Community Guidelines

Promoting an inclusive, safe and respectful environment for all.

Last Modified: Mar 24, 2024

Every day, people use our interactive platform Resident to dynamically engage with their Local, Provincial & Federal government, Elected officials, community, and participate in meaningful conversations that help shape their society. Resident serves as a platform for citizens across Canada, transcending cultural and linguistic differences to foster a vibrant, diverse community.

As Residents, we understand the importance of open communication and are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment. We work diligently to prevent any form of abuse and ensure a positive and constructive platform for all users. In this endeavor, we have established standards that dictate what is acceptable and what is not on Resident.

Our guidelines are formed based on input from our users and consultations with experts in technology, public safety, human rights, and civic engagement. We strive to embrace varying views and beliefs, particularly those from individuals and communities that are often sidelined or underrepresented.

Within the guidelines we have set forth for the Resident platform, we underscore the importance of four key user actions - making requests, offering suggestions, expressing appreciations, and asking questions. Each of these actions corresponds to a specific feature on our platform:

1. Requests: This feature allows users to post their requirements and promptly receive the public services they are entitled to. Users are encouraged to tag their elected officials as necessary to make certain their needs are addressed. It fosters direct, proactive engagement with public service providers and government officials.

2. Suggestions: This functionality enables users to share their ideas or recommendations for community improvement. Suggestions that gain support from fellow residents strengthen our democratic ethos and give voice to community consensus.

3. Appreciations: This feature is built on the principle that positive reinforcement is a powerful tool for community building. Users are encouraged to publicly appreciate services, individuals, or actions they find commendable. A community that celebrates its positives is credible and balanced.

4. Questions: The platform is designed to promote transparency and open dialogue. With this feature, users can directly communicate with government bodies and officials, seeking clarifications, or obtaining information they require. This fosters a well-informed user base that can actively participate in their democratic processes.

Please note, we reserve the right to modify or remove any content that does not adhere to these predefined categories. Any post made on the Resident platform should align with one of these four categories. This standard assists us in maintaining a constructive and focused discourse, which in turn ensures a positive and productive experience for all our users.

Our Commitment to Voice

The essence of our Community Guidelines is to promote freedom of expression and provide a platform for all voices. We believe in the power of open discourse on issues that are important to our users, whether it's conveyed through text, images, or other creative forms, even when some may find these expressions challenging or controversial.

There are circumstances where content that might typically be considered against our guidelines is allowed because it carries significant public interest. Such decisions are made carefully, considering the balance between public value and potential harm. We take guidance from international human rights standards to make these judgments.

In certain cases, we may decide to remove content that employs ambiguous or implicit language if we determine, through available context, that such content violates our standards.

While we uphold our commitment to freedom of expression, we are also mindful of the potential abuses that arise with the advent of digital spaces. We believe in proportionate restrictions to expression when they serve one or more of the following values:

1. Authenticity: We strive to ensure the content our users engage with on Resident is genuine and truthful. We uphold a belief that maintaining authenticity paves the way for a healthier space for discussion and sharing. Consequently, we discourage users from misrepresenting their identities or intentions on our platform.

2. Safety: Resident is dedicated to cultivating a safe environment for all users. We diligently work to remove any content that poses a risk to the physical safety of individuals. We do not tolerate content that threatens, intimidates, excludes, or silences others; such behavior is not permitted on our platform.

3. Privacy: We are unwaveringly committed to safeguarding personal privacy and information. We understand that privacy empowers individuals to freely express themselves, select when and how to share on Resident, and connect more comfortably with others.

4. Dignity: As Resident, we are built on the belief that all individuals are equal in dignity and rights. We anticipate that all users will respect this principle and refrain from harassing or degrading others on our platform.

Resident provides a platform for citizens across Canada to voice their opinions, connect with their local, provincial, federal governments, elected officials, and engage in meaningful dialogue that contributes to shaping their society. By transcending cultural and linguistic differences, we aim to nurture a vibrant, diverse community.

Please remember that your use of Resident implies acceptance of these Community Guidelines. It's our collective responsibility to create and maintain an environment where every user feels safe and respected.

Community Guidelines

Our Community Guidelines are universally applicable, designed for all users of the app and relevant to all varieties of content shared on our platform.

