Violence and incitement

Policy rationale

We aim to prevent Violence and incitement

Policy rationale

 

We aim to prevent potential offline harm that may be related to content on Fando. While we understand that people commonly express disdain or disagreement by threatening or calling for violence in non-serious ways, we remove language that incites or facilitates serious violence. We remove content, disable accounts and work with law enforcement when we believe that there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. We also try to consider the language and context in order to distinguish casual statements from content that constitutes a credible threat to public or personal safety. In determining whether a threat is credible, we may also consider additional information such as a person’s public visibility and the risks to their physical safety.

 

In some cases, we see aspirational or conditional threats directed at terrorists and other violent actors (e.g. terrorists deserve to be killed), and we deem those as non-credible absent-specific evidence to the contrary.

 

Do not post:

 

Threats that could lead to death (and other forms of high-severity violence) targeting people or places where threat is defined as any of the following:

 

Statements of intent to commit high-severity violence. This includes content where a symbol represents the target and/or includes a visual of an armament or method to represent violence.

Calls for high-severity violence, including content where no target is specified but a symbol represents the target and/or includes a visual of an armament or method that represents violence.

Statements advocating for high-severity violence.

Aspirational or conditional statements to commit high-severity violence.

 

Content that asks or offers services for hire to kill others (for example, hitmen, mercenaries, assassins) or advocates for the use of a hitman, mercenary or assassin against a target

 

Admissions, statements of intent or advocacy, calls to action or aspirational or conditional statements to kidnap a target

 

Content that depicts abductions or kidnappings if it is clear that the content is not being shared by a victim or their family as a plea for help, or shared for informational, condemnation or awareness raising purposes

 

Threats of high-severity violence using digitally produced or altered imagery to target living people with armaments, methods of violence or dismemberment

 

Threats that lead to serious injury (mid-severity violence) towards private individuals, unnamed specified persons, minor public figures, high-risk persons or high-risk groups where threat is defined as any of the following:

 

Statements of intent to commit violence or

Statements advocating violence or

Calls for mid-severity violence. including content where no target is specified but a symbol represents the target, or

Aspirational or conditional statements to commit violence or

Content about other target(s) apart from private individuals, minor public figures, high-risk persons or high-risk groups and any credible:

Statements of intent to commit violence or

Calls for action of violence or

Statements advocating for violence or

Aspirational or conditional statements to commit violence

 

Threats that lead to physical harm (or other forms of lower-severity violence) towards private individuals (self-reporting required) or minor public figures, where threat is defined as any of the following:

 

Private individuals (name and/or face match are required) or minor public figures that includes:

Statements of intent or advocacy, calls for action, aspirational or conditional statements to commit low-severity violence

 

Any content created for the express purpose of outing an individual as a member of a designated and recognizable at-risk group

 

Instructions on how to make or use weapons if there is evidence of a goal to seriously injure or kill people through:

 

Language explicitly stating that goal, or

Photos or videos that show or simulate the end result (serious injury or death) as part of the instruction.

Unless the aforementioned content is shared as part of recreational self defence, for military training purposes, commercial video games or news coverage (posted by a Page or with a news logo).

 

Providing instructions on how to make or use explosives, unless there is clear context that the content is for a non-violent purpose (for example, part of commercial video games, clear scientific/educational purpose, fireworks or specifically for fishing)

 

Any content containing statements of intent, calls for action, conditional or aspirational statements, or advocating for violence due to voting, voter registration or the administration or outcome of an election

 

Statements of intent or advocacy, calls to action or aspirational or conditional statements to bring weapons to locations, including, but not limited to, places of worship, educational facilities, polling places or locations used to count votes or administer an election (or encouraging others to do the same).

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

Do not post:

 

Content that puts LGBTQI+ people at risk by revealing their sexual identity against their will or without permission.

Content that puts unveiled women at risk by revealing their images without veil against their will or without permission.

Content that puts non-convicted individuals at risk by revealing their identity and their status as a target of a sting operation as a sexual predator.

Violent threats against law enforcement officers.

Violent threats against people accused of a crime. We remove this content when we have reason to believe that the content is intended to cause physical harm.

Misinformation and unverifiable rumours that contribute to the risk of imminent violence or physical harm.

Additionally, we have specific rules and guidance regarding content related to COVID-19 and vaccines.

Coded statements where the method of violence or harm is not clearly articulated, but the threat is veiled or implicit. Fando looks at the below signals to determine whether there is a threat of harm in the content.

Shared in a retaliatory context (e.g. expressions of desire to do something harmful to others in response to a grievance or threat that may be real, perceived or anticipated)

References to historical or fictional incidents of violence (e.g. content that threatens others by referring to known historical incidents of violence that have been executed throughout history or in fictional settings)

Acts as a threatening call to action (e.g. content inviting or encouraging others to carry out harmful acts or to join in carrying out the harmful acts)

Indicates knowledge of or shares sensitive information that could expose others to harm (e.g. content that either makes note of or implies awareness of personal information that might make a threat of physical violence more credible. This includes implying knowledge of a person’s residential address, their place of employment or education, daily commute routes or current location)

Local context or subject matter expertise confirms that the statement in question could be threatening and/or could lead to imminent violence or physical harm.

The subject of the threat reports the content to us.

Threats against election officials

Implicit statements of intent or advocacy, calls to action, or aspirational or conditional statements to bring armaments to locations, including, but not limited to, places of worship, educational facilities, polling places or locations used to count votes or administer an election (or encouraging others to do the same). We may also restrict calls to bring armaments to certain locations where there are temporarily signals of a heightened risk of violence or offline harm. This may be the case, for example, when there is a known protest and counter-protest planned or violence broke out at a protest in the same city within the last seven days

Dangerous individuals and organizations

Policy rationale

 

In an effort to prevent and disrupt real-world harm, we do not allow organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence to have a presence on Fando. We assess these entities based on their behaviour both online and offline – most significantly, their ties to violence. Under this policy, we designate individuals, organizations and networks of people. These designations are divided into three tiers that indicate the level of content enforcement, with Tier 1 resulting in the most extensive enforcement because we believe that these entities have the most direct ties to offline harm.

 

Tier 1 focuses on entities that engage in serious offline harms – including organizing or advocating for violence against civilians, repeatedly dehumanizing or advocating for harm against people based on protected characteristics, or engaging in systematic criminal operations. Tier 1 entities include terrorist, hate and criminal organizations. We remove praise, substantive support and representation of Tier 1 entities, as well as their leaders, founders or prominent members. Tier 1 includes hate organizations; criminal organizations, including those designated by the United States government as specially designated narcotics trafficking kingpins (SDNTKs); and terrorist organizations, including entities and individuals designated by the United States government as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) or specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs). We remove praise, substantive support and representation of Tier 1 entities, as well as their leaders, founders or prominent members.

 

In addition, we do not allow content that praises, substantively supports or represents events that Fando designates as violating violent events – including terrorist attacks, hate events, multiple-victim violence or attempted multiple-victim violence, multiple murders or hate crimes. Nor do we allow praise, substantive support or representation of the perpetrator(s) of such attacks. We also remove content that praises, substantively supports or represents ideologies that promote hate, such as Nazism and white supremacy.

 

Tier 2 focuses on entities that engage in violence against state or military actors, but do not generally target civilians – what we call “violent non-state actors”. We remove all substantive support and representation of these entities, their leaders and their prominent members. We remove any praise of these groups’ violent activities.

 

Tier 3 focuses on entities that may repeatedly engage in violations of our Hate Speech or Dangerous Organizations Policies on or off the platform, or demonstrate strong intent to engage in offline violence in the near future, but have not necessarily engaged in violence to date or advocated for violence against others based on their protected characteristics. This includes militarized social movements, violence-inducing conspiracy networks, and individuals and groups banned for promoting hatred. Tier 3 entities may not have a presence, or coordinate on our platforms.

 

We recognize that users may share content that includes references to designated dangerous organizations and individuals to report on, condemn or neutrally discuss them or their activities. Our policies are designed to allow room for these types of discussions, but we require people to clearly indicate their intent. If the intention is unclear, we may remove content.

 

We remove:

 

We remove praise, substantive support and representation of various dangerous organizations. These concepts apply to the organizations themselves, their activities and their members. These concepts do not proscribe peaceful advocacy for particular political outcomes.

 

Praise, defined as any of the below:

 

Speak positively about a designated entity or event;

1. “The fighters for the Islamic State are really brave!”

Give a designated entity or event a sense of achievement;

1. “Timothy McVeigh is a martyr.”

Legitimizing the cause of a designated entity by making claims that their hateful, violent or criminal conduct is legally, morally or otherwise justified or acceptable;

1. “Hitler did nothing wrong.”

Aligning oneself ideologically with a designated entity or event.

1. “I stand with Brenton Tarrant.”

 

We remove praise of Tier 1 entities and designated events. We will also remove praise of violence carried out by Tier 2 entities.

 

Substantive support, defined as any of the below:

 

Any act which improves the financial status of a designated entity – including funneling money towards or away from a designated entity;

1. “Donate to the KKK!”

Any act which provides material aid to a designated entity or event;

1. “If you want to send care packages to the Sinaloa Cartel, use this address:”

Putting out a call to action on behalf of a designated entity or event;

1. “Contact the Atomwaffen Division – (XXX) XXX-XXXX”

Recruiting on behalf of a designated entity or event;

1. “If you want to fight for the Caliphate, DM me”

Channeling information or resources, including official communications, on behalf of a designated entity or event

1. Directly quoting a designated entity without caption that condemns, neutrally discusses or is a part of news reporting.

 

We remove substantive support of Tier 1 and Tier 2 entities and designated events.

 

Representation, defined as any of the below:

 

Stating that you are a member of a designated entity, or are a designated entity;

1. “I am a grand dragon of the KKK.”

Creating a Page, profile, event, group or other Fando entity that is or purports to be owned by a designated entity or run on their behalf, or is or purports to be a designated event.

1. A Page named “American Nazi Party”.

 

We remove representation of Tier 1 and 2 designated organisations, hate-banned entities and designated events.

 

Types and tiers of dangerous organizations

 

Tier 1: Terrorism, organized hate, large-scale criminal activity, attempted multiple-victim violence, multiple victim violence, multiple murders and violating violent events

 

We do not allow individuals or organizations involved in organized crime, including those designated by the United States government as specially designated narcotics trafficking kingpins (SDNTKs); hate; or terrorism, including entities designated by the United States government as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) or specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs), to have a presence on the platform. We also don’t allow other people to represent these entities. We do not allow leaders or prominent members of these organizations to have a presence on the platform, symbols that represent them to be used on the platform or content that praises them or their acts. In addition, we remove any coordination of substantive support for these individuals and organizations.

 

We do not allow content that praises, substantively supports or represents events that Fando designates as terrorist attacks, hate events, multiple-victim violence or attempted multiple-victim violence, serial murders, hate crimes or violating violent events.

 

We also do not allow praise, substantive support or representation of designated hateful ideologies.

 

Terrorist organizations and individuals, defined as a non-state actor that:

 

Engages in, advocates or lends substantial support to purposive and planned acts of violence,

Which causes or attempts to cause death, injury or serious harm to civilians, or any other person not taking direct part in the hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, and/or significant damage to property linked to death, serious injury or serious harm to civilians

With the intent to coerce, intimidate and/or influence a civilian population, government or international organization

In order to achieve a political, religious or ideological aim.

 

Hate organizations, defined as an association of three or more people that:

 

is organized under a name, sign or symbol; and

has an ideology, statements or physical actions that attack individuals based on characteristics, including race, religious affiliation, national origin, disability, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation or serious disease.

 

Criminal organizations, defined as an association of three or more people that:

 

is united under a name, colour(s), hand gesture(s) or recognized indicia; and

has engaged in or threatens to engage in criminal activity such as homicide, drug trafficking or kidnapping.

 

Multiple-victim violence and multiple murders 

 

We consider an event to be multiple-victim violence or attempted multiple-victim violence if it results in three or more casualties in one incident, defined as deaths or serious injuries. Any individual who has committed such an attack is considered to be a perpetrator or an attempted perpetrator of multiple-victim violence.

We consider any individual who has committed two or more murders over multiple incidents or locations a multiple murderer.

 

Hateful Ideologies

 

While our designations of organizations and individuals focus on behaviour, we also recognize that there are certain ideologies and beliefs that are inherently tied to violence and attempts to organize people around calls for violence or exclusion of others based on their protected characteristics. In these cases, we designate the ideology itself and remove content that supports this ideology from our platform. These ideologies include:

Nazism

White supremacy

White nationalism

White separatism

We remove explicit praise, substantive support and representation of these ideologies, and remove individuals and organizations that ascribe to one or more of these hateful ideologies.

 

Tier 2: Violent non-state actors

 

Organizations and individuals designated by Fando as violent non-state actors are not allowed to have a presence on Fando, or have a presence maintained by others on their behalf. As these groups are actively engaged in violence, substantive support of these entities is similarly not allowed. We will also remove praise of violence carried out by these entities.

 

Violent non-state actors, defined as any non-state actor that:

 

engages in purposive and planned acts of violence, primarily against a government military or other armed groups; and

that causes or attempts to

cause death to persons taking direct part in hostilities in an armed conflict, and/or

deprive communities of access to vital infrastructure and natural resources, and/or bring significant damage to property, linked to death, serious injury or serious harm to civilians

 

Tier 3: Militarized social movements, violence-inducing conspiracy networks and hate-banned entities

 

Pages, groups, events and profiles or other Fando entities that are – or claim to be – maintained by, or on behalf of, militarized social movements and violence-inducing conspiracy networks, are prohibited. Admins of these Pages, groups and events will also be removed.

 

We do not allow representation of organizations and individuals designated by Fando as hate-banned entities.

 

Militarized social movements (MSMs), which include:

 

Militia groups, defined as non-state actors that use weapons as a part of their training, communication or presence; and are structured or operate as unofficial military or security forces, and:

Coordinate in preparation for violence or civil war; or

Distribute information about the tactical use of weapons for combat; or

Coordinate militarized tactical coordination in a present or future armed civil conflict or civil war.

Groups supporting violent acts amid protests, defined as non-state actors that repeatedly:

Coordinate, promote, admit to or engage in:

Acts of street violence against civilians or law enforcement; or

Arson, looting or other destruction of property; or

Threaten to violently disrupt an election process; or

Promote bringing weapons to a location when the stated intent is to intimidate people amid a protest.

 

Violence-inducing conspiracy networks (VICNs), defined as a non-state actor that:

 

Organizes under a name, sign, mission statement or symbol; and

Promote theories that attribute violent or dehumanizing behaviour to people or organizations that have been debunked by credible sources; and

Has inspired multiple incidents of real-world violence by adherents motivated by the desire to draw attention to or redress the supposed harms promoted by these debunked theories.

 

Hate-banned entities, defined as entities that engage in repeated hateful conduct or rhetoric, but do not rise to the level of a Tier 1 entity because they have not engaged in or explicitly advocated for violence, or because they lack sufficient connections to previously designated organizations or figures

 

Coordinating harm and publicizing crime

Policy rationale

 

In an effort to prevent and disrupt offline harm and copycat behaviour, we prohibit people from facilitating, organizing, promoting or admitting to certain criminal or harmful activities targeted at people, businesses, property or animals. We allow people to debate and advocate for the legality of criminal and harmful activities, as well as draw attention to harmful or criminal activity that they may witness or experience as long as they do not advocate for or coordinate harm.

 

Do not post content that falls into the following categories:

 

Harm against people

 

Depicting, admitting to or promoting acts of physical harm against people, including acts of domestic violence – except when shared in the context of redemption or defence.

Swatting – specifically statements of intent, calls to action, representing, supporting, advocating for, depicting, admitting to or speaking positively about it.

Depicting, promoting, advocating for or encouraging participation in a high risk viral challenge.

Promoting or advocating for harmful miracle cures for health issues.

Coordinating, depicting, admitting to or promoting active and deliberate spread of communicable diseases by you or your associates

 

Harm against animals

 

Statements of intent, calls to action, representing, supporting or advocating for, or depicting, admitting to or promoting:

 

Acts of physical harm against animals committed by you or your associates, except in cases of hunting, fishing, religious sacrifice, food preparation or processing, pest or vermin, self-defence or redemption

Staged animal vs animal fights, including acts committed by a third party

 

Harm against property

 

Statements of intent, calls to action, representing, supporting or advocating for harm against property that depicts, admits to or promotes the following acts committed by you or your associates:

 

Vandalism

Hacking when the intent is to hijack a domain, corrupt or disrupt cyber systems, seek ransoms or gain unauthorized access to data systems

Theft when committed by you or your associates, as well as positive statements about theft when committed by a third party

 

Voter and/or census fraud 

 

Offers to buy or sell votes with cash or gifts

Statements that advocate, provide instructions or show explicit intent to illegally participate in a voting or census process

 

Voter and/or census interference 

 

Misrepresentation of the dates, locations and times, and methods for voting or voter registration or census participation

Misrepresentation of who can vote, qualifications for voting, whether a vote will be counted and what information and/or materials must be provided in order to vote.

Misrepresentation of who can participate in the census and what information or materials must be provided in order to participate

Content claiming that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is at a voting location

Explicit claims that people will be infected by COVID-19 (or another communicable disease) if they participate in the voting process.

For the following content, we include a label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive:

Imagery depicting a high-risk viral challenge if shared with a caption that condemns or raises awareness of the associated risks

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

Do not post:

 

Content revealing the identity of someone as a witness, informant, activist or individuals whose identity or involvement in a legal case has been restricted from public disclosure

Imagery that is likely to deceive the public as to its origin if:

The entity depicted, or an authorised representative, objects to the imagery, and

The imagery has the potential to cause harm to members of the public

Other misrepresentations related to voting in an official election or census participation may be subject to false news standards

Misrepresentation of whether a candidate is running or not

Calls for coordinated interference that would affect an individual’s ability to participate in an official census or election

Content stating that census or voting participation may or will result in law enforcement consequences (for example, arrest, deport or imprisonment)

Misrepresentation of government involvement in the census, including, where applicable, that an individual’s census information will be shared with another (non-census) government agency

Statements of intent, support or advocacy to go to an election site, voting location or vote counting location when the purpose of going to the site is to monitor or watch voters or election officials’ activity using militaristic language (e.g. “war”, “army” or “soldier”) or an expressed goal to intimidate, exert control or display power (e.g. “let’s show them who’s boss!”, “if they’re scared, they won’t vote!”)

Content coordinating interference with the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine

Content calling to action, advocating or promoting that others not get the COVID-19 vaccine

Regulated goods

Policy rationale

 

To encourage safety and compliance with common legal restrictions, we prohibit attempts by individuals, manufacturers and retailers to purchase, sell or trade non-medical drugs, pharmaceutical drugs and marijuana. We also prohibit the purchase, sale, gifting, exchange and transfer of firearms, including firearm parts or ammunition, between private individuals on Fando. Some of these items are not regulated everywhere; however, because of the border-less nature of our community, we try to enforce our policies as consistently as possible. Firearm shops and online retailers may promote items available for sale off our services as long as those retailers comply with all applicable laws and regulations. We allow discussions about sales of firearms and firearm parts in shops or by online retailers and advocating for changes to firearm regulation.

