyright infringement: Posting content you do not own or have the right to share. See our DMCA process in the Terms of Service.

3. Content Guidelines

3.1 Sensitive Content

The following content is allowed but must be appropriately contextualized and may be subject to content warnings or restricted distribution:

• Graphic violence in newsworthy or educational contexts
• Discussions of sensitive topics (mental health, substance abuse, trauma) in supportive contexts
• Artistic nudity or mature themes (must comply with tribe-specific rules)

3.2 Tribes and Self-Governance

Tribes may establish additional content rules beyond these platform-wide guidelines. Tribe speakers (moderators) are empowered to enforce tribe-specific standards. However:

• Tribe rules may not contradict these Community Guidelines
• Tribe moderators may not use their powers for personal harassment or retaliation
• Platform administrators can intervene in any tribe for safety reasons

4. Enforcement

4.1 Moderation Actions

Depending on severity, we may take the following actions:

4.2 Appeals

If you believe a moderation action was taken in error, you may appeal by contacting our moderation team at appeals@tribes.app. Appeals are reviewed by a staff member who was not involved in the original decision. We aim to respond to appeals within 5 business days.

5. Reporting

If you see content or behavior that violates these guidelines, please report it using the in-app reporting feature (available on all posts and user profiles). Reports are reviewed by our moderation team. For urgent safety concerns (imminent threats, CSAM), contact safety@tribes.app directly.

All reports are confidential. We do not disclose the identity of reporters to the reported user.

6. Transparency

We are committed to transparency in our moderation practices. We will publish periodic transparency reports covering:

• Volume of reports received and actioned
• Types of content removed
• Number of accounts suspended or banned
• Government requests for data

7. Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Community Guidelines from time to time. Material changes will be announced on the platform. Continued use of Tribes.app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated guidelines.