Each portion of our Community Guidelines begins with a "policy intent," explaining the objectives of the specific guideline. Following this, detailed policy guidelines stipulate:

• The types of content that are not permitted; and

• The types of content that may necessitate extra details or context for enforcement. This includes content that may be allowed with a prior warning screen or content deemed suitable solely for adult viewers aged 18 and over.

Violence and incitement (Incitement to violence)

Policy Intent

Our goal at Resident is to minimize the risk of offline harm that may be associated with content shared on our platform. We understand that individuals often express their frustration or dissent by making non-serious threats or invoking violence. However, we are committed to removing any language that encourages or enables serious violence.

We take the necessary steps to remove content, deactivate accounts, and collaborate with law enforcement if we perceive a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. We strive to consider the language used and the context of the content to differentiate between casual remarks and those that pose a credible threat to public or personal safety. In assessing the credibility of a threat, we may also take into account additional factors such as an individual's public visibility and risks to their physical safety.

On occasions, we encounter aspirational or conditional threats aimed at terrorists or other violent figures (e.g., "Terrorists must be eliminated"). We generally regard these as non-credible unless there is specific evidence suggesting otherwise.

Refrain From Posting

Threats that could potentially result in death or other forms of serious violence, or confessions of past violent acts towards individuals or locations. The following are regarded as threats:

• Declarations of intent to carry out serious acts of violence. This includes content where symbols are used to represent the target, and/or visuals of weaponry or means of violence are displayed.

• Calls to action for serious violence, including content where the target is not specifically stated, but a symbol represents the target, and/or visuals of weapons or means of violence are shown.

• Statements supporting serious violence.

• Expressions of desire or conditional statements to perform serious violence.

• Confessions of having performed serious violence, except in the context of self-defence, redemption, or when enacted by law enforcement, military, or state security personnel.

• Content that seeks, provides, or admits to providing high-severity violence services (like mercenaries, hitmen, assassins, or female genital mutilation) or advocates for such services.

Avoid Sharing

• Confessions, declarations of intent or advocacy, calls to action, or aspirational or conditional statements that encourage or glorify kidnapping or abduction of a target.

• Content that portrays kidnappings or abductions, unless it is shared by a victim or their family seeking help, or for information, condemnation, or raising awareness.

• Digitally created or modified imagery that threatens serious violence against living individuals with weapons, means of violence, or dismemberment.

Refrain from posting threats that could result in severe injury (mid-severity violence) and admissions of past violence toward private individuals, minor public figures, high-risk individuals, or groups. These threats could include:

• Intent to commit violence.

• Advocacy for violence.

• Calls to action for mid-severity violence.

• Expressions of desire or conditional statements to commit violence.

• Admissions of mid-severity violence, except when shared in a context of redemption, self-defence, sporting events, or when carried out by law enforcement, military, or state security personnel.

Don't post threats that could result in physical harm or other forms of low-severity violence towards private individuals or minor public figures. These threats include:

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

• Instructions on creating or using weapons with clear intent to seriously injure or kill people, demonstrated through explicit language or images/videos that simulate the end result (serious injury or death), unless in the context of recreational self-defence, military training, commercial video games, or news coverage.

• Instructions on creating or using explosives, unless clearly for non-violent purposes, such as in commercial video games, scientific/educational purposes, fireworks, or specific fishing contexts.

Avoid

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

• Declarations of intent, advocacy, calls to action, or aspirational or conditional statements to bring or take up weapons to certain locations (e.g., places of worship, educational facilities, polling places or locations used for counting votes or administering an election) where there are temporary signals of a heightened risk of violence or offline harm.

Refrain from

• Threats against law enforcement officers.

• Threats against people accused of a crime, especially if there's a chance that it could lead to physical harm.

• Coded statements where the threat is implied or veiled and the method of violence or harm is unclear. Factors considered include whether it's shared in a retaliatory context, references historical or fictional incidents of violence, acts as a threatening call to action, indicates knowledge of or shares sensitive information that could expose others to harm, or if local context or subject matter expertise confirms that the statement could be threatening and/or could lead to imminent violence or physical harm.

• Threats against election workers, especially when combined with claims of election-related misconduct against private individuals and signals of violence or additional context that suggests the claim could lead to imminent violence or physical harm.

• Implicit statements of intent, advocacy, calls to action, or aspirational or conditional statements to bring weapons to certain locations, such as places of worship, educational facilities, polling places or locations used to count votes or administer an election, particularly when there are temporary signals of a heightened risk of violence or offline harm.