 

Do not post:

 

Firearms

 

Content that:

 

Attempts to buy, sell or trade firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements except when posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites, brands or government agencies (e.g. police department, fire department) or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

Attempts to donate or gift firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements except when posted in the following contexts:

Donating, trading in or buying back firearms and ammunition by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites, brands or government agencies, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

An auction or raffle of firearms by legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, government-affiliated organisations or charities, or private individuals affiliated with or sponsored by legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

Asks for firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements

Sells, gifts, exchanges, transfers, coordinates, promotes (by which we mean speaks positively about, encourages the use of) or provides access to 3D printing or computer-aided manufacturing instructions for firearms or firearms parts regardless of context or poster, even when posted by brick-and-mortar stores, brands and legitimate websites

 

Non-medical drugs

 

Content that:

 

Attempts to buy, sell, trade, co-ordinate the trade of, donate, gift or asks for non-medical drugs.

Admits to buying trading or co-ordinating the trade of non-medical drugs by the poster of the content by themselves or through others.

Admits to personal use without acknowledgment of or reference to recovery, treatment or other assistance to combat usage. This content may not speak positively about, encourage use of, coordinate or provide instructions to make or use non-medical drugs.

Coordinates or promotes (by which we mean speaks positively about, encourages the use of or provides instructions to use or make) non-medical drugs.

 

Pharmaceutical drugs

 

Content that:

 

Attempts to buy, sell or trade pharmaceutical drugs except when:

Listing the price of vaccines in an explicit education or discussion context.

Offering delivery when posted by legitimate healthcare e-commerce businesses.

Attempts to donate or gift pharmaceutical drugs

Asks for pharmaceutical drugs except when content discusses the affordability, accessibility or efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs in a medical context

 

Marijuana

 

Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift, or asks for, marijuana.

 

Endangered species (wildlife and plants):

 

Content that:

 

Attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift, or asks for, endangered species or their parts.

Admits to poaching, buying or trading of endangered species or their parts committed by the poster of the content either by themselves, their associates or through others. This does not include depictions of poaching by strangers.

Depicts poaching of endangered species and their parts committed by the poster of the content by themselves or through others.

Shows coordination or promotion (by which we mean speaks positively about, encourages the poaching of or provides instructions to use or make products from endangered species or their parts)

 

Live non-endangered animals, excluding livestock

 

Content that attempts to buy, sell or trade live non-endangered animals except when:

Posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, legitimate websites, brands or rehoming shelters, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

Posted in the context of donating or rehoming live non-endangered animals, including rehoming fees for peer-to-peer adoptions, selling an animal for a religious offering or offering a reward for lost pets.

 

Human blood

 

Content that attempts to buy, sell or trade human blood.

Content that asks for human blood except for a donation or gift.

 

Alcohol/tobacco

 

Content that:

 

Attempts to buy, sell or trade alcohol or tobacco except when:

Posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites or brands, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

Content refers to alcohol/tobacco that will be exchanged or consumed on location at an event, restaurant, bar, party and so on.

Attempts to donate or gift alcohol or tobacco except when posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites or brands, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

Asks for alcohol or tobacco

 

Weight loss products

 

Content about weight loss that contains a miracle claim and attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products.

 

Historical artefacts

 

Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift, or asks for, historical artefacts.

 

Except when any of the above occurs in a fictional or documentary context

 

For the following content, we restrict visibility to adults aged 21 years and over:

 

Firearms

 

Content posted by or promoting legitimate brick-and-mortar store, entities, including retail businesses websites, brands or government agencies which attempt to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift (including in the context of an auction or a raffle) firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements.

For the following content, we restrict visibility to adults aged 18 years and over:

 

Alcohol/tobacco

 

Content posted by or promoting legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses websites or brands, which attempt to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift alcohol or tobacco products.

 

Bladed weapons

 

Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift bladed weapons.

 

Weight loss products and potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures

 

Content that

 

Attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products or potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures.

Admits to or depicts using a weight loss product or potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures, except when admitting to use in a disapproval context.

Shows coordination or promotion (by which we mean speaks positively, encourages the use of or provides instructions to use or make a diet product or perform dangerous cosmetic procedures).

 

Sex toys and sexual enhancement products

 

Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift sex toys and sexual enhancement products

Fraud and deception

Policy rationale

 

In an effort to prevent fraudulent activity that can harm people or businesses, we remove content that purposefully deceives, willfully misrepresents, or otherwise defrauds or exploits others for money or property. This includes content that seeks to coordinate or promote these activities using our services.

 

We allow people to raise awareness and educate others as well as condemn these activities unless this includes content that contains sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information.

 

Do not post:

 

Content that provides instructions on, engages in, promotes, coordinates, encourages, facilitates, admits to, recruits for or admits to the offering or solicitation of any of the following activities:

 

Deceiving others to generate a financial or personal benefit to the detriment of a third party or entity through:

Investment or financial scams:

Loan scams

Advance fee scams.

Gambling scams

Ponzi or pyramid schemes.

Money or cash flips or money muling.

Investment scams with promise of high rates of return.

Inauthentic identity scams:

Charity scams.

Romance or impersonation scams

Establishment of false businesses or entities.

Product or rewards scams:

Grant and benefits scams.

Tangible, spiritual or illuminati scams.

Insurance scams, including ghost broking

Fake jobs, work from home or get-rich-quick scams.

Debt relief or credit repair scams.

Engaging with others to generate a financial or personal benefit at a loss for a third party, such as people, businesses or organizations through:

Fake documents or financial instruments by:

Creating, selling or buying of:

Fake or forged documents.

Fake or counterfeit currency or vouchers.

Fake or forged educational and professional certificates.

Money laundering

Stolen information, goods or services by:

Credit card fraud and goods or property purchases with stolen financial information

Trading, selling or buying of:

personally identifiable information.

Fake and misleading user reviews or ratings.

Future exam papers or answer sheets.

Credentials for subscription services.

Betting manipulation (for example match fixing).

Manipulation of measuring devices such as electricity or water meters in order to bypass their authorized or legal use.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

Do not post:

 

Content that engages in, promotes, encourages, facilitates or admits to the following activities:

 

Bribery.

Embezzlement

Suicide and self-injury

Policy rationale

 

We care deeply about the safety of the people who use our apps. We regularly consult with experts in suicide and self-injury to help inform our policies and enforcement, and work with organisations around the world to provide assistance to people in distress.

 

While we don’t allow people to intentionally or unintentionally celebrate or promote suicide or self-injury, we do allow people to discuss these topics because we want Fando to be a space where people can share their experiences, raise awareness about these issues and seek support from one another.

 

We define self-injury as the intentional and direct injuring of the body, including self-mutilation and eating disorders. We remove any content that encourages suicide or self-injury, including fictional content such as memes or illustrations and any self-injury content that is graphic, regardless of context. We also remove content that identifies and negatively targets victims or survivors of suicide or self-injury seriously, humorously or rhetorically, as well as real-time depictions of suicide or self-injury. Content about recovery of suicide or self-harm that is allowed, but may contain imagery that could be upsetting, such as a healed scar, is placed behind a sensitivity screen.

 

When people post or search for suicide or self-injury- related content, we will direct them to local organizations that can provide support and if someone is at immediate risk of harming themselves, we will contact local emergency services to get them help.

 

With respect to live content, experts have told us that if someone is saying they intend to attempt suicide on a live-stream, we should leave the content up for as long as possible, because the longer someone is talking to a camera, the more opportunity there is for a friend or family member to call emergency services.

 

However, to minimize the risk of others being negatively affected by viewing this content, we will stop the live-stream at the point at which the threat turns into an attempt. As mentioned above, in any case, we will contact the emergency services if we identify that someone is at immediate risk of harming themselves.

 

Do not post:

 

Content that promotes, encourages, coordinates or provides instructions for

 

Suicide.

Self-injury.

Eating disorders.

 

Content that depicts graphic self-injury imagery

 

It is against our policies to post content depicting a person who engaged in a suicide attempt or death by suicide

 

Content that focuses on depiction of ribs, collar bones, thigh gaps, hips, concave stomach or protruding spine or scapula when shared together with terms associated with eating disorders

 

Content that contains instructions for drastic and unhealthy weight loss when shared together with terms associated with eating disorders.

 

Content that mocks victims or survivors of suicide, self-injury or eating disorders who are either publicly known or implied to have experienced suicide or self-injury

 

For the following content, we restrict content to adults over the age of 18, and include a sensitivity screen so that people are aware that the content may be upsetting:

Photos or videos depicting a person’s death by suicide or suicide attempt, which are determined to be newsworthy.

Photos or videos depicting a person who engaged in euthanasia/assisted suicide in a medical setting.

For the following content, we include a sensitivity screen so that people are aware that the content may be upsetting to some:

Content that depicts older instances of self-harm such as healed cuts or other non-graphic self-injury imagery in a context of recovery.

Content that depicts ribs, collar bones, thigh gaps, hips, concave stomach or protruding spine or scapula in a recovery context.

We provide resources to people who post written or verbal admissions of engagement in self-injury, including:

Suicide.

Euthanasia/assisted suicide.

Self-harm.

Eating disorders.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

We may remove suicide notes when we have confirmation of a suicide or suicide attempt. We try to identify suicide notes using several factors, including but not limited to, family or legal representative requests, media reports, law enforcement reports or other third party sources (e.g. government agencies, NGOs).

Child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity

Policy rationale

 

We do not allow content that sexually exploits or endangers children. When we become aware of apparent child exploitation, we report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in compliance with applicable law. We know that sometimes, people share nude images of their own children with good intentions; however, we generally remove these images because of the potential for abuse by others and to help avoid the possibility of other people re-using or misappropriating the images.

 

We also work with external experts, including the Fando Safety Advisory Board, to discuss and improve our policies and enforcement around online safety issues, especially with regard to children.

 

Do not post:

 

Child sexual exploitation

 

Content that threatens, depicts, praises, supports, provides instructions for, makes statements of intent, admits participation in or shares links of the sexual exploitation of children (real or non-real minors, toddlers or babies), including, but not limited to:

 

Sexual intercourse

Explicit sexual intercourse or oral sex, defined as mouth or genitals entering or in contact with another person’s genitals or anus, where at least one person’s genitals are nude.

Implied sexual intercourse or oral sex, including when contact is imminent or not directly visible.

Stimulation of genitals or anus, including when activity is imminent or not directly visible.

Presence of by-products of sexual activity.

Any of the above involving an animal.

Children with sexual elements, including, but not limited to:

Focus on genitals.

Presence of aroused adult.

Presence of sex toys.

Sexualised costume.

Staged environment (for example, on a bed) or professionally shot (quality/focus/angles).

Open-mouth kissing.

Content of children in a sexual fetish context.

Content that supports, promotes, advocates or encourages participation in paedophilia, unless it is discussed neutrally in an academic or verified health context.

Content that identifies or mocks alleged victims of child sexual exploitation by name or image.

 

Solicitation

 

Content that solicits

 

Imagery of child sexual exploitation

Nude imagery of children

Sexualised imagery of children

Real-world sexual encounters with children

 

Inappropriate interactions with children 

 

Content that constitutes or facilitates inappropriate interactions with children, such as:

 

Arranging or planning real-world sexual encounters with children

Purposefully exposing children to sexually explicit language or sexual material

Engaging in implicitly sexual conversations in private messages with children

Obtaining or requesting sexual material from children in private messages

 

Exploitative intimate imagery and sextortion 

 

Content that attempts to exploit minors by:

 

Coercing money, favours or intimate imagery with threats to expose intimate imagery or information.

Sharing, threatening or stating an intent to share private sexual conversations or intimate imagery.

 

Sexualisation of children 

 

Content that solicits imagery of child sexual exploitation, or nude or sexualised images or videos of children

 

Content (including photos, videos, real-world art, digital content and verbal depictions) that shows children in a sexualised context.

Groups, Pages and profiles targeted at sexualising children.

 

Child nudity 

 

Content that depicts child nudity where nudity is defined as:

 

Close-ups of children’s genitalia

Real nude toddlers, showing:

Visible genitalia, even when covered or obscured by transparent clothing.

Visible anus and/or fully nude close-up of buttocks.

Real nude minors, showing:

Visible genitalia (including genitalia obscured only by pubic hair or transparent clothing)

Visible anus and/or fully nude close-up of buttocks.

Uncovered female nipples.

No clothes from neck to knee – even if no genitalia or female nipples are showing.

Digitally-created depictions of nude minors, toddlers or babies, unless the image is for health or educational purposes.

 

Non-sexual child abuse

 

Imagery that depicts non-sexual child abuse regardless of sharing intent

 

Content that praises, supports, promotes, advocates for, provides instructions for or encourages participation in non-sexual child abuse.

 

For the following content, we include a warning screen so that people are aware that the content may be disturbing and limit the ability to view the content to adults aged 18 and older: 

Videos or photos that depict police officers or military personnel committing non-sexual child abuse.

Imagery of non-sexual child abuse, when law enforcement, child protection agencies or trusted safety partners request that we leave the content on the platform for the express purpose of bringing a child back to safety.

For the following content, we include a sensitivity screen so that people are aware that the content may be upsetting to some: 

Videos or photos of violent immersion of a child in water in the context of religious rituals.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

For the following content, we include a warning label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive:

 

Imagery posted by a news agency that depicts child nudity in the context of famine, genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity, unless accompanied by a violating caption or shared in a violating context, in which case the content is removed.

 

We may also remove imagery depicting the aftermath of non-sexual child abuse when reported by news media partners, NGOs or other trusted safety partners

 

Adult sexual exploitation

Policy rationale

 

We recognize the importance of Fando as a place to discuss and draw attention to sexual violence and exploitation. In an effort to create space for this conversation and promote a safe environment, we allow victims to share their experiences, but remove content that depicts, threatens or promotes sexual violence, sexual assault or sexual exploitation. We also remove content that displays, advocates for or coordinates sexual acts with non-consenting parties to avoid facilitating non-consensual sexual acts.

 

To protect victims and survivors, we remove images that depict incidents of sexual violence and intimate images shared without the consent of the person(s) pictured. As noted in the introduction, we also work with external safety experts to discuss and improve our policies and enforcement around online safety issues, and we may remove content when they provide information that content is linked to harmful activity.

 

Do not post:

 

In instances where content consists of any form of non-consensual sexual touching, crushing, necrophilia or bestiality, or forced stripping, including:

 

Depictions (including real photos/videos except in a real-world art context), or

Advocacy (including aspirational and conditional statements), or

Statements of intent, or

Calls for action, or

Threatening, sharing, offering soliciting or stating an intent to share imagery, or

Admitting participation, or

Mocking victims of any of the above.

 

Content that attempts to exploit people by any of the following:

 

Sextortion: Coercing money, favours or intimate imagery from people with threats to expose their intimate imagery or intimate information

Sharing, threatening, stating an intent to share, offering or asking for “non-consensual intimate imagery” that fulfills all of the three following conditions:

Imagery is non-commercial or produced in a private setting.

Person in the imagery is (near) nude, engaged in sexual activity or in a sexual pose.

Lack of consent to share the imagery is indicated by meeting any of the signals:

Vengeful context (such as caption, comments or Page title).

Independent sources (such as law enforcement record) including entertainment media (such as leak of images confirmed by media).

A visible match between the person depicted in the image and the person who has reported the content to us.

The person who reported the content to us shares the same name as the person depicted in the image.

Secretly taken non-commercial imagery of a real person’s commonly sexualised body parts (breasts, groin, buttocks or thighs) or of a real person engaged in sexual activity. This imagery is commonly known as “creepshots” or “upskirts” and includes photos or videos that mock, sexualise or expose the person depicted in the imagery.

Threatening or stating an intent to share private sexual conversations that meet the following criteria:

Lack of consent is indicated by:

Vengeful context and/or threatening context, or

A visible match between the person depicted in the image and the person who has reported the content to us.

The person who reported the content to us shares the same name as the person depicted in the image.

For the following content, we include a warning screen so that people are aware that the content may be disturbing:

 

Narratives and statements that contain a depiction of non-consensual sexual touching (written or verbal) that includes details beyond mere naming or mentioning the act if:

 

Shared by the victim, or

Shared by a third party (other than the victim) in support of the victim or condemnation of the act or for general awareness to be determined by context/caption.

 

Content mocking the concept of non-consensual sexual touching

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

We may restrict visibility to people over the age of 18 and include a warning label on certain fictional videos (e.g. digital and hand-drawn imagery, film and TV show scenes, comic books, music videos) that depict non-consensual sexual touching.

 

In addition to our at-scale policy of removing content that threatens or advocates rape or other non-consensual sexual touching, we may also disable the posting account

 

Bullying and harassment

Policy rationale

 

Bullying and harassment happen in many places and come in many different forms, from making threats and releasing personally identifiable information to sending threatening messages and making unwanted malicious contact. We do not tolerate this kind of behaviour because it prevents people from feeling safe and respected on Fando.

 

We distinguish between public figures and private individuals because we want to allow discussion, which often includes critical commentary of people who are featured in the news or who have a large public audience. For public figures, we remove attacks that are severe as well as certain attacks where the public figure is directly tagged in the post or comment.

 

For private individuals, our protection goes further: We remove content that’s meant to degrade or shame, including, for example, claims about someone’s personal sexual activity. We recognize that bullying and harassment can have more of an emotional impact on minors, which is why our policies provide heightened protection for users between the ages of 13 and 18.

 

Context and intent matter, and we allow people to post and share if it is clear that something was shared in order to condemn or draw attention to bullying and harassment. In certain instances, we require self-reporting because it helps us understand that the person targeted feels bullied or harassed. In addition to reporting such behaviour and content,

 

We also have a Bullying Prevention Hub, which is a resource for teenagers, parents and educators seeking support for issues related to bullying and other conflicts. It offers step-by-step guidance, including information on how to start important conversations about bullying.

 

Do not:

 

Tier 1: Target anyone maliciously by:

 

Repeatedly contacting someone in a manner that is:

Unwanted or

Sexually harassing or

Directed at a large number of individuals with no prior solicitation.

Attacking someone based on their status as a victim of sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment or domestic abuse.

Calling for self-injury or suicide of a specific person or group of people.

Attacking someone through derogatory terms related to sexual activity (e.g. whore, slut).

Posting content about a violent tragedy, or victims of violent tragedies that include claims that a violent tragedy did not occur.

Posting content about victims or survivors of violent tragedies or terrorist attacks by name or by image, with claims that they are:

Acting/pretending to be a victim of an event.

Otherwise paid or employed to mislead people about their role in the event.

Threatening to release an individual’s private phone number, residential address or email address.

