Community Guidelines

Last updated: May 23, 2026

These Community Guidelines form an integral part of our Terms of Use. They describe the behaviors and content expected on Circl and the actions we take when these rules are violated.

Our mission is to build a safe, authentic and culturally vibrant space for the global Afro community — creators, founders, cultural leaders and members of the African diaspora. These Guidelines apply to all content and interactions on Circl, including posts, profiles, messages, stories, comments and any other form of expression.

1. Identity & Authenticity

Circl is built on real connections between real people. We do not tolerate identity misuse in any form.

Strictly prohibited:

• Impersonating any individual, public figure, brand, organization or entity, real or fictional;
• Using false names, misleading profile information, deceptive photos or stolen images;
• Creating fake, parody (without clear disclosure) or duplicate accounts;
• Misrepresenting your identity, profession, nationality, age or affiliation;
• Using deepfakes, face-swap technologies, voice clones or AI-generated images representing real people without their explicit consent;
• Selling, buying or transferring accounts.

2. Authentic Content

Circl is a platform for genuine human expression, creativity and community. We are not a platform for mass-produced or low-effort AI content.

Strictly prohibited:

• Posting low-effort, mass-produced or fully AI-generated content lacking creative or human intent ("AI slop");
• Operating bots, automated accounts or scripts to post, like, follow or message users without authorization;
• Spamming, flooding feeds, or repeatedly posting identical or near-identical content;
• Generating artificial engagement through purchased followers, likes, comments or views;
• Submitting plagiarized content or content infringing on third-party intellectual property;
• Coordinated inauthentic behavior, including manipulating trends or hashtags.

Allowed:

• AI-assisted content (such as edits, enhancements or visuals integrated into a genuine creative work);
• Generative tools used transparently as part of your authentic creative process.

3. Zero Tolerance — Hate Speech & Discrimination

Circl is built for and by the global Afro community. We will not host content that promotes hatred against any group, including our own.

Strictly prohibited and resulting in immediate permanent ban:

• Racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, anti-Black hatred, colorism;
• Sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation;
• Religious intolerance, hate speech targeting any faith or belief system;
• Discrimination based on disability, nationality, ethnicity, age or any protected characteristic;
• Use of slurs, dehumanizing language or coded hate speech;
• Glorification of violence, terrorism, genocide or hate groups;
• Symbols, flags or imagery associated with hate organizations;
• Holocaust denial or denial of recognized genocides.

4. Harassment, Threats & Safety

Strictly prohibited:

• Targeted harassment, bullying, stalking or intimidation;
• Doxxing (sharing private personal information of others without consent);
• Threats of physical, sexual or psychological violence;
• Coordinated attacks, brigading or pile-ons;
• Encouraging or inciting others to harm themselves or others;
• Sharing non-consensual intimate imagery (revenge porn);
• Promoting eating disorders, self-harm or suicide.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact local emergency services. We also encourage reporting through the in-app reporting feature so we can take action.

5. Scams, Fraud & Financial Misconduct

Circl is not a financial services platform. Any form of scam or financial exploitation is grounds for immediate termination and may be reported to law enforcement.

Strictly prohibited:

• Romance scams / "broutage": emotional manipulation, fake relationships, or financial exploitation under the guise of affection, friendship or romantic interest;
• Soliciting money or gifts: directly or indirectly requesting money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, financial information or payments from other users;
• Cryptocurrency & NFT promotions: sharing links to crypto schemes, NFT drops, "guaranteed return" investments, token launches, or any speculative financial scheme;
• Pyramid schemes & MLM: multi-level marketing, "get rich quick" programs, recruitment-based earnings schemes;
• Phishing & malware: deceptive links, fake login pages, malware distribution;
• Fake giveaways & contests: contests requiring personal information, payment or that you don't have authority to run;
• Fake job offers & recruitment fraud: fraudulent employment, modeling or talent scout offers;
• Illegal goods & services: drugs, weapons, counterfeit products, stolen items, hacked accounts;
• Sexual services: soliciting or offering sexual content or services in exchange for money, gifts or anything of value;
• Identity theft & fraud: using or sharing stolen personal information, credit card data or government documents.