Prohibited Groups and Individuals (Dangerous individuals and Criminal Organisations)

Policy Intent

With the aim to preempt and thwart real-life harm, Resident disallows individuals or groups that declare a violent mission or are involved in violent actions from establishing a presence on the platform. Our evaluations of these entities hinge on their online and offline behaviour, primarily focusing on their affiliations with violence. Under this policy, we classify entities into three tiers based on the severity of their actions and level of online content enforcement.

Tier 1

Tier 1 covers those that are closely associated with offline harm and receives the strictest content regulation. Caters to groups that participate in severe offline harm - including organizing or advocating for violence against civilians, consistently dehumanizing people based on protected attributes or engaging in organized criminal activities. This tier encompasses terror, hate, and criminal organizations, and their leaders, founders or notable members. We prohibit the glorification, significant support or portrayal of Tier 1 entities.

Furthermore, Resident disallows content that endorses, significantly supports, or represents occurrences we label as violent incidents. This includes terrorist attacks, hate incidents, violence resulting in multiple victims or attempted violence on numerous victims, serial murders, or hate crimes. This policy also includes (1) endorsement, substantial support or representation of the instigators of such attacks; (2) content generated by the instigators related to such attacks; and (3) third-party imagery displaying the instant of such attacks on visible victims. Content promoting hate ideologies, such as Nazism and white supremacy, is also not allowed.

Tier 2

Is dedicated to entities that perpetrate violence against state or military actors, but typically do not target civilians, referred to as "violent non-state actors". We prohibit all significant support and representation of these entities and their leaders or prominent members, and any praise of their violent actions.

Tier 3

Addresses entities that may frequently violate our Hate Speech or Hazardous Organizations Policies, either on or off the platform, or display strong intent to engage in offline violence soon, though they may not have engaged in violence yet or advocated for violence against others based on their protected characteristics. This includes militarized social movements, networks inducing violence through conspiracy theories, and individuals and groups banned for promoting hate. Tier 3 entities are not permitted to have a presence on our platform.

We acknowledge that users may share content referencing designated hazardous organizations and individuals to report on, condemn or neutrally discuss them or their activities. Our policies are designed to permit these types of discussions while minimizing potential offline harm. We require users to explicitly state their intent when creating or sharing such content. If a user's intention is ambiguous, we default to removing the content.

In accordance with international human rights law, our policies permit discussions about the human rights of designated individuals or members of designated hazardous entities, unless the content includes other endorsement, significant support, or representation of designated entities or other policy violations, such as incitement to violence.

To learn more about our commitment to internationally recognized human rights, please refer to our Corporate Human Rights Policy.

Content We Remove

We disallow the glorification, significant support and representation of a variety of dangerous organizations. These apply to the organizations themselves, their activities, and their members. However, peaceful advocacy for specific political outcomes is not prohibited.

Definitions of Praise, Substantive Support, and Representation:

Praise

Positive expressions about a designated entity or event, portraying a designated entity or event as accomplished, justifying the hateful, violent or criminal conduct of a designated entity, or aligning oneself ideologically with a designated entity or event.

Substantive Support

Any action that improves the financial status of a designated entity, provides material aid to a designated entity or event, calls to action on behalf of a designated entity or event, recruitment on behalf of a designated entity or event, or channeling information or resources, including official communications, on behalf of a designated entity or event are all classified as substantive support.

For instance, actions like promoting financial support for a designated entity such as suggesting "Support XYZ Group!" or providing tangible aid like saying "Here's how to send supplies to XYZ Group", are considered substantive support. Urging others to get involved with a designated entity like "Reach out to XYZ Group at this number", recruiting on behalf of a designated entity like "Join XYZ Group if you want to contribute to the cause" and transmitting data or resources, including direct quotations from a designated entity without providing context that disapproves, neutrally discusses or reports news, all fall within this category.

Resident eradicates any form of substantive support for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 entities as well as designated events.

Definition of Representation

Representation is identified as claiming to be a member of a designated entity, or presenting oneself as a designated entity; or creating a user profile, that claims to be owned by a designated entity, is run on their behalf, or claims to be a designated event.

Examples include self-proclamations like "I am a high-ranking member of XYZ Group," or creating a Resident entity such as a group named "XYZ Party". Resident removes representations of Tier 1 and Tier 2 designated organisations, entities that are banned due to hate speech and designated events.