Making statements of intent to engage in a sexual activity or advocating for them to engage in a sexual activity.

Making severe sexualised commentary

Sharing derogatory sexualised photoshopped imagery or drawings

Calling for, or making statements of intent to engage in, bullying and/or harassment.

Posting content that further degrades or expresses disgust towards individuals who are depicted in the process of, or right after, menstruating, urinating, vomiting or defecating

Creating Pages or groups that are dedicated to attacking individual(s) by:

Calling for death, or to contract or develop a medical condition.

Making statements of intent of advocating to engage in sexual activity.

Making claims that the individual has or may have a sexually transmitted disease.

Sexualising another adult.

Sending messages that contain the following attacks when aimed at an individual or group of individuals in the thread:

Attacks referenced in Tier 1, 2 and 4 of this policy.

Targeted cursing.

Calls for death, serious disease, disability, epidemic disease or physical harm.

 

Tier 2: Target private individuals, limited scope public figures (for example, individuals whose primary fame is limited to their activism, journalism or those who become famous through involuntary means) or public figures who are minors with: 

 

Calls for death, or to contract or develop a medical condition.

Female-gendered cursing terms when used in a derogatory way.

Claims about sexual activity or sexually transmitted diseases except in the context of criminal allegations against adults about non-consensual sexual touching.

Pages or groups created to attack through:

Targeted cursing.

Negative physical descriptions.

Claims about religious identity or blasphemy.

Expressions of contempt or disgust.

Female-gendered cursing terms when used in a derogatory way.

 

Tier 3: Target public figures by purposefully exposing them to:

 

For adults and minors:

Calls for death, or to contract or develop a medical condition.

Claims about sexually transmitted diseases

Female-gendered cursing terms when used in a derogatory way.

Content that praises, celebrates or mocks their death or medical condition.

Attacks through negative physical descriptions.

For minors:

Comparisons to animals or insects that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior or to an inanimate object (“cow”, “monkey”, “potato”).

Content manipulated to highlight, circle or otherwise negatively draw attention to specific physical characteristics (nose, ear and so on).

 

Tier 4: Target private individuals or limited scope public figures with:

 

Comparisons to animals or insects that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior or to an inanimate object (“cow”, “monkey”, “potato”).

Content manipulated to highlight, circle or otherwise negatively draw attention to specific physical characteristics (nose, ear and so on).

Attacks through negative physical descriptions.

Content that ranks individuals on physical appearance or personality.

Content sexualising another adult.

Content that further degrades individuals who are depicted being physically bullied except in self-defence and fight-sport contexts.

Content that praises, celebrates or mocks their death or serious physical injury.

In addition to the above, attacks through Pages or groups:

Negative character or ability claims.

First-person voice bullying only if the object targets more than one private individual.

 

Tier 5: Target private adults (who must self-report) or any private minors or involuntary minor public figures with:

 

Targeted cursing.

Claims about romantic involvement, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Coordination, advocacy or promotion of exclusion.

Negative character or ability claims, except in the context of criminal allegations and business reviews against adults. We allow criminal allegations so that people can draw attention to personal experiences or offline events. In cases in which criminal allegations pose offline harm to the named individual, however, we may remove them.

Expressions of contempt or disgust, except in the context of criminal allegations against adults.

 

Tier 6: Target private individuals who are minors with:

 

Allegations about criminal or illegal behaviour.

Videos of physical bullying shared in a non-condemning context.

 

Tier 7: Target private individuals (who must self-report) with:

 

First-person voice bullying.

Unwanted manipulated imagery.

Comparison to other public, fictional or private individuals on the basis of physical appearance

Claims about religious identity or blasphemy.

Comparisons to animals or insects that are not culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior (“tiger”, “lion”).

Neutral or positive physical descriptions.

Non-negative character or ability claims.

Any bullying or harassment violation, when shared in an endearing context.

Attacks through derogatory terms related to a lack of sexual activity.

We add a cover to this content so that people can choose whether to see it:

 

Videos of physical bullying against minors shared in a condemning context

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

Do not:

 

Post content that targets private individuals through unwanted Pages, groups and events. We remove this content when it is reported by the victim or an authorized representative of the victim.

Create accounts to contact someone who has blocked you.

Post attacks that use derogatory terms related to female-gendered cursing. We remove this content when the victim or an authorized representative of the victim informs us of the content, even if the victim has not reported it directly.

Post content that would otherwise require the victim to report the content or an indicator that the poster is directly targeting the victim (e.g. the victim is tagged in the post or comment). We will remove this content if we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.

Post content praising, celebrating or mocking anyone’s death. We also remove content targeting a deceased individual that we would normally require the victim to report.

Post content calling for or stating an intent to engage in behaviour that would qualify as bullying and harassment under our policies. We will remove this content when we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.

Post content sexualising a public figure. We will remove this content when we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.

Repeatedly contact someone to sexually harass them. We will remove this content when we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.

Engage in mass harassment against individuals that targets them based on their decision to take or not take the COVID-19 vaccine with:

Statements of mental or moral inferiority based on their decision, or

Statements that advocate for or allege a negative outcome as a result of their decision, except for widely proven and/or accepted COVID-19 symptoms or vaccine side effects.

Remove directed mass harassment, when:

Targeting, via any surface, ‘individuals at heightened risk of offline harm’, defined as:

Human rights defenders

Minors

Victims of violent events/tragedies

Opposition figures in at-risk countries during election periods

Government dissidents who have been targeted based on their dissident status

Ethnic and religious minorities in conflict zones

Member of a designated and recognizable at-risk group

Targeting any individual via personal surfaces, such as inbox or profiles, with:

Content that violates the bullying and harassment policies for private individuals or,

Objectionable content that is based on a protected characteristic

Disable accounts engaged in mass harassment as part of either

State or state-affiliated networks targeting any individual via any surface.

Adversarial networks targeting any individual via any surface with:

Content that violates the bullying and harassment policies for private individuals or,

Content that targets them based on a protected characteristic, or,

Content or behaviour otherwise deemed to be objectionable in local context

Human exploitation

Policy rationale

 

After consulting with outside experts from around the world, we are consolidating several existing exploitation policies that were previously housed in different sections of the Community Standards into one dedicated section that focuses on human exploitation and captures a broad range of harmful activities that may manifest on our platform. Experts think and talk about these issues under one umbrella – human exploitation.

 

In an effort to disrupt and prevent harm, we remove content that facilitates or coordinates the exploitation of humans, including human trafficking. We define human trafficking as the business of depriving someone of liberty for profit. It is the exploitation of humans in order to force them to engage in commercial sex, labour or other activities against their will. It relies on deception, force and coercion, and degrades humans by depriving them of their freedom while economically or materially benefiting others.

 

Human trafficking is multi-faceted and global; it can affect anyone regardless of age, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender or location. It takes many forms, and any given trafficking situation can involve various stages of development. By the coercive nature of this abuse, victims cannot consent.

 

While we need to be careful not to conflate human trafficking and smuggling, the two can be related and exhibit overlap. The United Nations defines human smuggling as the procurement or facilitation of illegal entry into a state across international borders. Without necessity for coercion or force, it may still result in the exploitation of vulnerable individuals who are trying to leave their country of origin, often in pursuit of a better life. Human smuggling is a crime against a state, relying on movement, and human trafficking is a crime against a person, relying on exploitation.

 

Do not post:

 

Content or exhibited behaviour that may lead to human exploitation, which includes any of the following:

 

Sex trafficking, covering minors and adults.

The sale of children for illegal adoption.

Orphanage trafficking and orphanage volun-tourism.

Forced marriages.

Labour exploitation (including bonded labour).

Domestic servitude.

Non-regenerative organ trafficking.

Forced criminal activity (e.g. forced begging, forced drug trafficking).

Recruitment of child soldiers.

 

Content geared towards the:

 

Recruitment of potential victims through force, fraud, coercion, enticement, deception, blackmail or other non-consensual acts.

Facilitation of human exploitation by coordinating, transporting, transferring, harbouring or brokering of victims prior to or during the exploitation.

Exploitation of humans by promoting, depicting or advocating for it.

 

Content that offers to provide or facilitate human smuggling

 

Privacy violations and image privacy rights

Policy rationale

 

Privacy and the protection of personal information are fundamentally important values for Fando. We work hard to safeguard your personal identity and information and we do not allow people to post personal or confidential information about yourself or of others.

 

We remove content that shares, offers or solicits personally identifiable information or other private information that could lead to physical or financial harm, including financial, residential and medical information, as well as private information obtained from illegal sources. We also recognize that private information may become publicly available through news coverage, court filings, press releases or other sources. When that happens, we may allow the information to be posted.

 

We also provide people with ways to report imagery that they believe to be in violation of their privacy rights.

 

Do not post:

 

Content that shares or solicits any of the following private information, either on Fando or through external links.

 

Personally identifiable information about yourself or others 

 

Personal identity: identifying individuals through government-issued numbers.

National identification number (for example Social Security Number (SSN), passport number, National Insurance/Health Service Number, Personal Public Service Number (PPS), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)).

Government IDs of law enforcement, military or security personnel.

Personal information: directly identifying an individual, by indicating the ID number or registration information and the individual’s name.

Records or official documentation of civil registry information (marriage, birth, death, name change or gender recognition and so on).

Immigration and work status documents (for example, green cards, work permits, visas or immigration papers).

Driving licences or licence plates.

Credit Privacy Number (CPN).

Digital identity: authenticating access to an online identity

Email addresses with passwords.

Digital identities with passwords.

Passwords, pins or codes to access private information.

 

Other private information

 

Personal contact information of others, such as phone numbers, addresses and email addresses

Financial information.

Personal financial information about yourself or others, including:

Non-public financial records or statements.

Bank account numbers with security or pin codes.

Digital payment method information with login details, security or pin codes.

Credit or debit card information with validity dates or security pins or codes.

Financial information about businesses or organizations, including:

Financial records or statements except when the financial records of the business are publicly available (for example, listed on stock exchanges or regulatory agencies etc.)

Bank account numbers accompanied by security or pin codes.

Digital payment method information accompanied by login details, security or pin codes.

Residential information

Imagery that displays the external view of private residences if all of the following conditions apply:

The residence is a single-family home, or the resident’s unit number is identified in the image/caption.

The city/neighbourhood or GPS pin (for example, a pin from Google Maps) are identified.

The content identifies the resident(s).

That same resident objects to the exposure of their private residence, or there is context of organizing protests against the resident (this does not include embassies that also serve as residences).

Content that exposes information about safe houses by sharing any of the below, unless the safe house is actively promoting information about their facility

Actual address (note: “Post Box only” is allowed).

Images of the safe house.

Identifiable city/neighbourhood of the safe house.

Information exposing the identity of the safe house residents.

Medical information

Records or official documentation displaying medical, psychological, biometric or genetic hereditary of others.

Information obtained from hacked sources.

Except in limited cases of newsworthiness, content claimed or confirmed to come from a hacked source, regardless of whether the affected person is a public figure or a private individual.

Status or occupation related information.

Content that exposes the undercover status of law enforcement, military or security personnel if:

The content contains the agent’s full name or other explicit identification and explicitly mentions their undercover status.

The imagery identifies the faces of the law enforcement personnel and explicitly mentions their undercover status.

 

The following content also may be removed:

 

A reported photo or video of people where the person depicted in the image is:

A minor under the age of 13, and the content was reported by the minor or a parent or legal guardian.

A minor between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, and the content was reported by the minor.

An adult, where the content was reported by the adult from outside the United States and applicable law may provide rights to removal.

Any person who is incapacitated and unable to report the content on their own.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

Do not post:

 

Content that puts a defector at risk by outing the individual with personally identifiable information when the content is reported by credible government channels.

Depictions of someone in a medical or health facility if reported by the person pictured or an authorized representative

Hate speech

Policy rationale

 

We believe that people use their voice and connect more freely when they don’t feel attacked on the basis of who they are. That is why we don’t allow hate speech on Fando. It creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion, and in some cases may promote offline violence.

 

We define hate speech as a direct attack against people – rather than concepts or institutions – on the basis of what we call protected characteristics: race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and serious disease. We define attacks as violent or dehumanising speech, harmful stereotypes, statements of inferiority, expressions of contempt, disgust or dismissal, cursing and calls for exclusion or segregation. We also prohibit the use of harmful stereotypes, which we define as dehumanizing comparisons that have historically been used to attack, intimidate or exclude specific groups, and that are often linked with offline violence. We consider age a protected characteristic when referenced along with another protected characteristic. We also protect refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from the most severe attacks, though we do allow commentary and criticism of immigration policies. Similarly, we provide some protections for characteristics such as occupation, when they’re referenced along with a protected characteristic. Sometimes, based on local nuance, we consider certain words or phrases as code words for PC groups.

 

We recognize that people sometimes share content that includes someone else’s hate speech to condemn it or raise awareness. In other cases, speech that might otherwise violate our standards can be used self-referentially or in an empowering way. Our policies are designed to allow room for these types of speech, but we require people to clearly indicate their intent. If the intention is unclear, we may remove content.

 

Do not post:

 

Tier 1

 

Content targeting a person or group of people (including all subsets except those described as having carried out violent crimes or sexual offences) on the basis of their aforementioned protected characteristic(s) or immigration status with:

 

Violent speech or support in written or visual form

Dehumanizing speech or imagery in the form of comparisons, generalizations or unqualified behavioral statements (in written or visual form) to or about:

Animals that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior.

Filth, bacteria, disease and faeces.

Sexual predator.

Violent and sexual criminals

Other criminals (including, but not limited to, “thieves”, “bank robbers” or saying “All [protected characteristic or quasi-protected characteristic] are ‘criminals’”).

Statements denying existence.

Mocking the concept, events or victims of hate crimes, even if no real person is depicted in an image.

Designated dehumanizing comparisons, generalizations or behavioral statements (in written or visual form) that include:

Black people and apes or ape-like creatures.

Black people and farm equipment.

Caricatures of Black people in the form of blackface.

Jewish people and rats.

Jewish people running the world or controlling major institutions such as media networks, the economy or the government.

Denying or distorting information about the Holocaust.

Muslim people and pigs.

Muslim person and sexual relations with goats or pigs.

Mexican people and worm-like creatures.

Women as household objects or referring to women as property or “objects”.

Transgender or non-binary people referred to as “it”.

Dalits, scheduled caste or “lower caste” people as menial labourers.

 

Tier 2

 

Content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristic(s) with:

 

Generalizations that state inferiority (in written or visual form) in the following ways:

Physical deficiencies are defined as those about:

Hygiene, including, but not limited to: filthy, dirty, smelly.

Physical appearance, including, but not limited to: ugly, hideous.

Mental deficiencies are defined as those about:

Intellectual capacity, including, but not limited to: dumb, stupid, idiots.

Education, including, but not limited to: illiterate, uneducated.

Mental health, including, but not limited to: mentally ill, retarded, crazy, insane.

Moral deficiencies are defined as those about:

Character traits culturally perceived as negative, including, but not limited to: coward, liar, arrogant, ignorant.

Derogatory terms related to sexual activity, including, but not limited to: whore, slut, perverts.

Other statements of inferiority, which we define as:

Expressions about being less than adequate, including, but not limited to: worthless, useless.

Expressions about being better/worse than another protected characteristic, including, but not limited to: “I believe that males are superior to females.”

Expressions about deviating from the norm, including, but not limited to: freaks, abnormal.

Expressions of contempt (in written or visual form), which we define as:

Self-admission to intolerance on the basis of protected characteristics, including, but not limited to: homophobic, islamophobic, racist.

Expressions that a protected characteristic shouldn’t exist.

Expressions of hate, including, but not limited to: despise, hate.

Expressions of dismissal, including, but not limited to: don’t respect, don’t like, don’t care for

Expressions of disgust (in written or visual form), which we define as:

Expressions suggesting that the target causes sickness, including, but not limited to: vomit, throw up.

Expressions of repulsion or distaste, including, but not limited to: vile, disgusting, yuck.

Cursing, except certain gender-based cursing in a romantic break-up context, defined as:

Referring to the target as genitalia or anus, including, but not limited to: cunt, dick, asshole.

Profane terms or phrases with the intent to insult, including, but not limited to: fuck, bitch, motherfucker.

Terms or phrases calling for engagement in sexual activity, or contact with genitalia, anus, faeces or urine, including, but not limited to: suck my dick, kiss my ass, eat shit.

 

Tier 3

 

Content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristic(s) with any of the following:

 

Segregation in the form of calls for action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or statements advocating or supporting segregation.

Exclusion in the form of calls for action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or statements advocating or supporting, defined as

Explicit exclusion, which means things such as expelling certain groups or saying they are not allowed.

Political exclusion, which means denying the right to political participation.

Economic exclusion, which means denying access to economic entitlements and limiting participation in the labour market.

Social exclusion, which means things such as denying access to spaces (physical and online) and social services, except for gender-based exclusion in health and positive support groups.

 

Content that describes or negatively targets people with slurs, where slurs are defined as words that are inherently offensive and used as insulting labels for the above characteristics.

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce:

 

Do not post:

 

Content explicitly providing or offering to provide products or services that aim to change people’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Content attacking concepts, institutions, ideas, practices or beliefs associated with protected characteristics, which are likely to contribute to imminent physical harm, intimidation or discrimination against the people associated with that protected characteristic. Fando looks at a range of signs to determine whether there is a threat of harm in the content. These include, but are not limited to: content that could incite imminent violence or intimidation; whether there is a period of heightened tension such as an election or ongoing conflict; and whether there is a recent history of violence against the targeted protected group. In some cases, we may also consider whether the speaker is a public figure or occupies a position of authority.

Content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristic(s) with claims that they have or spread the novel corona-virus, are responsible for the existence of the novel corona-virus, are deliberately spreading the novel corona-virus or mocking them for having or experiencing the novel corona-virus

Violent and graphic content

Policy rationale

 

We remove content that glorifies violence or celebrates the suffering or humiliation of others because it may create an environment that discourages participation. We allow graphic content (with some limitations) to help people raise awareness about issues. We know that people value the ability to discuss important issues such as human rights abuses or acts of terrorism. We also know that people have different sensitivities with regard to graphic and violent content. For that reason, we add a warning label to especially graphic or violent content so that it is not available to people under the age of eighteen and so that people are aware of the graphic or violent nature before they click to see it.

 

Do not post:

 

Imagery of people

 

Videos of people or dead bodies in non-medical settings if they depict

 

Dismemberment.

Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies.

Charred or burning people unless in the context of cremation or self-immolation when that action is a form of political speech or newsworthy.

Victims of cannibalism.

Throat-slitting.

 

Live streams of capital punishment of a person

 

Sadistic remarks

 

Sadistic remarks towards imagery that is deleted or put behind a warning screen under this policy, unless there is a self-defence context or explicit educational context in a medical setting.

Sadistic remarks towards imagery of one or more persons subjected to violence and/or humiliating acts by one or more uniformed personnel doing a police function.

