Community Guidelines

Effective date: 1st October 2025
Last updated: 15th March 2026

Purpose & Scope
1.1 These Guidelines set the ground rules for using and participating on FOS Social. They apply to all users, creators, businesses, and visitors, and govern all content, interactions, and conduct on the Platform.
1.2 Where local law imposes stricter standards, those requirements prevail. We may enforce region-specific rules or restrict certain features or content to comply with law and platform risk thresholds.
Age, Verification & Access
2.1 Minimum age. FOS Social is not available to anyone under 17.
2.2 Teen (17) accounts. Permitted but subject to stricter defaults. Sensitive Content is blocked, and payment or payout features are disabled until successful age and identity verification.
2.3 Under-age discovery. If we learn an account holder is under 17 or lacks legally required consent, we will suspend and may delete the account and associated data in accordance with our Terms and Privacy Policy, without appeal.
2.4 Sensitive Content access. Only verified adults may access Sensitive Content (see Section 9). Attempts to circumvent these restrictions or mislabel content are prohibited.
How Enforcement Works
3.1 Detection. We use user reports, automated detection systems, and human review.
3.2 Enforcement actions (graduated & risk-based). Content labelling, age-gating, downranking, removal, feature limitations (e.g., posting, messaging, monetisation), demonetisation, temporary suspension, termination, device/IP bans, reports to payment partners or regulators, and legal referrals.
3.3 Strikes & severity. Severe violations (e.g., child safety, non-consensual intimate imagery, credible threats, terrorism content) may result in immediate and permanent termination.
3.4 Appeals. Unless otherwise stated, one appeal per enforcement decision may be submitted within 14 days to support@fossocial.com. For safety, legal, or integrity reasons, we may limit what we disclose in appeal outcomes.
Illegal Content & Unlawful Use (Zero Tolerance)
Do not post, share, promote, or facilitate illegal activity. This includes but is not limited to:
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, child endangerment, or sexualisation of minors
Human trafficking, sexual exploitation, or non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII)
Incitement to violence, credible threats, or organised criminal activity
Sale or solicitation of illegal drugs, weapons, explosives, counterfeit or stolen goods
Instructions to commit crimes or manufacture weapons or explosives
Piracy, intellectual property theft, malware or spyware distribution
We will remove such content, report it where required, and permanently ban offenders.
Safety: Harassment, Hate, Threats
5.1 Harassment & bullying. No targeted harassment, stalking, doxxing, or encouragement of abuse.
5.2 Hate speech. No content attacking a person or group based on protected characteristics (e.g., race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, caste, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, serious disease, or immigration status).
5.3 Threats & glorification of harm. No credible threats of violence, kidnapping, coercion of self-harm, or praise of violent acts.
5.4 Repeat abusers. Accounts primarily created to harass or evade penalties will be removed.
Suicide, Self-Harm & Dangerous Acts
6.1 Prohibited. Content encouraging suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or dangerous acts.
6.2 Allowed with care. Educational, recovery-oriented, or resource-sharing content may be permitted if presented non-graphically and with appropriate warnings.
6.3 Emergencies. If someone is at risk, contact local emergency services. We may contact authorities in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Violence & Graphic Content
7.1 Graphic gore. Must be clearly labelled as Sensitive and age-gated. Gratuitous gore or sadistic content is prohibited.
7.2 Violent organisations. Content supporting, praising, or recruiting for terrorist or extremist groups is prohibited. News or reporting context may be permitted with clear context and warnings.
Misinformation & Harmful Claims
8.1 High-risk harm. We may remove or label demonstrably false or misleading content that risks imminent harm (e.g., dangerous medical misinformation, fake emergency instructions).
8.2 Civic integrity. Deceptive practices aimed at suppressing voting, impersonating election officials, or undermining democratic processes are prohibited.
8.3 Labels & distribution controls. We may apply labels, reduce visibility, or disable recommendations. Independent fact-checking sources may be referenced where available.
Sexual Content & Partial Nudity
9.1 Minors. Any sexual content involving minors (real, simulated, or perceived) is strictly prohibited.
9.2 Partial nudity. Legal partial nudity content may be permitted for verified adults behind age-gates and must be correctly labelled as Sensitive.
9.3 Consent & records. Documented consent from all participants and age verification is mandatory. FOS Social may request such documentation at any time. Non-consensual or hidden-camera content is prohibited.