6. Protection of Minors

Circl is strictly an 18+ platform. We have zero tolerance for any content or behavior involving minors.

Strictly prohibited and reported to law enforcement:

• Any sexualized or sexually suggestive content involving minors (CSAM);
• Solicitation, grooming or inappropriate contact with minors;
• Content depicting child abuse, exploitation or endangerment;
• Sharing personal information of minors;
• Creating profiles representing minors;
• Any other behavior that could harm minors.

Violations of this section will be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to competent authorities in the relevant jurisdictions.

For our complete child protection standards, reporting mechanisms and compliance commitments, please see our Child Safety Standards Policy.

7. Adult Content & Nudity

Although Circl is an 18+ platform, it is not an adult content platform.

Strictly prohibited:

• Explicit sexual content, pornography or sexually explicit imagery;
• Nudity intended for sexual gratification;
• Content promoting or advertising sexual services;
• Excessively graphic, vulgar or shock content.

Generally permitted, in appropriate context:

• Educational, artistic, cultural or documentary content involving partial nudity (e.g., breastfeeding, traditional cultural practices, fine art);
• Health-related content, body positivity, post-mastectomy imagery, scars and disabilities.

8. Misinformation & Manipulated Media

Strictly prohibited:

• Health misinformation that could cause physical harm (e.g., dangerous medical advice, anti-vaccine disinformation, fake cures);
• Election or civic process misinformation designed to suppress voting or undermine democratic institutions;
• Manipulated media (deepfakes, doctored images) presented as authentic without clear disclosure;
• Conspiracy theories likely to incite violence or harassment;
• Falsely impersonating news organizations or public officials.

9. Privacy & Personal Data

Strictly prohibited:

• Sharing personal information (full names, addresses, phone numbers, ID documents, financial information) of others without their consent;
• Recording or sharing private conversations without consent;
• Stalking or surveillance of any individual;
• Scraping, collecting or harvesting user data from Circl.

10. Intellectual Property

Strictly prohibited:

• Posting content that infringes copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights;
• Reuploading content from other creators without authorization or proper attribution;
• Using protected brands, logos or trademarks without permission.

If you believe your intellectual property rights have been infringed on Circl, please file a notification through our DMCA Policy.

11. Platform Integrity & Security

Strictly prohibited:

• Attempting to gain unauthorized access to the Platform, accounts or systems;
• Reverse engineering, decompiling or extracting source code;
• Distributing malware, viruses or harmful code;
• Scraping, crawling or automated extraction of data from the Platform;
• Circumventing rate limits, technical restrictions or security measures;
• Selling, buying or trading accounts, followers or engagement.

12. Enforcement

When these Guidelines are violated, Circl may take one or more of the following actions, at our sole discretion:

• Content removal or restriction;
• Reduced reach or demonetization;
• Temporary account suspension;
• Permanent account termination, without refund;
• Refusal of re-registration;
• Reporting to law enforcement or competent authorities, particularly for content involving minors, threats of violence, terrorism or other illegal activity.

The severity of the action depends on the nature of the violation, the user's history and the impact on the community. For violations involving hate speech, scams, threats, content endangering minors, or other "zero tolerance" categories, Circl will apply the most severe sanctions immediately and without prior notice.

13. Reporting

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these Guidelines:

• Use the in-app reporting feature to flag the content directly;
• Or contact us at contact@app-circl.com.

Reports involving illegal content, threats, hate speech or content endangering minors are treated with the highest priority and are typically actioned within 24 hours, in accordance with the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation 2022/2065) where applicable.

14. Appeals

If you believe your account was suspended or your content was removed in error, you may submit an appeal by contacting contact@app-circl.com within thirty (30) days of the action. Appeals are reviewed by a member of our moderation team, and you will receive a response.

Appeals are not available for violations of zero-tolerance categories (hate speech, scams, content endangering minors, threats of violence) where evidence is clear.

15. Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Guidelines from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the application or by email when appropriate. Continued use of Circl after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Guidelines.

16. Contact

For questions, reports or appeals:

Email: contact@app-circl.com