Offering or soliciting imagery that is deleted or put behind a warning screen under this policy, when accompanied by sadistic remarks.

Explicit sadistic remarks towards the suffering of animals depicted in the imagery.

For the following content, we include a warning screen so that people are aware that the content may be disturbing. We also limit the ability to view the content to adults aged 18 and older:

 

Imagery of people

 

Videos of people or dead bodies in a medical setting if they depict:

 

Dismemberment.

Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies.

Charred or burning people, including cremation or self-immolation when that action is a form of political speech or newsworthy.

Victims of cannibalism.

Throat-slitting.

 

Photos of wounded or dead people if they show:

 

Dismemberment.

Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies.

Charred or burning people.

Victims of cannibalism.

Throat-slitting.

 

Imagery that shows the violent death of a person or people by accident or murder

 

Imagery that shows capital punishment of a person

 

Imagery that shows acts of torture committed against a person or people

 

Imagery of non-medical foreign objects (such as metal objects, knives, nails) involuntarily inserted or stuck into people causing grievous injury

 

Imagery of animals

 

The following content involving animals:

 

Videos depicting humans killing animals if there is no explicit manufacturing, hunting, food consumption, processing or preparation context.

Imagery of animal-to-animal fights, when there are visible innards or dismemberment of non-regenerating body, unless in the wild.

Imagery of humans committing acts of torture or abuse against live animals.

Imagery of animals showing wounds or cuts that render visible innards or dismemberment, if there is no explicit manufacturing, hunting, taxidermy, medical treatment, rescue or food consumption, preparation or processing context, or the animal is already skinned or with its outer layer fully removed.

For the following content, we include a label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive:

 

Imagery of non-medical foreign objects voluntarily inserted into people through skin in religious or cultural context

 

Imagery of visible innards in a birthing context

 

Imagery of foetuses and newborn babies that show:

 

Dismemberment.

Visible innards.

An abortion or abandonment context.

 

Imagery of newborn babies in an abandonment context

 

Imagery of animals in a ritual slaughter context showing dismemberment, or visible innards, or charring or burning

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

We remove:

 

Videos and photos that show the violent death of someone when a family member requests its removal

Adult nudity and sexual activity

Policy rationale

 

We restrict the display of nudity or sexual activity because some people in our community may be sensitive to this type of content. Additionally, we default to removing sexual imagery to prevent the sharing of non-consensual or underage content. Restrictions on the display of sexual activity also apply to digitally created content unless it is posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes.

 

Our Nudity Policies have become more nuanced over time. We understand that nudity can be shared for a variety of reasons, including as a form of protest, to raise awareness about a cause or for educational or medical reasons. Where such intent is clear, we make allowances for the content. For example, while we restrict some images of female breasts that include the nipple, we allow other images, including those depicting acts of protest, women actively engaged in breastfeeding and photos of post-mastectomy scarring. For images depicting visible genitalia or the anus in the context of birth and after-birth moments or health-related situations, we include a warning label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures.

 

Do not post:

 

Imagery of

 

Real nude adults, if it depicts:

Visible genitalia except in the context of giving birth and after-birth moments or health-related situations (e.g. gender confirmation surgery, examination for cancer or disease prevention/assessment).

Visible anus and/or fully nude close-ups of buttocks unless photoshopped on a public figure.

Uncovered female nipples except in the context of breastfeeding, giving birth and after-birth moments, health-related situations (e.g. post-mastectomy, breast cancer awareness or gender confirmation surgery) or an act of protest.

Sexual activity, including:

Sexual intercourse

Explicit sexual intercourse, defined as mouth or genitals entering or in contact with another person’s genitals or anus, where at least one person’s genitals are nude.

Implied sexual intercourse, defined as mouth or genitals entering or in contact with another person’s genitals or anus, even when the contact is not directly visible, except in cases of a sexual health context, advertisements and recognized fictional images or with indicators of fiction.

Implied stimulation of genitalia/anus, defined as stimulating genitalia/anus or inserting objects into genitalia/anus, even when the activity is not directly visible, except in cases of sexual health context, advertisements and recognized fictional images or with indicators of fiction.

Other activities including but not limited to:

Erections

Presence of by-products of sexual activity.

Stimulating genitals or anus, even if above or under clothing.

Use of sex toys, even if above or under clothing.

Stimulation of naked human nipples.

Squeezing female breasts, defined as a grabbing motion with curved fingers that shows both marks and clear shape change of the breasts. We allow squeezing in breastfeeding contexts.

Fetish content that involves:

Acts that are likely to lead to the death of a person or animal.

Faeces, urine, spit, snot, menstruation or vomit.

Digital content that meets our definition of sexual activity, except when posted in an educational or scientific context, or when it meets one of the criteria below and shown only to individuals aged 18 years and older.

Extended audio of sexual activity

We only show this content to individuals aged 18 and over:

Real-world art that depicts sexual activity.

Posting photographs or videos of objects that depict sexual activity in real-world art.

Implied sexual activity in advertisements.

Implied sexual activity in recognized fictional images or with indicators of fiction.

Digital content that meets our definition of sexual activity, where:

The sexual activity (intercourse or other sexual activities) isn’t directly visible.

The content was posted in a satirical or humorous context.

Only body shapes or contours are visible

Sexual solicitation

Policy rationale

 

People use Fando to discuss and draw attention to sexual violence and exploitation. We recognize the importance of and allow for this discussion. We also allow for the discussion of sex worker rights advocacy and sex work regulation. We draw the line, however, when content facilitates, encourages or coordinates sexual encounters or commercial sexual services between adults. We do this to avoid facilitating transactions that may involve trafficking, coercion and non-consensual sexual acts.

 

We also restrict sexually explicit language that may lead to sexual solicitation because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content, and it may impede the ability for people to connect with their friends and the broader community.

 

Do not post:

 

Content that offers or asks for adult commercial services, such as requesting, offering or asking for rates for escort service and paid sexual fetish or domination services.

 

Attempted coordination of or recruitment for adult sexual activities, except when promoting an event or venue, including, but not limited to:

 

Filmed sexual activities.

Pornographic activities, strip club shows, live sex performances or erotic dances.

Sexual, erotic or tantric massages.

 

Explicit sexual solicitation by, including, but not limited to, the following, offering or asking for:

 

Offering or asking for sex or sexual partners (including partners who share fetish or sexual interests).

Sex chat or conversations.

Nude photos/videos/imagery/sexual fetish items.

Sexual slang terms.

 

We allow expressing desire for sexual activity, promoting sex education, discussing sexual practices or experiences, or offering classes or programmes that teach techniques or discuss sex.

 

Content that is implicitly or indirectly offering or asking for sexual solicitation and meets both of the following criteria. If both criteria are not met, it is not deemed to be violating. For example, if content is a hand-drawn image depicting sexual activity but does not ask or offer sexual solicitation, it is not violating:

 

Criteria 1: Offer or ask

Content that implicitly or indirectly (typically through providing a method of contact) offers or asks for sexual solicitation.

Criteria 2: Suggestive elements

Content that makes the aforementioned offer or ask using one of the following sexually suggestive elements:

Contextually specific and commonly sexual emojis or emoji strings, or

Regional sexualised slang, or

Mentions or depictions of sexual activity (including hand-drawn, digital or real-world art) such as sexual roles, sex positions, fetish scenarios, state of arousal, act of sexual intercourse or activity (e.g. sexual penetration or self-pleasuring), or

Audio of sexual activity or other content that violates theAdult nudity and sexual activity

 

An offer or ask for pornographic material (including, but not limited to, sharing of links to external pornographic websites).

 

Sexually explicit language that goes into graphic detail beyond mere reference to:

 

A state of sexual arousal (e.g wetness or erection) or

An act of sexual intercourse (e.g sexual penetration, self-pleasuring or exercising fetish scenarios).

Except for content shared in a humorous, satirical or educational context, as a sexual metaphor or as sexual cursing

Account integrity and authentic identity

Policy rationale

 

Authenticity is the cornerstone of our community. We believe that authenticity helps create a community where people are accountable to each other, and to Fando, in meaningful ways. We want to allow for the range of diverse ways that identity is expressed across our global community, while also preventing impersonation and identity misrepresentation. That’s why we require people to connect on Fando using the name that they go by in everyday life. Our Authenticity Policies are intended to create a safe environment where people can trust and hold one another accountable.

 

In order to maintain a safe environment and empower free expression, we also remove accounts that are harmful to the community, including those that compromise the security of other accounts and our services. We have built a combination of automated and manual systems to block and remove accounts that are used to persistently or egregiously abuse our Community Standards.

 

Because account-level removal is a harsh severe action, whenever possible, we aim to give our community a chance to learn our rules and follow our Community Standards. Penalties, including account disables, are designed to be proportionate to the severity of the violation and the risk of harm posed to the community. Continued violations, despite repeated warnings and restrictions, or violations that pose severe safety risks, will lead to an account being disabled.

 

We do not allow the use of our services and will disable accounts if you:

Severely violate our Community Standards.

Persistently violate our Community Standards.

Represent dangerous individuals or organizations.

Create or use an account that demonstrates intent to violate our Community Standards.

Create an account, Page, group or event to evade our enforcement actions, including creating an account to bypass a restriction or after we have disabled your previous account, Page, group or event.

Impersonate others by:

Using their photos with the explicit aim to deceive others.

Creating an account assuming to be or speak for another person or entity.

Creating a Page assuming to be or speak for another person or entity for whom the user is not authorized to do so.

Are under 13 years old.

Are a convicted sex offender.

Are prohibited from receiving our products, services or software under applicable laws.

In certain cases, such as those outlined below, we will seek further information about an account before taking actions ranging from temporarily restricting accounts to permanently disabling them.

Accounts misrepresenting their identity (Fando and Messenger only) by:

Using a name that is not theauthentic name you go by in everyday life

Using an inherently violating name containing slurs or any other violations of theCommunity Standards

Providing a false date of birth.

Creating a single account that represents or is used by more than one person.

Maintaining multiple accounts as a single user.

Compromised accounts.

Empty accounts with prolonged dormancy

Spam

Policy rationale

 

We work hard to limit the spread of spam because we do not want to allow content that is designed to deceive, or that attempts to mislead users to increase viewership. This content creates a negative user experience, detracts from people’s ability to engage authentically in online communities, and can threaten the security, stability and usability of our services. We also aim to prevent people from abusing our platform, products or features to artificially increase viewership or distribute content en masse for commercial gain.

 

Do not:

Post, share, engage with content, or create accounts, groups, pages, events or other assets, either manually or automatically, at very high frequencies.

Attempt to or successfully sell, buy or exchange site privileges or product features, such as accounts, admin roles, permission to post, pages, groups, likes etc., except in the case of clearly identified branded content.

Require or claim that users are required to engage with content (e.g. liking, sharing) before they are able to view or interact with promised content.

Encourage likes, shares, follows, clicks or the use of apps or websites under false pretences, such as:

Offering false or non-existent services or functionality(e.g. “Get a ‘Dislike’ button!”)

Failing to direct to promised content (e.g. “Click here for a discount code at Nordstrom”;false play buttons)

Directing users off of Fando through the deceptive or misleading use of URLs, defined as:

Cloaking:Presenting different content to Fando users and Fando crawlers or tools.

Misleading content: Content contains a link that promises one type of content but delivers something substantially different.

Deceptive pop-up websites: Websites that require an action (captcha, watch ad, click here) in order to view the expected landing page content and the domain name of the URL changes after the required action is complete.

Like/share-gating:Landing pages that require users to like, share or otherwise engage with content before gaining access to off-Fando content.

Deceptive landing page functionality:Websites that have a misleading user interface, which results in accidental traffic being generated (pop-ups/unders, click jacking)

Impersonation:The website pretends to be a reputable brand or service by using a name, domain or content featuring typos, misspellings or other means to impersonate well-known brands www.Fando00media.com, www.Fando_media.com, using a landing page similar to another trusted site to mislead visitors).

And other behaviours that are substantially similar to those listed above

Cybersecurity

Policy rationale

 

We recognize that the safety of our users includes the security of their personal information, accounts, profiles and other Fando entities they may manage, as well as our products and services more broadly. Attempts to gather sensitive personal information or engage in unauthorized access by deceptive or invasive methods are harmful to the authentic, open and safe atmosphere that we want to foster. Therefore, we do not allow attempts to gather sensitive user information or engage in unauthorized access through the abuse of our platform, products, or services.

 

Do not:

 

Attempt to compromise user accounts, profiles or other Fando entities, abuse our products or services, gather sensitive information through deceptive means or attempt to engage in unauthorized access, including:

 

Gaining access to accounts, profiles, Fando. entities or user data other than your own through deceptive means or without explicit permission from the account, profile or entity owner.

Encouraging or deceiving users to download or run files or programs that will compromise a user’s online or data security, including through malicious software or websites. Such files and programs will be deemed malicious software or “malware” if they harm or gain unauthorized access to a computer, device or network.

Attempting to obtain, acquire or request another user’s login credentials or other sensitive information, whether explicitly or through deceptive means such as phishing (e.g. fake surveys designed to capture login info or links to fake login pages or impostor websites) or the use of malicious software or websites.

Publicly sharing your own or others’ login information, either on platform or through a third-party service.

Creating, sharing or hosting malicious software, including browser extensions and mobile applications, on or off the platform that put our users or products and services at risk.

Inauthentic behaviour

Policy rationale

 

In line with our commitment to authenticity, we don’t allow people to misrepresent themselves on Fando, use fake accounts, artificially boost the popularity of content or engage in behaviours designed to enable other violations under our Community Standards. This policy is intended to protect the security of user accounts and our services, and create a space where people can trust the people and communities they interact with.

 

Do not:

Use multiple Fando accounts or share accounts between multiple people

Misuse Fando reporting systems to harass others

Conceal a Page’s purpose by misleading users about the ownership or control of that Page

Engage in, or claim to engage in, inauthentic behaviour, which is defined as the use of Fando assets (accounts, pages, groups or events), to mislead people or Fando:

about the identity, purpose or origin of the entity that they represent

about the popularity of Fando content or assets

about the purpose of an audience or community

about the source or origin of content

to evade enforcement under our Community Standards

Engage in, or claim to engage in, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, defined as the use of multiple Fando assets, working in concert to engage in inauthentic behaviour (as defined above), where the use of fake accounts is central to the operation

Engage in, or claim to engage in, foreign or government interference, which is coordinated inauthentic behaviour conducted on behalf of a foreign or government actor

False news

Policy rationale

 

Reducing the spread of false news on Fando is a responsibility that we take seriously. We also recognize that this is a challenging and sensitive issue. We want to help people stay informed without stifling productive public discourse. There is also a fine line between false news and satire or opinion.

 

For these reasons, we do not remove false news from Fando, but we significantly reduce its distribution by showing it lower in News Feed.

 

We are working to build a more informed community and reduce the spread of false news in a number of different ways, namely by

Disrupting economic incentives for people, Pages and domains that propagate misinformation

Using various signals, including feedback from our community, to inform a machine learning model that predicts which stories may be false

Reducing the distribution of content rated as false by independent third-party fact-checkers

Empowering people to decide for themselves what to read, trust and share by informing them with more context and promoting news literacy

Collaborating with academics and other organisations to help solve this challenging issue

Manipulated media

Policy rationale

 

Media, including image, audio or video, can be edited in a variety of ways. In many cases, these changes are benign, such as a filter effect on a photo. In other cases, the manipulation isn’t apparent and could mislead, particularly in the case of video content. We aim to remove this category of manipulated media when the criteria laid out below have been met.

 

In addition, we will continue to invest in partnerships (including with journalists, academics and independent fact-checkers) to help us reduce the distribution of false news and misinformation, as well as to better inform people about the content they encounter online.

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

Do not post:

 

Videos that have been edited or synthesized, beyond adjustments for clarity or quality, in ways that are not apparent to an average person, and would likely mislead an average person to believe:

A subject of the video said words that they did not say, AND

The video is the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning, including deep learning techniques (e.g. a technical deep-fake), that merges, combines, replaces and/or superimposes content onto a video, creating a video that appears authentic.

This policy does not extend to content that is parody or satire or is edited to omit words that were said or change the order of words that were said

Memorialization

Policy rationale

 

When someone passes away, friends and family can request that we memorialize the Fando account. Once memorialized, the word “Remembering” appears above the name on the person’s profile to help make it clear that the account is now a memorial site and to protect against attempted logins and fraudulent activity. To respect the choices that someone made while alive, we aim to preserve their account after they pass away. We have also made it possible for people to identify a legacy contact to look after their account after they pass away. To support the bereaved, in some instances we may remove or change certain content when the legacy contact or family members request it.

 

For victims of murder and suicide, we will remove the following content if it appears on the deceased’s profile photo, cover photo or amongst recent timeline posts when requested by a legacy contact or family member of the deceased:

Visual depiction of the object used in the deceased’s death

Imagery of the convicted or alleged murderer of the deceased

Content related to the deceased’s death

 

For victims of murder, we will also remove the convicted or alleged murderer from the deceased’s profile if referenced in relationship status or amongst friends.

 

When we have additional context provided by the legacy contact or a family member of the deceased, we may:

 

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

When brought to our attention by the legacy contact or a family member of the deceased, we will:

 

Remove violating comments on a memorialized profile, which would typically require the individual to self report so that we know that they are unwanted

Remove praise or support for the death, disease or harm of the deceased person on a memorialized profile

Change the deceased’s individual’s privacy settings from public to friends-only when there is harmful content on the profile

Change a violating account name on the profile of the deceased individual

Intellectual property

Policy rationale

 

Fando takes intellectual property rights seriously and believes that they are important to promoting expression, creativity and innovation in our community. You own all of the content and information that you post on Fando, and you control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. However, before sharing content on Fando, please make sure that you have the right to do so. We ask that you respect other people’s copyrights, trademarks and other legal rights. We are committed to helping people and organizations promote and protect their intellectual property rights. Fando’s Terms of Service do not allow people to post content that violates someone else’s intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark.

 

Upon receipt of a report from a rights holder or an authorized representative, we will remove or restrict content that engages in:

Copyright infringement

Trademark infringement

User requests

We comply with:

User requests for removal of their own account

Requests for removal of a deceased user’s account from a verified immediate family member or executor

Requests for removal of an incapacitated user’s account from an authorized representative

Additional protection of minors

We comply with:

Requests for removal of an underage account

Government requests for removal of child abuse imagery depicting, for example, beating by an adult or strangling or suffocating by an adult

Legal guardian requests for removal of attacks on unintentionally famous minors

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

 

We may remove content created for the purpose of identifying a private minor if there may be a risk to the minor’s safety when requested by a user, government, law enforcement or external child safety expertsto prevent potential offline harm that may be related to content on Fando. While we understand that people commonly express disdain or disagreement by threatening or calling for violence in non-serious ways, we remove language that incites or facilitates serious violence. We remove content, disable accounts and work with law enforcement when we believe that there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. We also try to consider the language and context in order to distinguish casual statements from content that constitutes a credible threat to public or personal safety. In determining whether a threat is credible, we may also consider additional information such as a person’s public visibility and the risks to their physical safety.