Classification and Tiers of Dangerous Entities

Tier 1

Includes Terrorism, Organised Hate, Mass-scale Criminal Activities, Attempted Mass Violence, Multiple-victim Violence, Serial Murders, and Violent Events deemed unacceptable. Resident doesn't provide a platform for individuals or organisations involved in organised crime, including those classified by the federal Governments as particularly designated narcotics trafficking kingpins (SDNTKs); hate groups; or terrorist organisations, including entities designated by the federal governments as international terrorist organisations (FTOs) or specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs). We also prohibit other users from representing these entities. We do not permit leaders or notable members of these organisations to have a presence on the platform, symbols that represent them, or content that praises them or their actions. In addition, we remove any coordination of substantial support for these individuals and organisations. Resident does not allow content that praises, provides substantial support, or represents events designated by Resident as terrorist attacks, hate events, multiple-victim violence, attempted multiple-victim violence, serial murders, hate crimes, or violent events that violate community standards. We also do not allow: (1) praise, substantial support, or representation of the perpetrator(s) of such attacks; (2) content created by the perpetrator relating to such attacks; or (3) third-party imagery that depicts the moment of such attacks on visible victims. We also prohibit the praise, substantial support, or representation of designated hateful ideologies.

Terrorist organisations and individuals are defined as non-state actors that

Engage in, promote, or provide substantial support to intentional and planned acts of violence, which lead to or attempt to lead to death, injury, or serious harm to civilians, or any other individual not participating in hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, and/or severe damage to property linked to death, serious injury, or serious harm to civilians.

They aim to coerce, intimidate and/or influence a civilian population, government, or international organisation to achieve a political, religious, or ideological goal.

Hate entities are identified as organisations or individuals that propagate and incite hatred against others based on their protected characteristics. The activities of such entities are often characterised by:

• Violence, threatening rhetoric, or hazardous forms of harassment targeting individuals based on their protected characteristics;

• Persistent use of hate speech;

• Representation of hate ideologies or other identified hate entities, and/or

• Glorification or substantial support of other designated hate entities or hate ideologies.

Criminal organisations are defined as a group of three or more individuals who

• Are unified by a name, colour(s), hand gesture(s), or other recognised symbols; and

• Have partaken in or threatened to partake in criminal activities such as homicide, drug trafficking, or kidnapping.

Multi-victim violence and serial murders

An event is considered as multi-victim violence or attempted multi-victim violence if it results in three or more casualties in a single incident, defined as deaths or serious injuries. Any individual who has perpetrated such an attack is deemed a perpetrator or attempted perpetrator of multiple-victim violence. Any individual who has committed two or more murders over multiple incidents or locations is considered a serial killer.

Hateful ideologies

While we mainly focus on designating organisations and individuals based on their behaviour, we also acknowledge that there exist certain ideologies intrinsically linked to violence and attempts to organise people around calls for violence or exclusion of others based on their protected characteristics. We classify these ideologies and remove content that supports these ideologies from our platform. These ideologies include:

• Nazism

• White Supremacy

• White Nationalism

• White Separatism

Explicit praise, substantial support, and representation of these ideologies are removed, along with individuals and organisations subscribing to one or more of these hateful ideologies.

Tier 2

Organisations and individuals designated by Resident as violent non-state actors are prohibited from having a presence on the platform, or having their presence maintained by others on their behalf. Given these communities are actively engaged in violence, substantial support for these entities is similarly disallowed. We will also remove any praise for violence carried out by these entities.

Violent non-state actors are defined as any non-state actor that

• Engages in intentional and planned acts of violence primarily against a government military or other armed communities; and

• That leads to or attempts to lead to death to persons participating directly in hostilities in an armed conflict, and/or

• Deny communities access to vital infrastructure and natural resources, and/or cause significant damage to property, linked to death, serious injury, or serious harm to civilians.

Tier 3

Includes Militarised Social Movements, Violence-Inducing Conspiracy Networks, and Hate-Banned Entities

• Resident Profiles that are, or claim to be – maintained by, or on behalf of, militarised social movements and violence-inducing conspiracy networks are prohibited.

• Representation of organisations and individuals designated by Resident as hate-banned entities is disallowed.

Militarised social movements (MSMs) include

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

  • Prepare for violence or civil war; or

  • Share information about the tactical use of weapons for combat; or

  • Coordinate militarised tactical coordination in a current or future armed civil conflict or civil war.