9.4 Commercial sex services. Prohibited.
9.5 Sexual violence. Prohibited, including content depicting or fantasising non-consensual acts.
9.6 Contextual partial nudity. Content with artistic, educational, or medical value showing partial nudity may be permitted if non-explicit and appropriately labelled.
9.7 Regional restrictions. Content of this nature may be restricted or blocked where required by local law.
Sensitive Content Labelling & Age-Gating
10.1 “Sensitive Content” includes: partial nudity, graphic violence, strong or offensive language, traumatic or triggering topics (e.g., war, abuse), or other categories designated by FOS Social.
10.2 Creator duty. You must accurately label uploads. Misclassification, evasion (e.g., cropping, filters), or repeated errors can result in demonetisation or account action.
10.3 Viewer controls. Only verified adults may access Sensitive Content. Teens (17) and unverified users cannot.
Impersonation & Authenticity
11.1 No impersonation. Do not impersonate creators, brands, public figures, or FOS Social staff.
11.2 Parody or satire. Allowed if clearly labelled and not misleading.
11.3 Synthetic or deepfake media. Must be clearly disclosed, especially if depicting real individuals. Deepfakes may not be used to deceive, harass, or spread harmful misinformation.
Privacy & Doxxing
12.1 Do not share private information (e.g., addresses, phone numbers, financial data, government IDs) without explicit permission.
12.2 Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). Strictly prohibited.
12.3 Face recognition. Do not harvest biometric data from others’ content.
Intellectual Property
13.1 Only share content you have rights to. Do not post copyrighted, trademarked, or stolen content without authorisation.
13.2 Enforcement. We respond to valid takedown notices (e.g., DMCA). Repeat violators may have accounts terminated.
13.3 Counterfeit. Promotion or sale of counterfeit goods is prohibited.
Spam, Manipulation & Platform Integrity
14.1 Spam. No mass, repetitive, irrelevant posts, comments, messages, tags, link farming, or deceptive redirects.
14.2 Manipulation. Bots, scripts, engagement manipulation, artificial amplification, and fake interactions are prohibited.
14.3 Picks integrity. Buying, selling, coercing, or botting Picks votes is prohibited. Manipulated votes may be invalidated, and participants disqualified.
14.4 Referrals integrity. No self-referrals, duplicate accounts, device spoofing, or misleading referral activity (see Referral & Rewards Policy).
14.5 Circumvention. Do not attempt to bypass technical restrictions, rate limits, or enforcement measures.
Scams, Fraud & Deceptive Practices
15.1 Prohibited. Investment scams, crypto fraud, pyramid or Ponzi schemes, get-rich-quick schemes, catfishing, impersonating FOS Social staff, phishing, or payment fraud.
15.2 Monetisation claims. Creators must not make false promises of earnings or guaranteed results.
15.3 Consequences. Removal, refund denial, chargeback liability, demonetisation, account suspension, and possible notification to partners or authorities.
Regulated Goods & Services
16.1 Generally prohibited. You may not use FOS Social to promote, sell, or distribute firearms, ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, tobacco products or vapes, hard alcohol, hacking tools, surveillance spyware, or any similar restricted goods.
16.2 Gambling. Unlawful gambling, unlicensed betting, or schemes that violate local gambling laws are prohibited.
16.3 Financial services. Any offer of financial services (including investment products, payment services, lending e.t.c) must fully comply with applicable licensing, disclosure, and advertising requirements. If such compliance cannot be demonstrated, the activity is prohibited.
Health, Medical & Crisis Claims
17.1 No dangerous medical claims. Content that discourages necessary medical care, promotes unproven remedies in a way that risks harm, or offers crisis-related misinformation may be removed or labelled.
17.2 Credentials. Anyone presenting themselves as a licensed medical or health professional must do so accurately and include any legally required disclosures.
Creator Monetisation Rules
18.1 Delivery of perks. Be accurate and transparent about subscription tiers, perks, and benefits. Do not mislead subscribers or change the offering after payment.
18.2 No pay-for-harm. Offering to engage in dangerous, illegal, or self-harm activities in exchange for payment is strictly prohibited.
18.3 Content eligibility. Content that violates these Guidelines is not eligible for monetisation. Revenue earned from such content may be forfeited or clawed back.