In some cases, we see aspirational or conditional threats directed at terrorists and other violent actors (e.g. terrorists deserve to be killed), and we deem those as non-credible absent-specific evidence to the contrary.

Do not post:

Threats that could lead to death (and other forms of high-severity violence) targeting people or places where threat is defined as any of the following:

• Statements of intent to commit high-severity violence. This includes content where a symbol represents the target and/or includes a visual of an armament or method to represent violence.
• Calls for high-severity violence, including content where no target is specified but a symbol represents the target and/or includes a visual of an armament or method that represents violence.
• Statements advocating for high-severity violence.
• Aspirational or conditional statements to commit high-severity violence.

Content that asks or offers services for hire to kill others (for example, hitmen, mercenaries, assassins) or advocates for the use of a hitman, mercenary or assassin against a target

Admissions, statements of intent or advocacy, calls to action or aspirational or conditional statements to kidnap a target

Content that depicts abductions or kidnappings if it is clear that the content is not being shared by a victim or their family as a plea for help, or shared for informational, condemnation or awareness raising purposes

Threats of high-severity violence using digitally produced or altered imagery to target living people with armaments, methods of violence or dismemberment

Threats that lead to serious injury (mid-severity violence) towards private individuals, unnamed specified persons, minor public figures, high-risk persons or high-risk groups where threat is defined as any of the following:

• Statements of intent to commit violence or
• Statements advocating violence or
• Calls for mid-severity violence. including content where no target is specified but a symbol represents the target, or
• Aspirational or conditional statements to commit violence or
• Content about other target(s) apart from private individuals, minor public figures, high-risk persons or high-risk groups and any credible:

• Statements of intent to commit violence or
• Calls for action of violence or
• Statements advocating for violence or
• Aspirational or conditional statements to commit violence

Threats that lead to physical harm (or other forms of lower-severity violence) towards private individuals (self-reporting required) or minor public figures, where threat is defined as any of the following:

• Private individuals (name and/or face match are required) or minor public figures that includes:

• Statements of intent or advocacy, calls for action, aspirational or conditional statements to commit low-severity violence

Any content created for the express purpose of outing an individual as a member of a designated and recognizable at-risk group

Instructions on how to make or use weapons if there is evidence of a goal to seriously injure or kill people through:

• Language explicitly stating that goal, or
• Photos or videos that show or simulate the end result (serious injury or death) as part of the instruction.
• Unless the aforementioned content is shared as part of recreational self defence, for military training purposes, commercial video games or news coverage (posted by a Page or with a news logo).

Providing instructions on how to make or use explosives, unless there is clear context that the content is for a non-violent purpose (for example, part of commercial video games, clear scientific/educational purpose, fireworks or specifically for fishing)

Any content containing statements of intent, calls for action, conditional or aspirational statements, or advocating for violence due to voting, voter registration or the administration or outcome of an election

Statements of intent or advocacy, calls to action or aspirational or conditional statements to bring weapons to locations, including, but not limited to, places of worship, educational facilities, polling places or locations used to count votes or administer an election (or encouraging others to do the same).

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

Do not post:

• Content that puts LGBTQI+ people at risk by revealing their sexual identity against their will or without permission.
• Content that puts unveiled women at risk by revealing their images without veil against their will or without permission.
• Content that puts non-convicted individuals at risk by revealing their identity and their status as a target of a sting operation as a sexual predator.
• Violent threats against law enforcement officers.
• Violent threats against people accused of a crime. We remove this content when we have reason to believe that the content is intended to cause physical harm.
• Misinformation and unverifiable rumours that contribute to the risk of imminent violence or physical harm.

• Additionally, we have specific rules and guidance regarding content related to COVID-19 and vaccines.

• Coded statements where the method of violence or harm is not clearly articulated, but the threat is veiled or implicit. Fando looks at the below signals to determine whether there is a threat of harm in the content.

• Shared in a retaliatory context (e.g. expressions of desire to do something harmful to others in response to a grievance or threat that may be real, perceived or anticipated)
• References to historical or fictional incidents of violence (e.g. content that threatens others by referring to known historical incidents of violence that have been executed throughout history or in fictional settings)
• Acts as a threatening call to action (e.g. content inviting or encouraging others to carry out harmful acts or to join in carrying out the harmful acts)
• Indicates knowledge of or shares sensitive information that could expose others to harm (e.g. content that either makes note of or implies awareness of personal information that might make a threat of physical violence more credible. This includes implying knowledge of a person’s residential address, their place of employment or education, daily commute routes or current location)
• Local context or subject matter expertise confirms that the statement in question could be threatening and/or could lead to imminent violence or physical harm.
• The subject of the threat reports the content to us.

• Threats against election officials
• Implicit statements of intent or advocacy, calls to action, or aspirational or conditional statements to bring armaments to locations, including, but not limited to, places of worship, educational facilities, polling places or locations used to count votes or administer an election (or encouraging others to do the same). We may also restrict calls to bring armaments to certain locations where there are temporarily signals of a heightened risk of violence or offline harm. This may be the case, for example, when there is a known protest and counter-protest planned or violence broke out at a protest in the same city within the last seven days

Dangerous individuals and organizations

Policy rationale

In an effort to prevent and disrupt real-world harm, we do not allow organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence to have a presence on Fando. We assess these entities based on their behaviour both online and offline – most significantly, their ties to violence. Under this policy, we designate individuals, organizations and networks of people. These designations are divided into three tiers that indicate the level of content enforcement, with Tier 1 resulting in the most extensive enforcement because we believe that these entities have the most direct ties to offline harm.

Tier 1 focuses on entities that engage in serious offline harms – including organizing or advocating for violence against civilians, repeatedly dehumanizing or advocating for harm against people based on protected characteristics, or engaging in systematic criminal operations. Tier 1 entities include terrorist, hate and criminal organizations. We remove praise, substantive support and representation of Tier 1 entities, as well as their leaders, founders or prominent members. Tier 1 includes hate organizations; criminal organizations, including those designated by the United States government as specially designated narcotics trafficking kingpins (SDNTKs); and terrorist organizations, including entities and individuals designated by the United States government as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) or specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs). We remove praise, substantive support and representation of Tier 1 entities, as well as their leaders, founders or prominent members.

In addition, we do not allow content that praises, substantively supports or represents events that Fando designates as violating violent events – including terrorist attacks, hate events, multiple-victim violence or attempted multiple-victim violence, multiple murders or hate crimes. Nor do we allow praise, substantive support or representation of the perpetrator(s) of such attacks. We also remove content that praises, substantively supports or represents ideologies that promote hate, such as Nazism and white supremacy.

Tier 2 focuses on entities that engage in violence against state or military actors, but do not generally target civilians – what we call “violent non-state actors”. We remove all substantive support and representation of these entities, their leaders and their prominent members. We remove any praise of these groups’ violent activities.

Tier 3 focuses on entities that may repeatedly engage in violations of our Hate Speech or Dangerous Organizations Policies on or off the platform, or demonstrate strong intent to engage in offline violence in the near future, but have not necessarily engaged in violence to date or advocated for violence against others based on their protected characteristics. This includes militarized social movements, violence-inducing conspiracy networks, and individuals and groups banned for promoting hatred. Tier 3 entities may not have a presence, or coordinate on our platforms.

We recognize that users may share content that includes references to designated dangerous organizations and individuals to report on, condemn or neutrally discuss them or their activities. Our policies are designed to allow room for these types of discussions, but we require people to clearly indicate their intent. If the intention is unclear, we may remove content.

We remove:

We remove praise, substantive support and representation of various dangerous organizations. These concepts apply to the organizations themselves, their activities and their members. These concepts do not proscribe peaceful advocacy for particular political outcomes.

Praise, defined as any of the below:

• Speak positively about a designated entity or event;

• g. “The fighters for the Islamic State are really brave!”

• Give a designated entity or event a sense of achievement;

• g. “Timothy McVeigh is a martyr.”

• Legitimizing the cause of a designated entity by making claims that their hateful, violent or criminal conduct is legally, morally or otherwise justified or acceptable;

• g. “Hitler did nothing wrong.”

• Aligning oneself ideologically with a designated entity or event.

• g. “I stand with Brenton Tarrant.”

We remove praise of Tier 1 entities and designated events. We will also remove praise of violence carried out by Tier 2 entities.

Substantive support, defined as any of the below:

• Any act which improves the financial status of a designated entity – including funneling money towards or away from a designated entity;

• g. “Donate to the KKK!”

• Any act which provides material aid to a designated entity or event;

• g. “If you want to send care packages to the Sinaloa Cartel, use this address:”

• Putting out a call to action on behalf of a designated entity or event;

• g. “Contact the Atomwaffen Division – (XXX) XXX-XXXX”

• Recruiting on behalf of a designated entity or event;

• g. “If you want to fight for the Caliphate, DM me”

• Channeling information or resources, including official communications, on behalf of a designated entity or event

• g. Directly quoting a designated entity without caption that condemns, neutrally discusses or is a part of news reporting.

We remove substantive support of Tier 1 and Tier 2 entities and designated events.

Representation, defined as any of the below:

• Stating that you are a member of a designated entity, or are a designated entity;

• g. “I am a grand dragon of the KKK.”

• Creating a Page, profile, event, group or other Fando entity that is or purports to be owned by a designated entity or run on their behalf, or is or purports to be a designated event.

• g. A Page named “American Nazi Party”.

We remove representation of Tier 1 and 2 designated organisations, hate-banned entities and designated events.

Types and tiers of dangerous organizations

Tier 1: Terrorism, organized hate, large-scale criminal activity, attempted multiple-victim violence, multiple victim violence, multiple murders and violating violent events

We do not allow individuals or organizations involved in organized crime, including those designated by the United States government as specially designated narcotics trafficking kingpins (SDNTKs); hate; or terrorism, including entities designated by the United States government as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) or specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs), to have a presence on the platform. We also don’t allow other people to represent these entities. We do not allow leaders or prominent members of these organizations to have a presence on the platform, symbols that represent them to be used on the platform or content that praises them or their acts. In addition, we remove any coordination of substantive support for these individuals and organizations.

We do not allow content that praises, substantively supports or represents events that Fando designates as terrorist attacks, hate events, multiple-victim violence or attempted multiple-victim violence, serial murders, hate crimes or violating violent events.

We also do not allow praise, substantive support or representation of designated hateful ideologies.

Terrorist organizations and individuals, defined as a non-state actor that:

• Engages in, advocates or lends substantial support to purposive and planned acts of violence,
• Which causes or attempts to cause death, injury or serious harm to civilians, or any other person not taking direct part in the hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, and/or significant damage to property linked to death, serious injury or serious harm to civilians
• With the intent to coerce, intimidate and/or influence a civilian population, government or international organization
• In order to achieve a political, religious or ideological aim.

Hate organizations, defined as an association of three or more people that:

• is organized under a name, sign or symbol; and
• has an ideology, statements or physical actions that attack individuals based on characteristics, including race, religious affiliation, national origin, disability, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation or serious disease.

Criminal organizations, defined as an association of three or more people that:

• is united under a name, colour(s), hand gesture(s) or recognized indicia; and
• has engaged in or threatens to engage in criminal activity such as homicide, drug trafficking or kidnapping.

Multiple-victim violence and multiple murders 

• We consider an event to be multiple-victim violence or attempted multiple-victim violence if it results in three or more casualties in one incident, defined as deaths or serious injuries. Any individual who has committed such an attack is considered to be a perpetrator or an attempted perpetrator of multiple-victim violence.
• We consider any individual who has committed two or more murders over multiple incidents or locations a multiple murderer.

Hateful Ideologies

• While our designations of organizations and individuals focus on behaviour, we also recognize that there are certain ideologies and beliefs that are inherently tied to violence and attempts to organize people around calls for violence or exclusion of others based on their protected characteristics. In these cases, we designate the ideology itself and remove content that supports this ideology from our platform. These ideologies include:

• Nazism
• White supremacy
• White nationalism
• White separatism

• We remove explicit praise, substantive support and representation of these ideologies, and remove individuals and organizations that ascribe to one or more of these hateful ideologies.

Tier 2: Violent non-state actors

Organizations and individuals designated by Fando as violent non-state actors are not allowed to have a presence on Fando, or have a presence maintained by others on their behalf. As these groups are actively engaged in violence, substantive support of these entities is similarly not allowed. We will also remove praise of violence carried out by these entities.

Violent non-state actors, defined as any non-state actor that:

• engages in purposive and planned acts of violence, primarily against a government military or other armed groups; and
• that causes or attempts to

• cause death to persons taking direct part in hostilities in an armed conflict, and/or
• deprive communities of access to vital infrastructure and natural resources, and/or bring significant damage to property, linked to death, serious injury or serious harm to civilians

Tier 3: Militarized social movements, violence-inducing conspiracy networks and hate-banned entities

Pages, groups, events and profiles or other Fando entities that are – or claim to be – maintained by, or on behalf of, militarized social movements and violence-inducing conspiracy networks, are prohibited. Admins of these Pages, groups and events will also be removed.

We do not allow representation of organizations and individuals designated by Fando as hate-banned entities.

Militarized social movements (MSMs), which include:

• Militia groups, defined as non-state actors that use weapons as a part of their training, communication or presence; and are structured or operate as unofficial military or security forces, and:

• Coordinate in preparation for violence or civil war; or
• Distribute information about the tactical use of weapons for combat; or
• Coordinate militarized tactical coordination in a present or future armed civil conflict or civil war.

• Groups supporting violent acts amid protests, defined as non-state actors that repeatedly:

• Coordinate, promote, admit to or engage in:
• Acts of street violence against civilians or law enforcement; or
• Arson, looting or other destruction of property; or
• Threaten to violently disrupt an election process; or
• Promote bringing weapons to a location when the stated intent is to intimidate people amid a protest.

Violence-inducing conspiracy networks (VICNs), defined as a non-state actor that:

• Organizes under a name, sign, mission statement or symbol; and
• Promote theories that attribute violent or dehumanizing behaviour to people or organizations that have been debunked by credible sources; and
• Has inspired multiple incidents of real-world violence by adherents motivated by the desire to draw attention to or redress the supposed harms promoted by these debunked theories.

Hate-banned entities, defined as entities that engage in repeated hateful conduct or rhetoric, but do not rise to the level of a Tier 1 entity because they have not engaged in or explicitly advocated for violence, or because they lack sufficient connections to previously designated organizations or figures

Coordinating harm and publicizing crime

Policy rationale

In an effort to prevent and disrupt offline harm and copycat behaviour, we prohibit people from facilitating, organizing, promoting or admitting to certain criminal or harmful activities targeted at people, businesses, property or animals. We allow people to debate and advocate for the legality of criminal and harmful activities, as well as draw attention to harmful or criminal activity that they may witness or experience as long as they do not advocate for or coordinate harm.

Do not post content that falls into the following categories:

Harm against people

• Depicting, admitting to or promoting acts of physical harm against people, including acts of domestic violence – except when shared in the context of redemption or defence.
• Swatting – specifically statements of intent, calls to action, representing, supporting, advocating for, depicting, admitting to or speaking positively about it.
• Depicting, promoting, advocating for or encouraging participation in a high risk viral challenge.
• Promoting or advocating for harmful miracle cures for health issues.
• Coordinating, depicting, admitting to or promoting active and deliberate spread of communicable diseases by you or your associates

Harm against animals

Statements of intent, calls to action, representing, supporting or advocating for, or depicting, admitting to or promoting:

• Acts of physical harm against animals committed by you or your associates, except in cases of hunting, fishing, religious sacrifice, food preparation or processing, pest or vermin, self-defence or redemption
• Staged animal vs animal fights, including acts committed by a third party

Harm against property

Statements of intent, calls to action, representing, supporting or advocating for harm against property that depicts, admits to or promotes the following acts committed by you or your associates:

• Vandalism
• Hacking when the intent is to hijack a domain, corrupt or disrupt cyber systems, seek ransoms or gain unauthorized access to data systems
• Theft when committed by you or your associates, as well as positive statements about theft when committed by a third party

Voter and/or census fraud 

• Offers to buy or sell votes with cash or gifts
• Statements that advocate, provide instructions or show explicit intent to illegally participate in a voting or census process

Voter and/or census interference 

• Misrepresentation of the dates, locations and times, and methods for voting or voter registration or census participation
• Misrepresentation of who can vote, qualifications for voting, whether a vote will be counted and what information and/or materials must be provided in order to vote.
• Misrepresentation of who can participate in the census and what information or materials must be provided in order to participate
• Content claiming that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is at a voting location
• Explicit claims that people will be infected by COVID-19 (or another communicable disease) if they participate in the voting process.

For the following content, we include a label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive:

• Imagery depicting a high-risk viral challenge if shared with a caption that condemns or raises awareness of the associated risks

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

Do not post:

• Content revealing the identity of someone as a witness, informant, activist or individuals whose identity or involvement in a legal case has been restricted from public disclosure
• Imagery that is likely to deceive the public as to its origin if:

• The entity depicted, or an authorised representative, objects to the imagery, and
• The imagery has the potential to cause harm to members of the public

• Other misrepresentations related to voting in an official election or census participation may be subject to false news standards
• Misrepresentation of whether a candidate is running or not
• Calls for coordinated interference that would affect an individual’s ability to participate in an official census or election
• Content stating that census or voting participation may or will result in law enforcement consequences (for example, arrest, deport or imprisonment)
• Misrepresentation of government involvement in the census, including, where applicable, that an individual’s census information will be shared with another (non-census) government agency
• Statements of intent, support or advocacy to go to an election site, voting location or vote counting location when the purpose of going to the site is to monitor or watch voters or election officials’ activity using militaristic language (e.g. “war”, “army” or “soldier”) or an expressed goal to intimidate, exert control or display power (e.g. “let’s show them who’s boss!”, “if they’re scared, they won’t vote!”)
• Content coordinating interference with the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine
• Content calling to action, advocating or promoting that others not get the COVID-19 vaccine

Regulated goods

Policy rationale

To encourage safety and compliance with common legal restrictions, we prohibit attempts by individuals, manufacturers and retailers to purchase, sell or trade non-medical drugs, pharmaceutical drugs and marijuana. We also prohibit the purchase, sale, gifting, exchange and transfer of firearms, including firearm parts or ammunition, between private individuals on Fando. Some of these items are not regulated everywhere; however, because of the border-less nature of our community, we try to enforce our policies as consistently as possible. Firearm shops and online retailers may promote items available for sale off our services as long as those retailers comply with all applicable laws and regulations. We allow discussions about sales of firearms and firearm parts in shops or by online retailers and advocating for changes to firearm regulation.