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

  • Coordinate, promote, admit to, or engage in:

    • Street violence against civilians or law enforcement; or

    • Arson, looting, or other destruction of property; or Threaten to violently disrupt an electoral process; or Encourage the possession of weapons at a location with the explicit intent to intimidate people amid a protest.

• Violence-Inducing Conspiracy Networks (VICNs) are identified as non-state actors that:

  • Operate under a name, sign, mission statement or symbol; and

  • Disseminate theories that attribute violent or dehumanising behaviour to people or organisations which have been debunked by reliable sources; and

  • Have motivated multiple real-world violence incidents by followers driven by the desire to draw attention to or rectify the supposed harms promoted by these debunked theories.

Entities promoting hate, defined as entities that partake in repeated hateful conduct or rhetoric, but do not qualify as a Tier 1 entity as they have not engaged in or explicitly advocated for violence, or lack substantial connections to previously designated organisations or figures, are also barred.

In certain instances, for the enforcement of our Community Guidelines, we may require supplementary information and/or context.

In specific scenarios, content that might typically contravene the Community Guidelines could be permitted if deemed satirical. Such content will only be allowed if the elements that infringe the guidelines are being parodied, or are linked to another subject or individual for the purpose of mockery or critique.

Guidelines for Promoting Safety and Responsibility (Coordinating harm and promoting crime)

Policy Intent

To safeguard and deter real-world harm and imitative misconduct, we restrict users from enabling, arranging, endorsing or admitting to specific detrimental or illicit activities aimed at individuals, businesses, property, or animals. We permit users to debate and advocate for the legality of such actions, as well as highlight harmful or illegal actions they may witness or undergo, provided they do not promote or orchestrate harm.

Avoid posting content under the following categories

Individual Harm

Revelation of Personal Information: Content that discloses the identity or associated locations of anyone accused of: Belonging to a group at risk of exposure; and/or Having familial and/or romantic connections with a member(s) of such a group; and/or Engaging in professional services aiding such a group (excluding political personalities) Content that uncovers the undercover status of law enforcement, military, or security personnel if: The content includes the agent's full name or explicit identification and directly refers to their undercover status. The visuals recognize the faces of the law enforcement personnel and directly refer to their undercover status. Announcements of intent, calls to action, support, endorsement, portrayal, admission to, or positive references to Swatting. Portraying, endorsing, promoting, or urging participation in a high-risk viral challenge.

Animal Harm

Orchestrating (announcements of intent, calls to action, endorsement, support) or portraying, admitting to, or promoting acts of physical harm against animals by yourself or your affiliates except in circumstances of:

• Rehabilitation

• Hunting or fishing

• Religious sacrifice

• Food preparation or processing

• Pests or vermin

• Euthanasia

• Self-defense, or defense of another human or animal

• Bullfighting

Orchestrating (announcements of intent, calls to action, endorsement, support) or portraying, admitting to, or promoting staged fights between animals.

Showcasing video footage of simulated animal rescues.

Property Harm

Announcements of intent, calls to action, support, endorsement for damage to property that portrays, admits to, or promotes the following acts committed by you or your affiliates:

• Graffiti or vandalism.

• Cyber-attacks when the aim is to seize a domain, damage or interrupt digital systems, demand ransoms or obtain unauthorized access to data systems.

• Theft committed by you or your affiliates, as well as praising statements about theft committed by a third party.

Election and/or census fraud

• Propositions to trade votes with cash or gifts

• Statements that promote, provide guidelines, or show explicit intent to unlawfully partake in a voting or census process

For certain content, we attach a label so that users are informed that the content might be sensitive:

• Visuals depicting a high-risk viral challenge if shared with a caption that criticizes or brings awareness to the associated risks.

For the subsequent Community Standards, we need further details and/or context to implement:

Avoid posting

• Content that endangers LGBTQI+ individuals by disclosing their sexual identity against their will or without consent.

• Content that endangers women who choose not to wear a veil by showing their images unveiled against their will or without permission.

• Content that endangers individuals not convicted by revealing their identity and their status as a target of a sting operation as a sexual predator.

• Content exposing someone as a witness, informant, activist, or individuals whose identity or involvement in a legal case has been restricted from public disclosure.

• Content that jeopardizes a defector by revealing the individual with personally identifiable information when the content is reported by credible government channels.

• Visuals that are likely to mislead the public as to its origin if:

  • The depicted entity or an authorized representative objects to the visuals, and

  • The visuals can potentially harm members of the public.