18.4 Chargebacks & refunds. Under the Terms of Service and Subscription & Payment Policy, Creators may bear the cost of chargebacks, refunds, or fraud linked to their content or conduct.
Advertising, Endorsements & Disclosures
19.1 Truthful marketing. All paid promotions, brand partnerships, and affiliate links must comply with advertising and consumer protection laws. This includes using clear labels such as “#ad” or “paid partnership.”
19.2 Claims. Any objective claim (e.g., “clinically proven,” “guaranteed returns”) must be supported by reliable evidence.
19.3 Targeting. Do not target ads or promotions for age-restricted goods or services to minors.
Reporting, Notices & Appeals
20.1 Report content. Use in-product reporting tools or email abuse@fossocial.com with URLs, a description, and the legal basis for your report.
20.2 IP notices. Send copyright and DMCA notices to copyright@fossocial.com following the instructions provided.
20.3 Appeals. You may appeal a moderation decision once within 14 days. Safety, legal, and integrity concerns will take priority over reinstatement.
Transparent Actions (Where Feasible)
21.1 Reasons. For significant moderation actions, we aim to provide a brief statement of reasons, subject to safety, legal, and operational constraints.
21.2 Transparency reporting. We may share aggregated transparency metrics (e.g., number of removals, types of labels applied) at our discretion.
Regional Requirements & Local Law
22.1 Local compliance. We may apply stricter regional rules — for example, on partial nudity, gambling, or political advertising — and geo-restrict content or features as needed.
22.2 Cooperation with authorities. Where required by law, we cooperate with lawful regulatory or law enforcement requests in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Repeat Violators & Evasion
23.1 Evasion. Creating new accounts to bypass penalties, using new payment credentials to continue abuse, or attempting to circumvent enforcement (including device or network switching) may result in permanent device or IP bans and partner notifications.
23.2 Business accounts. Business accounts are held to higher standards (e.g., ad rules, consumer law). Repeated violations may lead to suspension or removal of business features.
Creator Duty to Cooperate
24.1 Documentation. You must promptly provide age or consent records, rights clearances, and identity or KYC documentation when requested, especially for monetised or Sensitive Content.
24.2 Non-cooperation. Failure to comply may result in content removal, demonetisation, suspension, or termination.
Education & Resources
25.1 We may provide tips, checklists, and educational prompts to help you comply (e.g., labelling Sensitive Content, avoiding copyright infringement). These are guidance only and do not replace these Guidelines or applicable law.
Consequences Summary (Non-Exhaustive)
Content labelling, age-gating, and warning screens
Down-ranking or removal from recommendations
Removal of content, comments, or posts
Restrictions on posting, messaging, or monetisation
Demonetisation and forfeiture or clawback of rewards
Temporary suspension or permanent account termination
Device or IP bans and notifications to partners or authorities
Appeals & Reinstatement
27.1 Appeal window. 14 days, unless a longer period is required by regional law.
27.2 Reinstatement programme. For certain violations (excluding safety or legal risks), we may offer monitored reinstatement following education and a probation period. Participation is at our discretion.
Updates to These Guidelines
28.1 Policy changes. We may update these Guidelines to reflect changes in law, safety learnings, or product functionality.
28.2 Notice. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notifications or email. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.
Contact
General & Appeals: support@fossocial.com
Abuse/Misconduct: abuse@fossocial.com
Copyright/DMCA: copyright@fossocial.com
Security: security@fossocial.com
Postal: Fos SM Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ, UK

Quick Reference — Creator Checklists
Label & Gate Sensitive Content
Partial nudity, strong language, graphic violence, traumatic topics — mark as Sensitive
Verify age and consent of all participants and keep documentation ready
Do Not Post
CSAM or minors, NCII, trafficking, terror or extremism, threats, doxxing, scams, counterfeit goods, malware
Monetisation
Be truthful about perks
No dangerous or illegal acts for payment
Policy-violating content is ineligible for monetisation
Expect clawbacks for fraud or chargebacks
Integrity
No bots, vote-buying, self-referrals, or manipulation
Respect platform rate limits and technical restrictions
Advertising & Endorsement Disclosures
Use clear #ad labels for paid promotions and partnerships
Substantiate all objective claims with reliable evidence
Do not target minors with age-restricted products or services

When in doubt: Do not post — or contact us at support@fossocial.com