Do not post:

Firearms

Content that:

• Attempts to buy, sell or trade firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements except when posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites, brands or government agencies (e.g. police department, fire department) or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.
• Attempts to donate or gift firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements except when posted in the following contexts:

• Donating, trading in or buying back firearms and ammunition by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites, brands or government agencies, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.
• An auction or raffle of firearms by legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, government-affiliated organisations or charities, or private individuals affiliated with or sponsored by legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.

• Asks for firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements
• Sells, gifts, exchanges, transfers, coordinates, promotes (by which we mean speaks positively about, encourages the use of) or provides access to 3D printing or computer-aided manufacturing instructions for firearms or firearms parts regardless of context or poster, even when posted by brick-and-mortar stores, brands and legitimate websites

Non-medical drugs

Content that:

• Attempts to buy, sell, trade, co-ordinate the trade of, donate, gift or asks for non-medical drugs.
• Admits to buying trading or co-ordinating the trade of non-medical drugs by the poster of the content by themselves or through others.
• Admits to personal use without acknowledgment of or reference to recovery, treatment or other assistance to combat usage. This content may not speak positively about, encourage use of, coordinate or provide instructions to make or use non-medical drugs.
• Coordinates or promotes (by which we mean speaks positively about, encourages the use of or provides instructions to use or make) non-medical drugs.

Pharmaceutical drugs

Content that:

• Attempts to buy, sell or trade pharmaceutical drugs except when:

• Listing the price of vaccines in an explicit education or discussion context.
• Offering delivery when posted by legitimate healthcare e-commerce businesses.

• Attempts to donate or gift pharmaceutical drugs
• Asks for pharmaceutical drugs except when content discusses the affordability, accessibility or efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs in a medical context

Marijuana

Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift, or asks for, marijuana.

Endangered species (wildlife and plants):

Content that:

• Attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift, or asks for, endangered species or their parts.
• Admits to poaching, buying or trading of endangered species or their parts committed by the poster of the content either by themselves, their associates or through others. This does not include depictions of poaching by strangers.
• Depicts poaching of endangered species and their parts committed by the poster of the content by themselves or through others.
• Shows coordination or promotion (by which we mean speaks positively about, encourages the poaching of or provides instructions to use or make products from endangered species or their parts)

Live non-endangered animals, excluding livestock

• Content that attempts to buy, sell or trade live non-endangered animals except when:

• Posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, legitimate websites, brands or rehoming shelters, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.
• Posted in the context of donating or rehoming live non-endangered animals, including rehoming fees for peer-to-peer adoptions, selling an animal for a religious offering or offering a reward for lost pets.

Human blood

• Content that attempts to buy, sell or trade human blood.
• Content that asks for human blood except for a donation or gift.

Alcohol/tobacco

Content that:

• Attempts to buy, sell or trade alcohol or tobacco except when:

• Posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites or brands, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.
• Content refers to alcohol/tobacco that will be exchanged or consumed on location at an event, restaurant, bar, party and so on.

• Attempts to donate or gift alcohol or tobacco except when posted by a Page, group or Fando profile representing legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses, websites or brands, or a private individual sharing content on behalf of legitimate brick-and-mortar entities.
• Asks for alcohol or tobacco

Weight loss products

• Content about weight loss that contains a miracle claim and attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products.

Historical artefacts

• Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift, or asks for, historical artefacts.

Except when any of the above occurs in a fictional or documentary context

For the following content, we restrict visibility to adults aged 21 years and over:

Firearms

• Content posted by or promoting legitimate brick-and-mortar store, entities, including retail businesses websites, brands or government agencies which attempt to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift (including in the context of an auction or a raffle) firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, explosives or lethal enhancements.

For the following content, we restrict visibility to adults aged 18 years and over:

Alcohol/tobacco

• Content posted by or promoting legitimate brick-and-mortar entities, including retail businesses websites or brands, which attempt to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift alcohol or tobacco products.

Bladed weapons

• Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift bladed weapons.

Weight loss products and potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures

Content that

• Attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products or potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures.
• Admits to or depicts using a weight loss product or potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures, except when admitting to use in a disapproval context.
• Shows coordination or promotion (by which we mean speaks positively, encourages the use of or provides instructions to use or make a diet product or perform dangerous cosmetic procedures).

Sex toys and sexual enhancement products

• Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift sex toys and sexual enhancement products

Fraud and deception

Policy rationale

In an effort to prevent fraudulent activity that can harm people or businesses, we remove content that purposefully deceives, willfully misrepresents, or otherwise defrauds or exploits others for money or property. This includes content that seeks to coordinate or promote these activities using our services.

We allow people to raise awareness and educate others as well as condemn these activities unless this includes content that contains sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information.

Do not post:

Content that provides instructions on, engages in, promotes, coordinates, encourages, facilitates, admits to, recruits for or admits to the offering or solicitation of any of the following activities:

• Deceiving others to generate a financial or personal benefit to the detriment of a third party or entity through:

• Investment or financial scams:
  • Loan scams
  • Advance fee scams.
  • Gambling scams
  • Ponzi or pyramid schemes.
  • Money or cash flips or money muling.
  • Investment scams with promise of high rates of return.
• Inauthentic identity scams:
  • Charity scams.
  • Romance or impersonation scams
  • Establishment of false businesses or entities.
• Product or rewards scams:
  • Grant and benefits scams.
  • Tangible, spiritual or illuminati scams.
  • Insurance scams, including ghost broking
  • Fake jobs, work from home or get-rich-quick scams.
  • Debt relief or credit repair scams.

• Engaging with others to generate a financial or personal benefit at a loss for a third party, such as people, businesses or organizations through:

• Fake documents or financial instruments by:
  • Creating, selling or buying of:
    • Fake or forged documents.
    • Fake or counterfeit currency or vouchers.
    • Fake or forged educational and professional certificates.
    • Money laundering
  • Stolen information, goods or services by:
    • Credit card fraud and goods or property purchases with stolen financial information
    • Trading, selling or buying of:
      • personally identifiable information.
      • Fake and misleading user reviews or ratings.
      • Future exam papers or answer sheets.
      • Credentials for subscription services.
      •  
    • Betting manipulation (for example match fixing).
    • Manipulation of measuring devices such as electricity or water meters in order to bypass their authorized or legal use.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

Do not post:

Content that engages in, promotes, encourages, facilitates or admits to the following activities:

• Bribery.
• Embezzlement

Suicide and self-injury

Policy rationale

We care deeply about the safety of the people who use our apps. We regularly consult with experts in suicide and self-injury to help inform our policies and enforcement, and work with organisations around the world to provide assistance to people in distress.

While we don’t allow people to intentionally or unintentionally celebrate or promote suicide or self-injury, we do allow people to discuss these topics because we want Fando to be a space where people can share their experiences, raise awareness about these issues and seek support from one another.

We define self-injury as the intentional and direct injuring of the body, including self-mutilation and eating disorders. We remove any content that encourages suicide or self-injury, including fictional content such as memes or illustrations and any self-injury content that is graphic, regardless of context. We also remove content that identifies and negatively targets victims or survivors of suicide or self-injury seriously, humorously or rhetorically, as well as real-time depictions of suicide or self-injury. Content about recovery of suicide or self-harm that is allowed, but may contain imagery that could be upsetting, such as a healed scar, is placed behind a sensitivity screen.

When people post or search for suicide or self-injury- related content, we will direct them to local organizations that can provide support and if someone is at immediate risk of harming themselves, we will contact local emergency services to get them help.

With respect to live content, experts have told us that if someone is saying they intend to attempt suicide on a live-stream, we should leave the content up for as long as possible, because the longer someone is talking to a camera, the more opportunity there is for a friend or family member to call emergency services.

However, to minimize the risk of others being negatively affected by viewing this content, we will stop the live-stream at the point at which the threat turns into an attempt. As mentioned above, in any case, we will contact the emergency services if we identify that someone is at immediate risk of harming themselves.

Do not post:

Content that promotes, encourages, coordinates or provides instructions for

• Suicide.
• Self-injury.
• Eating disorders.

Content that depicts graphic self-injury imagery

It is against our policies to post content depicting a person who engaged in a suicide attempt or death by suicide

Content that focuses on depiction of ribs, collar bones, thigh gaps, hips, concave stomach or protruding spine or scapula when shared together with terms associated with eating disorders

Content that contains instructions for drastic and unhealthy weight loss when shared together with terms associated with eating disorders.

Content that mocks victims or survivors of suicide, self-injury or eating disorders who are either publicly known or implied to have experienced suicide or self-injury

For the following content, we restrict content to adults over the age of 18, and include a sensitivity screen so that people are aware that the content may be upsetting:

• Photos or videos depicting a person’s death by suicide or suicide attempt, which are determined to be newsworthy.
• Photos or videos depicting a person who engaged in euthanasia/assisted suicide in a medical setting.

For the following content, we include a sensitivity screen so that people are aware that the content may be upsetting to some:

• Content that depicts older instances of self-harm such as healed cuts or other non-graphic self-injury imagery in a context of recovery.
• Content that depicts ribs, collar bones, thigh gaps, hips, concave stomach or protruding spine or scapula in a recovery context.

We provide resources to people who post written or verbal admissions of engagement in self-injury, including:

• Suicide.
• Euthanasia/assisted suicide.
• Self-harm.
• Eating disorders.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

• We may remove suicide notes when we have confirmation of a suicide or suicide attempt. We try to identify suicide notes using several factors, including but not limited to, family or legal representative requests, media reports, law enforcement reports or other third party sources (e.g. government agencies, NGOs).

Child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity

Policy rationale

We do not allow content that sexually exploits or endangers children. When we become aware of apparent child exploitation, we report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in compliance with applicable law. We know that sometimes, people share nude images of their own children with good intentions; however, we generally remove these images because of the potential for abuse by others and to help avoid the possibility of other people re-using or misappropriating the images.

We also work with external experts, including the Fando Safety Advisory Board, to discuss and improve our policies and enforcement around online safety issues, especially with regard to children.

Do not post:

Child sexual exploitation

Content that threatens, depicts, praises, supports, provides instructions for, makes statements of intent, admits participation in or shares links of the sexual exploitation of children (real or non-real minors, toddlers or babies), including, but not limited to:

• Sexual intercourse

• Explicit sexual intercourse or oral sex, defined as mouth or genitals entering or in contact with another person’s genitals or anus, where at least one person’s genitals are nude.
• Implied sexual intercourse or oral sex, including when contact is imminent or not directly visible.
• Stimulation of genitals or anus, including when activity is imminent or not directly visible.
• Presence of by-products of sexual activity.
• Any of the above involving an animal.

• Children with sexual elements, including, but not limited to:

•  
• Focus on genitals.
• Presence of aroused adult.
• Presence of sex toys.
• Sexualised costume.
•  
• Staged environment (for example, on a bed) or professionally shot (quality/focus/angles).
• Open-mouth kissing.

• Content of children in a sexual fetish context.
• Content that supports, promotes, advocates or encourages participation in paedophilia, unless it is discussed neutrally in an academic or verified health context.
• Content that identifies or mocks alleged victims of child sexual exploitation by name or image.

Solicitation

Content that solicits

• Imagery of child sexual exploitation
• Nude imagery of children
• Sexualised imagery of children
• Real-world sexual encounters with children

Inappropriate interactions with children 

Content that constitutes or facilitates inappropriate interactions with children, such as:

• Arranging or planning real-world sexual encounters with children
• Purposefully exposing children to sexually explicit language or sexual material
• Engaging in implicitly sexual conversations in private messages with children
• Obtaining or requesting sexual material from children in private messages

Exploitative intimate imagery and sextortion 

Content that attempts to exploit minors by:

• Coercing money, favours or intimate imagery with threats to expose intimate imagery or information.
• Sharing, threatening or stating an intent to share private sexual conversations or intimate imagery.

Sexualisation of children 

Content that solicits imagery of child sexual exploitation, or nude or sexualised images or videos of children

• Content (including photos, videos, real-world art, digital content and verbal depictions) that shows children in a sexualised context.
• Groups, Pages and profiles targeted at sexualising children.

Child nudity 

Content that depicts child nudity where nudity is defined as:

• Close-ups of children’s genitalia
• Real nude toddlers, showing:

• Visible genitalia, even when covered or obscured by transparent clothing.
• Visible anus and/or fully nude close-up of buttocks.

• Real nude minors, showing:

• Visible genitalia (including genitalia obscured only by pubic hair or transparent clothing)
• Visible anus and/or fully nude close-up of buttocks.
• Uncovered female nipples.
• No clothes from neck to knee – even if no genitalia or female nipples are showing.

• Digitally-created depictions of nude minors, toddlers or babies, unless the image is for health or educational purposes.

Non-sexual child abuse

Imagery that depicts non-sexual child abuse regardless of sharing intent

Content that praises, supports, promotes, advocates for, provides instructions for or encourages participation in non-sexual child abuse.

For the following content, we include a warning screen so that people are aware that the content may be disturbing and limit the ability to view the content to adults aged 18 and older: 

• Videos or photos that depict police officers or military personnel committing non-sexual child abuse.
• Imagery of non-sexual child abuse, when law enforcement, child protection agencies or trusted safety partners request that we leave the content on the platform for the express purpose of bringing a child back to safety.

For the following content, we include a sensitivity screen so that people are aware that the content may be upsetting to some: 

• Videos or photos of violent immersion of a child in water in the context of religious rituals.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

For the following content, we include a warning label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive:

• Imagery posted by a news agency that depicts child nudity in the context of famine, genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity, unless accompanied by a violating caption or shared in a violating context, in which case the content is removed.

We may also remove imagery depicting the aftermath of non-sexual child abuse when reported by news media partners, NGOs or other trusted safety partners

Adult sexual exploitation

Policy rationale

We recognize the importance of Fando as a place to discuss and draw attention to sexual violence and exploitation. In an effort to create space for this conversation and promote a safe environment, we allow victims to share their experiences, but remove content that depicts, threatens or promotes sexual violence, sexual assault or sexual exploitation. We also remove content that displays, advocates for or coordinates sexual acts with non-consenting parties to avoid facilitating non-consensual sexual acts.

To protect victims and survivors, we remove images that depict incidents of sexual violence and intimate images shared without the consent of the person(s) pictured. As noted in the introduction, we also work with external safety experts to discuss and improve our policies and enforcement around online safety issues, and we may remove content when they provide information that content is linked to harmful activity.

Do not post:

In instances where content consists of any form of non-consensual sexual touching, crushing, necrophilia or bestiality, or forced stripping, including:

• Depictions (including real photos/videos except in a real-world art context), or
• Advocacy (including aspirational and conditional statements), or
• Statements of intent, or
• Calls for action, or
• Threatening, sharing, offering soliciting or stating an intent to share imagery, or
• Admitting participation, or
• Mocking victims of any of the above.

Content that attempts to exploit people by any of the following:

• Sextortion: Coercing money, favours or intimate imagery from people with threats to expose their intimate imagery or intimate information
• Sharing, threatening, stating an intent to share, offering or asking for “non-consensual intimate imagery” that fulfills all of the three following conditions:

• Imagery is non-commercial or produced in a private setting.
• Person in the imagery is (near) nude, engaged in sexual activity or in a sexual pose.
• Lack of consent to share the imagery is indicated by meeting any of the signals:
  • Vengeful context (such as caption, comments or Page title).
  • Independent sources (such as law enforcement record) including entertainment media (such as leak of images confirmed by media).
  • A visible match between the person depicted in the image and the person who has reported the content to us.
  • The person who reported the content to us shares the same name as the person depicted in the image.

• Secretly taken non-commercial imagery of a real person’s commonly sexualised body parts (breasts, groin, buttocks or thighs) or of a real person engaged in sexual activity. This imagery is commonly known as “creepshots” or “upskirts” and includes photos or videos that mock, sexualise or expose the person depicted in the imagery.
• Threatening or stating an intent to share private sexual conversations that meet the following criteria:

• Lack of consent is indicated by:
  • Vengeful context and/or threatening context, or
  • A visible match between the person depicted in the image and the person who has reported the content to us.
  • The person who reported the content to us shares the same name as the person depicted in the image.

For the following content, we include a warning screen so that people are aware that the content may be disturbing:

Narratives and statements that contain a depiction of non-consensual sexual touching (written or verbal) that includes details beyond mere naming or mentioning the act if:

• Shared by the victim, or
• Shared by a third party (other than the victim) in support of the victim or condemnation of the act or for general awareness to be determined by context/caption.

Content mocking the concept of non-consensual sexual touching

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

We may restrict visibility to people over the age of 18 and include a warning label on certain fictional videos (e.g. digital and hand-drawn imagery, film and TV show scenes, comic books, music videos) that depict non-consensual sexual touching.

In addition to our at-scale policy of removing content that threatens or advocates rape or other non-consensual sexual touching, we may also disable the posting account

Bullying and harassment

Policy rationale

Bullying and harassment happen in many places and come in many different forms, from making threats and releasing personally identifiable information to sending threatening messages and making unwanted malicious contact. We do not tolerate this kind of behaviour because it prevents people from feeling safe and respected on Fando.

We distinguish between public figures and private individuals because we want to allow discussion, which often includes critical commentary of people who are featured in the news or who have a large public audience. For public figures, we remove attacks that are severe as well as certain attacks where the public figure is directly tagged in the post or comment.

For private individuals, our protection goes further: We remove content that’s meant to degrade or shame, including, for example, claims about someone’s personal sexual activity. We recognize that bullying and harassment can have more of an emotional impact on minors, which is why our policies provide heightened protection for users between the ages of 13 and 18.

Context and intent matter, and we allow people to post and share if it is clear that something was shared in order to condemn or draw attention to bullying and harassment. In certain instances, we require self-reporting because it helps us understand that the person targeted feels bullied or harassed. In addition to reporting such behaviour and content,

We also have a Bullying Prevention Hub, which is a resource for teenagers, parents and educators seeking support for issues related to bullying and other conflicts. It offers step-by-step guidance, including information on how to start important conversations about bullying.

Do not:

Tier 1: Target anyone maliciously by:

• Repeatedly contacting someone in a manner that is:

• Unwanted or
• Sexually harassing or
• Directed at a large number of individuals with no prior solicitation.

• Attacking someone based on their status as a victim of sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment or domestic abuse.
• Calling for self-injury or suicide of a specific person or group of people.
• Attacking someone through derogatory terms related to sexual activity (e.g. whore, slut).
• Posting content about a violent tragedy, or victims of violent tragedies that include claims that a violent tragedy did not occur.
• Posting content about victims or survivors of violent tragedies or terrorist attacks by name or by image, with claims that they are:

• Acting/pretending to be a victim of an event.
• Otherwise paid or employed to mislead people about their role in the event.

• Threatening to release an individual’s private phone number, residential address or email address.
• Making statements of intent to engage in a sexual activity or advocating for them to engage in a sexual activity.
• Making severe sexualised commentary
• Sharing derogatory sexualised photoshopped imagery or drawings
• Calling for, or making statements of intent to engage in, bullying and/or harassment.
• Posting content that further degrades or expresses disgust towards individuals who are depicted in the process of, or right after, menstruating, urinating, vomiting or defecating
• Creating Pages or groups that are dedicated to attacking individual(s) by:

• Calling for death, or to contract or develop a medical condition.
• Making statements of intent of advocating to engage in sexual activity.
• Making claims that the individual has or may have a sexually transmitted disease.
• Sexualising another adult.