• Calls for coordinated disruptions that would affect an individual's ability to participate in an official census or election.

• Content claiming that census or voting participation may or will result in legal repercussions (for example, arrest, deportation or imprisonment).

• Announcements 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 that discloses the identity or location of a prisoner of war in the context of an armed conflict by sharing their name, identification number and/or imagery

Safety - Coping with Self-harm and Suicide (Suicide / Self-injury)

Policy Intent

At Resident, we hold the welfare of our users in high regard.

We don't support content that seems to glorify or promote suicide or self-harm, either intentionally or inadvertently. However, we encourage conversations about these subjects, recognizing that Resident can be a platform where people express their personal stories, increase awareness, and seek mutual support.

Our definition of self-harm includes deliberate and direct physical injury, including self-mutilation and eating disorders. Content advocating suicide or self-harm, including fictional materials like memes or artwork, and any graphic content related to self-harm, regardless of context, will be removed. We also eliminate posts that negatively single out victims or survivors of suicide or self-harm, either seriously, humorously, or rhetorically, along with any real-time depiction of suicide or self-harm. We permit content about recovery from suicide or self-harm, but it might contain potentially distressing images, such as a healed scar, and thus will be placed behind a sensitivity shield.

When users post or look for content related to suicide or self-harm, we will redirect them to local support groups. If our Community Operations team is concerned about immediate danger, we will notify local emergency services to provide help.

Do not post

• Content that advocates, enables, organizes, or provides guides for:

  • Suicide.

  • Self-harm.

  • Eating disorders.

• Content displaying graphic imagery of self-harm.

Posting content that features a person involved in a suicide attempt or death by suicide is against our guidelines.

• Content that emphasizes the visibility of ribs, collarbones, thigh gaps, hips, concave stomach, or protruding spine or scapula when associated with terms related to eating disorders

• Content that includes instructions for severe and unhealthy weight loss when accompanied by terms linked to eating disorders.

Content mocking victims or survivors of suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders, whether they're publicly known or implied to have experienced suicide or self-harm, is not allowed.

For certain content, we restrict access to adults over 18 and include a sensitivity screen to provide a warning that the content could be disturbing:

• Images or videos showing a person participating in euthanasia/assisted suicide in a medical context.

We also include a sensitivity screen for content that might be distressing to some viewers:

• Content showing older instances of self-harm, like healed cuts, or other non-graphic self-injury imagery in a self-harm, suicide, or recovery context.

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

We provide resources to individuals who post verbal or written admissions of engagement in self-harm, such as:

• Suicide.

• Euthanasia/assisted suicide.

• Self-harm.

• Eating disorders.

• Ambiguous, potentially suicidal statements or references (including memes or stock images about a sad mood or depression) in a suicide or self-harm context.

In order to effectively apply our community standards, we may need more data or context:

• We reserve the right to take down suicide notes if we have validated a suicide or suicide attempt. We recognize suicide notes using several criteria, such as requests from family members or legal representatives, news articles, reports from law enforcement, or information from external parties like government agencies or non-profit organizations.

Preventing Exploitation, Abuse, and Inappropriate Depiction of Minors (Child sexual exploitation, abuse and nudity)

Policy Intent

Resident is firmly against any content or behaviour that may sexually exploit or endanger minors. Our team actively reports any visible exploitation to the concerned government department in Canada, in accordance with the law.

Resident consults with external specialists, to continually improve our strategies and enforcement related to online safety, especially regarding minors. Discover more about the innovative technology we are employing to combat child exploitation.

Prohibited Posts: Exploitation of Minors

Avoid any content or activity that promotes, depicts, commends, endorses, instructs, expresses intent, confesses involvement in, or shares links of the sexual exploitation of minors (real or imaginary underage individuals, toddlers, or babies). This includes, but is not limited to:

• Sexual engagement

• Explicit or suggested sexual engagement or oral sex.

• Genital or anal stimulation, even if the activity is imminent or not directly observable.

• Evidence of sexual activity.

• Any of the previously mentioned involving an animal.

• Depiction of minors with sexual elements.

The aforementioned includes but is not limited to:

• Restraining.

• Zooming in on private parts.

• Displaying aroused adults.

• Showcasing sex toys.

• Sexualised costumes.

• Stripping.

• Setting up an environment (like on a bed) or professionally shot scenarios.

• Open-mouth kissing.