• Sending messages that contain the following attacks when aimed at an individual or group of individuals in the thread:

• Attacks referenced in Tier 1, 2 and 4 of this policy.
• Targeted cursing.
• Calls for death, serious disease, disability, epidemic disease or physical harm.

Tier 2: Target private individuals, limited scope public figures (for example, individuals whose primary fame is limited to their activism, journalism or those who become famous through involuntary means) or public figures who are minors with: 

• Calls for death, or to contract or develop a medical condition.
• Female-gendered cursing terms when used in a derogatory way.
• Claims about sexual activity or sexually transmitted diseases except in the context of criminal allegations against adults about non-consensual sexual touching.
• Pages or groups created to attack through:

• Targeted cursing.
• Negative physical descriptions.
• Claims about religious identity or blasphemy.
• Expressions of contempt or disgust.
• Female-gendered cursing terms when used in a derogatory way.

Tier 3: Target public figures by purposefully exposing them to:

• For adults and minors:

• Calls for death, or to contract or develop a medical condition.
• Claims about sexually transmitted diseases
• Female-gendered cursing terms when used in a derogatory way.
• Content that praises, celebrates or mocks their death or medical condition.
• Attacks through negative physical descriptions.

• For minors:

• Comparisons to animals or insects that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior or to an inanimate object (“cow”, “monkey”, “potato”).
• Content manipulated to highlight, circle or otherwise negatively draw attention to specific physical characteristics (nose, ear and so on).

Tier 4: Target private individuals or limited scope public figures with:

• Comparisons to animals or insects that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior or to an inanimate object (“cow”, “monkey”, “potato”).
• Content manipulated to highlight, circle or otherwise negatively draw attention to specific physical characteristics (nose, ear and so on).
• Attacks through negative physical descriptions.
• Content that ranks individuals on physical appearance or personality.
• Content sexualising another adult.
• Content that further degrades individuals who are depicted being physically bullied except in self-defence and fight-sport contexts.
• Content that praises, celebrates or mocks their death or serious physical injury.
• In addition to the above, attacks through Pages or groups:

• Negative character or ability claims.
• First-person voice bullying only if the object targets more than one private individual.

Tier 5: Target private adults (who must self-report) or any private minors or involuntary minor public figures with:

• Targeted cursing.
• Claims about romantic involvement, sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Coordination, advocacy or promotion of exclusion.
• Negative character or ability claims, except in the context of criminal allegations and business reviews against adults. We allow criminal allegations so that people can draw attention to personal experiences or offline events. In cases in which criminal allegations pose offline harm to the named individual, however, we may remove them.
• Expressions of contempt or disgust, except in the context of criminal allegations against adults.

Tier 6: Target private individuals who are minors with:

• Allegations about criminal or illegal behaviour.
• Videos of physical bullying shared in a non-condemning context.

Tier 7: Target private individuals (who must self-report) with:

• First-person voice bullying.
• Unwanted manipulated imagery.
• Comparison to other public, fictional or private individuals on the basis of physical appearance
• Claims about religious identity or blasphemy.
• Comparisons to animals or insects that are not culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior (“tiger”, “lion”).
• Neutral or positive physical descriptions.
• Non-negative character or ability claims.
• Any bullying or harassment violation, when shared in an endearing context.
• Attacks through derogatory terms related to a lack of sexual activity.

We add a cover to this content so that people can choose whether to see it:

Videos of physical bullying against minors shared in a condemning context

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

Do not:

• Post content that targets private individuals through unwanted Pages, groups and events. We remove this content when it is reported by the victim or an authorized representative of the victim.
• Create accounts to contact someone who has blocked you.
• Post attacks that use derogatory terms related to female-gendered cursing. We remove this content when the victim or an authorized representative of the victim informs us of the content, even if the victim has not reported it directly.
• Post content that would otherwise require the victim to report the content or an indicator that the poster is directly targeting the victim (e.g. the victim is tagged in the post or comment). We will remove this content if we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.
• Post content praising, celebrating or mocking anyone’s death. We also remove content targeting a deceased individual that we would normally require the victim to report.
• Post content calling for or stating an intent to engage in behaviour that would qualify as bullying and harassment under our policies. We will remove this content when we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.
• Post content sexualising a public figure. We will remove this content when we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.
• Repeatedly contact someone to sexually harass them. We will remove this content when we have confirmation from the victim or an authorized representative of the victim that the content is unwanted.
• Engage in mass harassment against individuals that targets them based on their decision to take or not take the COVID-19 vaccine with:

• Statements of mental or moral inferiority based on their decision, or
• Statements that advocate for or allege a negative outcome as a result of their decision, except for widely proven and/or accepted COVID-19 symptoms or vaccine side effects.

• Remove directed mass harassment, when:

• Targeting, via any surface, ‘individuals at heightened risk of offline harm’, defined as:
  • Human rights defenders
  • Minors
  • Victims of violent events/tragedies
  • Opposition figures in at-risk countries during election periods
  • Government dissidents who have been targeted based on their dissident status
  • Ethnic and religious minorities in conflict zones
  • Member of a designated and recognizable at-risk group
• Targeting any individual via personal surfaces, such as inbox or profiles, with:
  • Content that violates the bullying and harassment policies for private individuals or,
  • Objectionable content that is based on a protected characteristic

• Disable accounts engaged in mass harassment as part of either

• State or state-affiliated networks targeting any individual via any surface.
• Adversarial networks targeting any individual via any surface with:
  • Content that violates the bullying and harassment policies for private individuals or,
  • Content that targets them based on a protected characteristic, or,
  • Content or behaviour otherwise deemed to be objectionable in local context

Human exploitation

Policy rationale

After consulting with outside experts from around the world, we are consolidating several existing exploitation policies that were previously housed in different sections of the Community Standards into one dedicated section that focuses on human exploitation and captures a broad range of harmful activities that may manifest on our platform. Experts think and talk about these issues under one umbrella – human exploitation.

In an effort to disrupt and prevent harm, we remove content that facilitates or coordinates the exploitation of humans, including human trafficking. We define human trafficking as the business of depriving someone of liberty for profit. It is the exploitation of humans in order to force them to engage in commercial sex, labour or other activities against their will. It relies on deception, force and coercion, and degrades humans by depriving them of their freedom while economically or materially benefiting others.

Human trafficking is multi-faceted and global; it can affect anyone regardless of age, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender or location. It takes many forms, and any given trafficking situation can involve various stages of development. By the coercive nature of this abuse, victims cannot consent.

While we need to be careful not to conflate human trafficking and smuggling, the two can be related and exhibit overlap. The United Nations defines human smuggling as the procurement or facilitation of illegal entry into a state across international borders. Without necessity for coercion or force, it may still result in the exploitation of vulnerable individuals who are trying to leave their country of origin, often in pursuit of a better life. Human smuggling is a crime against a state, relying on movement, and human trafficking is a crime against a person, relying on exploitation.

Do not post:

Content or exhibited behaviour that may lead to human exploitation, which includes any of the following:

• Sex trafficking, covering minors and adults.
• The sale of children for illegal adoption.
• Orphanage trafficking and orphanage volun-tourism.
• Forced marriages.
• Labour exploitation (including bonded labour).
• Domestic servitude.
• Non-regenerative organ trafficking.
• Forced criminal activity (e.g. forced begging, forced drug trafficking).
• Recruitment of child soldiers.

Content geared towards the:

• Recruitment of potential victims through force, fraud, coercion, enticement, deception, blackmail or other non-consensual acts.
• Facilitation of human exploitation by coordinating, transporting, transferring, harbouring or brokering of victims prior to or during the exploitation.
• Exploitation of humans by promoting, depicting or advocating for it.

Content that offers to provide or facilitate human smuggling

Privacy violations and image privacy rights

Policy rationale

Privacy and the protection of personal information are fundamentally important values for Fando. We work hard to safeguard your personal identity and information and we do not allow people to post personal or confidential information about yourself or of others.

We remove content that shares, offers or solicits personally identifiable information or other private information that could lead to physical or financial harm, including financial, residential and medical information, as well as private information obtained from illegal sources. We also recognize that private information may become publicly available through news coverage, court filings, press releases or other sources. When that happens, we may allow the information to be posted.

We also provide people with ways to report imagery that they believe to be in violation of their privacy rights.

Do not post:

Content that shares or solicits any of the following private information, either on Fando or through external links.

Personally identifiable information about yourself or others 

• Personal identity: identifying individuals through government-issued numbers.

• National identification number (for example Social Security Number (SSN), passport number, National Insurance/Health Service Number, Personal Public Service Number (PPS), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)).
• Government IDs of law enforcement, military or security personnel.

• Personal information: directly identifying an individual, by indicating the ID number or registration information and the individual’s name.

• Records or official documentation of civil registry information (marriage, birth, death, name change or gender recognition and so on).
• Immigration and work status documents (for example, green cards, work permits, visas or immigration papers).
• Driving licences or licence plates.
• Credit Privacy Number (CPN).

• Digital identity: authenticating access to an online identity

• Email addresses with passwords.
• Digital identities with passwords.
• Passwords, pins or codes to access private information.

Other private information

• Personal contact information of others, such as phone numbers, addresses and email addresses
• Financial information.

• Personal financial information about yourself or others, including:
  • Non-public financial records or statements.
  • Bank account numbers with security or pin codes.
  • Digital payment method information with login details, security or pin codes.
  • Credit or debit card information with validity dates or security pins or codes.
• Financial information about businesses or organizations, including:
  • Financial records or statements except when the financial records of the business are publicly available (for example, listed on stock exchanges or regulatory agencies etc.)
  • Bank account numbers accompanied by security or pin codes.
  • Digital payment method information accompanied by login details, security or pin codes.

• Residential information

• Imagery that displays the external view of private residences if all of the following conditions apply:
  • The residence is a single-family home, or the resident’s unit number is identified in the image/caption.
  • The city/neighbourhood or GPS pin (for example, a pin from Google Maps) are identified.
  • The content identifies the resident(s).
  • That same resident objects to the exposure of their private residence, or there is context of organizing protests against the resident (this does not include embassies that also serve as residences).
• Content that exposes information about safe houses by sharing any of the below, unless the safe house is actively promoting information about their facility
  • Actual address (note: “Post Box only” is allowed).
  • Images of the safe house.
  • Identifiable city/neighbourhood of the safe house.
  • Information exposing the identity of the safe house residents.

• Medical information

• Records or official documentation displaying medical, psychological, biometric or genetic hereditary of others.

• Information obtained from hacked sources.

• Except in limited cases of newsworthiness, content claimed or confirmed to come from a hacked source, regardless of whether the affected person is a public figure or a private individual.

• Status or occupation related information.

• Content that exposes the undercover status of law enforcement, military or security personnel if:
  • The content contains the agent’s full name or other explicit identification and explicitly mentions their undercover status.
  • The imagery identifies the faces of the law enforcement personnel and explicitly mentions their undercover status.

The following content also may be removed:

• A reported photo or video of people where the person depicted in the image is:

• A minor under the age of 13, and the content was reported by the minor or a parent or legal guardian.
• A minor between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, and the content was reported by the minor.
• An adult, where the content was reported by the adult from outside the United States and applicable law may provide rights to removal.
• Any person who is incapacitated and unable to report the content on their own.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

Do not post:

• Content that puts a defector at risk by outing the individual with personally identifiable information when the content is reported by credible government channels.
• Depictions of someone in a medical or health facility if reported by the person pictured or an authorized representative

Hate speech

Policy rationale

We believe that people use their voice and connect more freely when they don’t feel attacked on the basis of who they are. That is why we don’t allow hate speech on Fando. It creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion, and in some cases may promote offline violence.

We define hate speech as a direct attack against people – rather than concepts or institutions – on the basis of what we call protected characteristics: race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and serious disease. We define attacks as violent or dehumanising speech, harmful stereotypes, statements of inferiority, expressions of contempt, disgust or dismissal, cursing and calls for exclusion or segregation. We also prohibit the use of harmful stereotypes, which we define as dehumanizing comparisons that have historically been used to attack, intimidate or exclude specific groups, and that are often linked with offline violence. We consider age a protected characteristic when referenced along with another protected characteristic. We also protect refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from the most severe attacks, though we do allow commentary and criticism of immigration policies. Similarly, we provide some protections for characteristics such as occupation, when they’re referenced along with a protected characteristic. Sometimes, based on local nuance, we consider certain words or phrases as code words for PC groups.

We recognize that people sometimes share content that includes someone else’s hate speech to condemn it or raise awareness. In other cases, speech that might otherwise violate our standards can be used self-referentially or in an empowering way. Our policies are designed to allow room for these types of speech, but we require people to clearly indicate their intent. If the intention is unclear, we may remove content.

Do not post:

Tier 1

Content targeting a person or group of people (including all subsets except those described as having carried out violent crimes or sexual offences) on the basis of their aforementioned protected characteristic(s) or immigration status with:

• Violent speech or support in written or visual form
• Dehumanizing speech or imagery in the form of comparisons, generalizations or unqualified behavioral statements (in written or visual form) to or about:

•  
• Animals that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior.
• Filth, bacteria, disease and faeces.
• Sexual predator.
•  
• Violent and sexual criminals
• Other criminals (including, but not limited to, “thieves”, “bank robbers” or saying “All [protected characteristic or quasi-protected characteristic] are ‘criminals’”).
• Statements denying existence.

• Mocking the concept, events or victims of hate crimes, even if no real person is depicted in an image.
• Designated dehumanizing comparisons, generalizations or behavioral statements (in written or visual form) that include:

• Black people and apes or ape-like creatures.
• Black people and farm equipment.
• Caricatures of Black people in the form of blackface.
• Jewish people and rats.
• Jewish people running the world or controlling major institutions such as media networks, the economy or the government.
• Denying or distorting information about the Holocaust.
• Muslim people and pigs.
• Muslim person and sexual relations with goats or pigs.
• Mexican people and worm-like creatures.
• Women as household objects or referring to women as property or “objects”.
• Transgender or non-binary people referred to as “it”.
• Dalits, scheduled caste or “lower caste” people as menial labourers.

Tier 2

Content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristic(s) with:

• Generalizations that state inferiority (in written or visual form) in the following ways:

• Physical deficiencies are defined as those about:
  • Hygiene, including, but not limited to: filthy, dirty, smelly.
  • Physical appearance, including, but not limited to: ugly, hideous.
• Mental deficiencies are defined as those about:
  • Intellectual capacity, including, but not limited to: dumb, stupid, idiots.
  • Education, including, but not limited to: illiterate, uneducated.
  • Mental health, including, but not limited to: mentally ill, retarded, crazy, insane.
• Moral deficiencies are defined as those about:
  • Character traits culturally perceived as negative, including, but not limited to: coward, liar, arrogant, ignorant.
  • Derogatory terms related to sexual activity, including, but not limited to: whore, slut, perverts.

• Other statements of inferiority, which we define as:

• Expressions about being less than adequate, including, but not limited to: worthless, useless.
• Expressions about being better/worse than another protected characteristic, including, but not limited to: “I believe that males are superior to females.”
• Expressions about deviating from the norm, including, but not limited to: freaks, abnormal.

• Expressions of contempt (in written or visual form), which we define as:

• Self-admission to intolerance on the basis of protected characteristics, including, but not limited to: homophobic, islamophobic, racist.
• Expressions that a protected characteristic shouldn’t exist.
• Expressions of hate, including, but not limited to: despise, hate.

• Expressions of dismissal, including, but not limited to: don’t respect, don’t like, don’t care for

• Expressions of disgust (in written or visual form), which we define as:

• Expressions suggesting that the target causes sickness, including, but not limited to: vomit, throw up.
• Expressions of repulsion or distaste, including, but not limited to: vile, disgusting, yuck.

• Cursing, except certain gender-based cursing in a romantic break-up context, defined as:

• Referring to the target as genitalia or anus, including, but not limited to: cunt, dick, asshole.
• Profane terms or phrases with the intent to insult, including, but not limited to: fuck, bitch, motherfucker.
• Terms or phrases calling for engagement in sexual activity, or contact with genitalia, anus, faeces or urine, including, but not limited to: suck my dick, kiss my ass, eat shit.

Tier 3

Content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristic(s) with any of the following:

• Segregation in the form of calls for action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or statements advocating or supporting segregation.
• Exclusion in the form of calls for action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or statements advocating or supporting, defined as

• Explicit exclusion, which means things such as expelling certain groups or saying they are not allowed.
• Political exclusion, which means denying the right to political participation.
• Economic exclusion, which means denying access to economic entitlements and limiting participation in the labour market.
• Social exclusion, which means things such as denying access to spaces (physical and online) and social services, except for gender-based exclusion in health and positive support groups.

Content that describes or negatively targets people with slurs, where slurs are defined as words that are inherently offensive and used as insulting labels for the above characteristics.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce:

Do not post:

• Content explicitly providing or offering to provide products or services that aim to change people’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Content attacking concepts, institutions, ideas, practices or beliefs associated with protected characteristics, which are likely to contribute to imminent physical harm, intimidation or discrimination against the people associated with that protected characteristic. Fando looks at a range of signs to determine whether there is a threat of harm in the content. These include, but are not limited to: content that could incite imminent violence or intimidation; whether there is a period of heightened tension such as an election or ongoing conflict; and whether there is a recent history of violence against the targeted protected group. In some cases, we may also consider whether the speaker is a public figure or occupies a position of authority.
• Content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristic(s) with claims that they have or spread the novel corona-virus, are responsible for the existence of the novel corona-virus, are deliberately spreading the novel corona-virus or mocking them for having or experiencing the novel corona-virus

Violent and graphic content

Policy rationale

We remove content that glorifies violence or celebrates the suffering or humiliation of others because it may create an environment that discourages participation. We allow graphic content (with some limitations) to help people raise awareness about issues. We know that people value the ability to discuss important issues such as human rights abuses or acts of terrorism. We also know that people have different sensitivities with regard to graphic and violent content. For that reason, we add a warning label to especially graphic or violent content so that it is not available to people under the age of eighteen and so that people are aware of the graphic or violent nature before they click to see it.

Do not post:

Imagery of people

Videos of people or dead bodies in non-medical settings if they depict

• Dismemberment.
• Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies.
• Charred or burning people unless in the context of cremation or self-immolation when that action is a form of political speech or newsworthy.
• Victims of cannibalism.
• Throat-slitting.

Live streams of capital punishment of a person

Sadistic remarks

• Sadistic remarks towards imagery that is deleted or put behind a warning screen under this policy, unless there is a self-defence context or explicit educational context in a medical setting.
• Sadistic remarks towards imagery of one or more persons subjected to violence and/or humiliating acts by one or more uniformed personnel doing a police function.
• Offering or soliciting imagery that is deleted or put behind a warning screen under this policy, when accompanied by sadistic remarks.
• Explicit sadistic remarks towards the suffering of animals depicted in the imagery.

For the following content, we include a warning screen so that people are aware that the content may be disturbing. We also limit the ability to view the content to adults aged 18 and older:

Imagery of people

Videos of people or dead bodies in a medical setting if they depict:

• Dismemberment.
• Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies.
• Charred or burning people, including cremation or self-immolation when that action is a form of political speech or newsworthy.
• Victims of cannibalism.
• Throat-slitting.

Photos of wounded or dead people if they show:

• Dismemberment.
• Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies.
• Charred or burning people.
• Victims of cannibalism.
• Throat-slitting.

Imagery that shows the violent death of a person or people by accident or murder

Imagery that shows capital punishment of a person

Imagery that shows acts of torture committed against a person or people

Imagery of non-medical foreign objects (such as metal objects, knives, nails) involuntarily inserted or stuck into people causing grievous injury

Imagery of animals

The following content involving animals:

• Videos depicting humans killing animals if there is no explicit manufacturing, hunting, food consumption, processing or preparation context.
• Imagery of animal-to-animal fights, when there are visible innards or dismemberment of non-regenerating body, unless in the wild.
• Imagery of humans committing acts of torture or abuse against live animals.
• Imagery of animals showing wounds or cuts that render visible innards or dismemberment, if there is no explicit manufacturing, hunting, taxidermy, medical treatment, rescue or food consumption, preparation or processing context, or the animal is already skinned or with its outer layer fully removed.

For the following content, we include a label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive:

Imagery of non-medical foreign objects voluntarily inserted into people through skin in religious or cultural context

Imagery of visible innards in a birthing context

Imagery of foetuses and newborn babies that show:

• Dismemberment.
• Visible innards.
• An abortion or abandonment context.

Imagery of newborn babies in an abandonment context

Imagery of animals in a ritual slaughter context showing dismemberment, or visible innards, or charring or burning

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

We remove:

• Videos and photos that show the violent death of someone when a family member requests its removal

Adult nudity and sexual activity

Policy rationale

We restrict the display of nudity or sexual activity because some people in our community may be sensitive to this type of content. Additionally, we default to removing sexual imagery to prevent the sharing of non-consensual or underage content. Restrictions on the display of sexual activity also apply to digitally created content unless it is posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes.

Our Nudity Policies have become more nuanced over time. We understand that nudity can be shared for a variety of reasons, including as a form of protest, to raise awareness about a cause or for educational or medical reasons. Where such intent is clear, we make allowances for the content. For example, while we restrict some images of female breasts that include the nipple, we allow other images, including those depicting acts of protest, women actively engaged in breastfeeding and photos of post-mastectomy scarring. For images depicting visible genitalia or the anus in the context of birth and after-birth moments or health-related situations, we include a warning label so that people are aware that the content may be sensitive. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures.

Do not post:

Imagery of

• Real nude adults, if it depicts:

• Visible genitalia except in the context of giving birth and after-birth moments or health-related situations (e.g. gender confirmation surgery, examination for cancer or disease prevention/assessment).
• Visible anus and/or fully nude close-ups of buttocks unless photoshopped on a public figure.
• Uncovered female nipples except in the context of breastfeeding, giving birth and after-birth moments, health-related situations (e.g. post-mastectomy, breast cancer awareness or gender confirmation surgery) or an act of protest.

• Sexual activity, including:

• Sexual intercourse
  • Explicit sexual intercourse, defined as mouth or genitals entering or in contact with another person’s genitals or anus, where at least one person’s genitals are nude.
  • Implied sexual intercourse, defined as mouth or genitals entering or in contact with another person’s genitals or anus, even when the contact is not directly visible, except in cases of a sexual health context, advertisements and recognized fictional images or with indicators of fiction.
  • Implied stimulation of genitalia/anus, defined as stimulating genitalia/anus or inserting objects into genitalia/anus, even when the activity is not directly visible, except in cases of sexual health context, advertisements and recognized fictional images or with indicators of fiction.
• Other activities including but not limited to:
  • Erections
  • Presence of by-products of sexual activity.
  • Stimulating genitals or anus, even if above or under clothing.
  • Use of sex toys, even if above or under clothing.
  • Stimulation of naked human nipples.
  • Squeezing female breasts, defined as a grabbing motion with curved fingers that shows both marks and clear shape change of the breasts. We allow squeezing in breastfeeding contexts.
• Fetish content that involves:
  • Acts that are likely to lead to the death of a person or animal.
  •  
  •  
  • Faeces, urine, spit, snot, menstruation or vomit.
• Digital content that meets our definition of sexual activity, except when posted in an educational or scientific context, or when it meets one of the criteria below and shown only to individuals aged 18 years and older.

• Extended audio of sexual activity

We only show this content to individuals aged 18 and over:

• Real-world art that depicts sexual activity.
• Posting photographs or videos of objects that depict sexual activity in real-world art.
• Implied sexual activity in advertisements.
• Implied sexual activity in recognized fictional images or with indicators of fiction.
• Digital content that meets our definition of sexual activity, where:

• The sexual activity (intercourse or other sexual activities) isn’t directly visible.
• The content was posted in a satirical or humorous context.
• Only body shapes or contours are visible

Sexual solicitation

Policy rationale

People use Fando to discuss and draw attention to sexual violence and exploitation. We recognize the importance of and allow for this discussion. We also allow for the discussion of sex worker rights advocacy and sex work regulation. We draw the line, however, when content facilitates, encourages or coordinates sexual encounters or commercial sexual services between adults. We do this to avoid facilitating transactions that may involve trafficking, coercion and non-consensual sexual acts.

We also restrict sexually explicit language that may lead to sexual solicitation because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content, and it may impede the ability for people to connect with their friends and the broader community.

Do not post:

Content that offers or asks for adult commercial services, such as requesting, offering or asking for rates for escort service and paid sexual fetish or domination services.

Attempted coordination of or recruitment for adult sexual activities, except when promoting an event or venue, including, but not limited to:

• Filmed sexual activities.
• Pornographic activities, strip club shows, live sex performances or erotic dances.
• Sexual, erotic or tantric massages.

Explicit sexual solicitation by, including, but not limited to, the following, offering or asking for:

• Offering or asking for sex or sexual partners (including partners who share fetish or sexual interests).
• Sex chat or conversations.
• Nude photos/videos/imagery/sexual fetish items.
• Sexual slang terms.

We allow expressing desire for sexual activity, promoting sex education, discussing sexual practices or experiences, or offering classes or programmes that teach techniques or discuss sex.

Content that is implicitly or indirectly offering or asking for sexual solicitation and meets both of the following criteria. If both criteria are not met, it is not deemed to be violating. For example, if content is a hand-drawn image depicting sexual activity but does not ask or offer sexual solicitation, it is not violating:

• Criteria 1: Offer or ask

• Content that implicitly or indirectly (typically through providing a method of contact) offers or asks for sexual solicitation.

• Criteria 2: Suggestive elements

• Content that makes the aforementioned offer or ask using one of the following sexually suggestive elements:
  • Contextually specific and commonly sexual emojis or emoji strings, or
  • Regional sexualised slang, or
  • Mentions or depictions of sexual activity (including hand-drawn, digital or real-world art) such as sexual roles, sex positions, fetish scenarios, state of arousal, act of sexual intercourse or activity (e.g. sexual penetration or self-pleasuring), or
  •  
  • Audio of sexual activity or other content that violates theAdult nudity and sexual activity

An offer or ask for pornographic material (including, but not limited to, sharing of links to external pornographic websites).

Sexually explicit language that goes into graphic detail beyond mere reference to:

• A state of sexual arousal (e.g wetness or erection) or
• An act of sexual intercourse (e.g sexual penetration, self-pleasuring or exercising fetish scenarios).
• Except for content shared in a humorous, satirical or educational context, as a sexual metaphor or as sexual cursing

Account integrity and authentic identity

Policy rationale

Authenticity is the cornerstone of our community. We believe that authenticity helps create a community where people are accountable to each other, and to Fando, in meaningful ways. We want to allow for the range of diverse ways that identity is expressed across our global community, while also preventing impersonation and identity misrepresentation. That’s why we require people to connect on Fando using the name that they go by in everyday life. Our Authenticity Policies are intended to create a safe environment where people can trust and hold one another accountable.

In order to maintain a safe environment and empower free expression, we also remove accounts that are harmful to the community, including those that compromise the security of other accounts and our services. We have built a combination of automated and manual systems to block and remove accounts that are used to persistently or egregiously abuse our Community Standards.

Because account-level removal is a harsh severe action, whenever possible, we aim to give our community a chance to learn our rules and follow our Community Standards. Penalties, including account disables, are designed to be proportionate to the severity of the violation and the risk of harm posed to the community. Continued violations, despite repeated warnings and restrictions, or violations that pose severe safety risks, will lead to an account being disabled.

We do not allow the use of our services and will disable accounts if you:

• Severely violate our Community Standards.
• Persistently violate our Community Standards.
• Represent dangerous individuals or organizations.
• Create or use an account that demonstrates intent to violate our Community Standards.
• Create an account, Page, group or event to evade our enforcement actions, including creating an account to bypass a restriction or after we have disabled your previous account, Page, group or event.
• Impersonate others by:

• Using their photos with the explicit aim to deceive others.
• Creating an account assuming to be or speak for another person or entity.
• Creating a Page assuming to be or speak for another person or entity for whom the user is not authorized to do so.

• Are under 13 years old.
• Are a convicted sex offender.
• Are prohibited from receiving our products, services or software under applicable laws.

In certain cases, such as those outlined below, we will seek further information about an account before taking actions ranging from temporarily restricting accounts to permanently disabling them.

• Accounts misrepresenting their identity (Fando and Messenger only) by:

• Using a name that is not theauthentic name you go by in everyday life
  • Using an inherently violating name containing slurs or any other violations of theCommunity Standards
• Providing a false date of birth.
• Creating a single account that represents or is used by more than one person.
• Maintaining multiple accounts as a single user.

• Compromised accounts.
• Empty accounts with prolonged dormancy

Spam

Policy rationale

We work hard to limit the spread of spam because we do not want to allow content that is designed to deceive, or that attempts to mislead users to increase viewership. This content creates a negative user experience, detracts from people’s ability to engage authentically in online communities, and can threaten the security, stability and usability of our services. We also aim to prevent people from abusing our platform, products or features to artificially increase viewership or distribute content en masse for commercial gain.

Do not:

• Post, share, engage with content, or create accounts, groups, pages, events or other assets, either manually or automatically, at very high frequencies.
• Attempt to or successfully sell, buy or exchange site privileges or product features, such as accounts, admin roles, permission to post, pages, groups, likes etc., except in the case of clearly identified branded content.

• Require or claim that users are required to engage with content (e.g. liking, sharing) before they are able to view or interact with promised content.
• Encourage likes, shares, follows, clicks or the use of apps or websites under false pretences, such as:

• Offering false or non-existent services or functionality(e.g. “Get a ‘Dislike’ button!”)
• Failing to direct to promised content (e.g. “Click here for a discount code at Nordstrom”;false play buttons)
• Directing users off of Fando through the deceptive or misleading use of URLs, defined as:
  • Cloaking:Presenting different content to Fando users and Fando crawlers or tools.
  • Misleading content: Content contains a link that promises one type of content but delivers something substantially different.
  • Deceptive pop-up websites: Websites that require an action (captcha, watch ad, click here) in order to view the expected landing page content and the domain name of the URL changes after the required action is complete.
  • Like/share-gating:Landing pages that require users to like, share or otherwise engage with content before gaining access to off-Fando content.
  • Deceptive landing page functionality:Websites that have a misleading user interface, which results in accidental traffic being generated (pop-ups/unders, click jacking)
  • Impersonation:The website pretends to be a reputable brand or service by using a name, domain or content featuring typos, misspellings or other means to impersonate well-known brands www.Fando00media.com, www.Fando_media.com, using a landing page similar to another trusted site to mislead visitors).
  • And other behaviours that are substantially similar to those listed above

Cybersecurity

Policy rationale

We recognize that the safety of our users includes the security of their personal information, accounts, profiles and other Fando entities they may manage, as well as our products and services more broadly. Attempts to gather sensitive personal information or engage in unauthorized access by deceptive or invasive methods are harmful to the authentic, open and safe atmosphere that we want to foster. Therefore, we do not allow attempts to gather sensitive user information or engage in unauthorized access through the abuse of our platform, products, or services.

Do not:

Attempt to compromise user accounts, profiles or other Fando entities, abuse our products or services, gather sensitive information through deceptive means or attempt to engage in unauthorized access, including:

• Gaining access to accounts, profiles, Fando. entities or user data other than your own through deceptive means or without explicit permission from the account, profile or entity owner.
• Encouraging or deceiving users to download or run files or programs that will compromise a user’s online or data security, including through malicious software or websites. Such files and programs will be deemed malicious software or “malware” if they harm or gain unauthorized access to a computer, device or network.
• Attempting to obtain, acquire or request another user’s login credentials or other sensitive information, whether explicitly or through deceptive means such as phishing (e.g. fake surveys designed to capture login info or links to fake login pages or impostor websites) or the use of malicious software or websites.
• Publicly sharing your own or others’ login information, either on platform or through a third-party service.
• Creating, sharing or hosting malicious software, including browser extensions and mobile applications, on or off the platform that put our users or products and services at risk.

Inauthentic behaviour

Policy rationale

In line with our commitment to authenticity, we don’t allow people to misrepresent themselves on Fando, use fake accounts, artificially boost the popularity of content or engage in behaviours designed to enable other violations under our Community Standards. This policy is intended to protect the security of user accounts and our services, and create a space where people can trust the people and communities they interact with.

Do not:

• Use multiple Fando accounts or share accounts between multiple people
• Misuse Fando reporting systems to harass others
• Conceal a Page’s purpose by misleading users about the ownership or control of that Page
• Engage in, or claim to engage in, inauthentic behaviour, which is defined as the use of Fando assets (accounts, pages, groups or events), to mislead people or Fando:

• about the identity, purpose or origin of the entity that they represent
• about the popularity of Fando content or assets
• about the purpose of an audience or community
• about the source or origin of content
• to evade enforcement under our Community Standards

• Engage in, or claim to engage in, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, defined as the use of multiple Fando assets, working in concert to engage in inauthentic behaviour (as defined above), where the use of fake accounts is central to the operation
• Engage in, or claim to engage in, foreign or government interference, which is coordinated inauthentic behaviour conducted on behalf of a foreign or government actor

False news

Policy rationale

Reducing the spread of false news on Fando is a responsibility that we take seriously. We also recognize that this is a challenging and sensitive issue. We want to help people stay informed without stifling productive public discourse. There is also a fine line between false news and satire or opinion.

For these reasons, we do not remove false news from Fando, but we significantly reduce its distribution by showing it lower in News Feed.

We are working to build a more informed community and reduce the spread of false news in a number of different ways, namely by

• Disrupting economic incentives for people, Pages and domains that propagate misinformation
• Using various signals, including feedback from our community, to inform a machine learning model that predicts which stories may be false
• Reducing the distribution of content rated as false by independent third-party fact-checkers
• Empowering people to decide for themselves what to read, trust and share by informing them with more context and promoting news literacy
• Collaborating with academics and other organisations to help solve this challenging issue

Manipulated media

Policy rationale

Media, including image, audio or video, can be edited in a variety of ways. In many cases, these changes are benign, such as a filter effect on a photo. In other cases, the manipulation isn’t apparent and could mislead, particularly in the case of video content. We aim to remove this category of manipulated media when the criteria laid out below have been met.

In addition, we will continue to invest in partnerships (including with journalists, academics and independent fact-checkers) to help us reduce the distribution of false news and misinformation, as well as to better inform people about the content they encounter online.

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

Do not post:

• Videos that have been edited or synthesized, beyond adjustments for clarity or quality, in ways that are not apparent to an average person, and would likely mislead an average person to believe:

• A subject of the video said words that they did not say, AND
• The video is the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning, including deep learning techniques (e.g. a technical deep-fake), that merges, combines, replaces and/or superimposes content onto a video, creating a video that appears authentic.

• This policy does not extend to content that is parody or satire or is edited to omit words that were said or change the order of words that were said

Memorialization

Policy rationale

When someone passes away, friends and family can request that we memorialize the Fando account. Once memorialized, the word “Remembering” appears above the name on the person’s profile to help make it clear that the account is now a memorial site and to protect against attempted logins and fraudulent activity. To respect the choices that someone made while alive, we aim to preserve their account after they pass away. We have also made it possible for people to identify a legacy contact to look after their account after they pass away. To support the bereaved, in some instances we may remove or change certain content when the legacy contact or family members request it.

For victims of murder and suicide, we will remove the following content if it appears on the deceased’s profile photo, cover photo or amongst recent timeline posts when requested by a legacy contact or family member of the deceased:

• Visual depiction of the object used in the deceased’s death
• Imagery of the convicted or alleged murderer of the deceased
• Content related to the deceased’s death

For victims of murder, we will also remove the convicted or alleged murderer from the deceased’s profile if referenced in relationship status or amongst friends.

When we have additional context provided by the legacy contact or a family member of the deceased, we may:

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

When brought to our attention by the legacy contact or a family member of the deceased, we will:

• Remove violating comments on a memorialized profile, which would typically require the individual to self report so that we know that they are unwanted
• Remove praise or support for the death, disease or harm of the deceased person on a memorialized profile
• Change the deceased’s individual’s privacy settings from public to friends-only when there is harmful content on the profile
• Change a violating account name on the profile of the deceased individual

Intellectual property

Policy rationale

Fando takes intellectual property rights seriously and believes that they are important to promoting expression, creativity and innovation in our community. You own all of the content and information that you post on Fando, and you control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. However, before sharing content on Fando, please make sure that you have the right to do so. We ask that you respect other people’s copyrights, trademarks and other legal rights. We are committed to helping people and organizations promote and protect their intellectual property rights. Fando’s Terms of Service do not allow people to post content that violates someone else’s intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark.

Upon receipt of a report from a rights holder or an authorized representative, we will remove or restrict content that engages in:

• Copyright infringement
• Trademark infringement

User requests

We comply with:

• User requests for removal of their own account
• Requests for removal of a deceased user’s account from a verified immediate family member or executor
• Requests for removal of an incapacitated user’s account from an authorized representative

Additional protection of minors

We comply with:

• Requests for removal of an underage account
• Government requests for removal of child abuse imagery depicting, for example, beating by an adult or strangling or suffocating by an adult
• Legal guardian requests for removal of attacks on unintentionally famous minors

For the following Community Standards, we require additional information and/or context to enforce: 

We may remove content created for the purpose of identifying a private minor if there may be a risk to the minor’s safety when requested by a user, government, law enforcement or external child safety experts