• Showcasing minors in a sexual fetish context.

• Content that endorses, promotes, advocates, or encourages participation in pedophilia, except if neutrally discussed in an academic or validated health context.

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

Illicit Solicitation

Avoid sharing content that seeks

• Child sexual abuse material (CSAM)

• Nudity of children

• Sexualised images of children

• Real-world sexual encounters with minors

Inappropriate Engagement with Minors

Steer clear of content that constitutes or facilitates inappropriate engagement with minors. This includes:

• Arranging or planning real-world sexual encounters with minors

• Deliberately exposing minors to explicit language or sexual material

• Engaging in covertly sexual conversations with minors in private messages

• Acquiring or asking for sexual material from minors in private messages

Exploitive Intimate Imagery and Sextortion

Do not engage in content that seeks to exploit minors by:

• Blackmailing for money, favours, or intimate imagery with threats to expose intimate imagery or information.

• Sharing, threatening, or expressing intent to share private sexual conversations or intimate imagery.

Sexualisation of Minors

Avoid any content (photos, videos, real-world art, digital content, and verbal descriptions) that sexualises minors. Do not dedicate any groups, pages, or profiles to the sexualisation of minors.

Nudity of Minors

Avoid content depicting nudity of minors, where nudity is defined as:

• Close-ups of children's private parts

• Real naked toddlers, displaying visible private parts or fully nude close-ups of buttocks, even if covered or hidden by transparent clothing.

• Real naked minors, displaying visible private parts (including areas obscured only by pubic hair or transparent clothing)

• Uncovered female nipples.

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

Non-Sexual Child Abuse

Do not engage in the sharing of imagery that represents non-sexual child abuse, regardless of intent.

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

For the subsequent material, we shall implement a cautionary screen to alert individuals that the content may be unsettling, restricting viewing access to those 18 years or older:

• Visual materials exhibiting law enforcement officials or military personnel engaging in non-sexual child maltreatment.

• Images or videos illustrating non-sexual child mistreatment, left on the platform at the specific request of law enforcement, child protection agencies, or trusted safety partners with the ultimate goal of ensuring the child's safe return.

For the next set of contents, we shall incorporate a sensitivity screen to inform individuals that the material might be distressing:

• Video or photographic content showcasing a child's violent submersion in water during religious ceremonies.

Counteracting Exploitation of a Sexual Nature (Adult sexual exploitation)

Policy Intent

Resident values its platform as a space where the issue of sexual exploitation and violence can be openly discussed and highlighted to the government. Our mission is to foster a secure and supportive environment for such dialogue. Victims are encouraged to share their stories, however, we take a firm stand against any content that portrays, advocates, or threatens sexual violence, assault or exploitation. In order to prevent potential harm, we eliminate content that involves non-consensual sexual activities.

To shield victims and survivors, we remove visuals showing incidents of sexual violence and intimate images shared without the depicted individual's consent. We engage with external safety professionals to review and enhance our policies and enforcement measures regarding online safety. We reserve the right to remove any content linked to harmful activities based on information provided by these experts. We utilize advanced technology and conduct ongoing research to safeguard against the unauthorised sharing of intimate images, and we offer a guide on how to report and request the removal of such content.

Inappropriate Content Includes

Content that portrays non-consensual sexual contact, necrophilia, or coerced disrobing, including but not limited to:

• Depictions (except those within a real-world art context), including actual photos/videos.

• Sharing, offering, requesting, or threatening to distribute images.

• Descriptions, unless shared by or in support of the victim/survivor.

• Advocacy (including hypothetical or conditional statements).

• Expressions of intention.

• Calls to action.

• Admissions of involvement.

• Derision of victims of any of the above.

We will also remove content that exposes the identity of sexual assault victims or survivors if it's reported by them and shared by a third party.

Content that tries to exploit individuals by the following means

• Sextortion: Demanding money, favors, or intimate images from individuals by threatening to reveal their private images or sensitive information.

• Sharing, threatening, expressing intent to share, offering, or asking for non-consensual intimate images that satisfy all of the following conditions:

  • The image is non-commercial or taken in a private setting.

  • The individual in the image is either (near-)nude, involved in a sexual activity, or is in a sexual pose.

  • Consent to distribute the image is lacking, as indicated by any of the following:

    • A vindictive context (such as caption, comments, or page title).

    • Independent sources (such as law enforcement records) or entertainment media (like confirmed leaked images).

    • A visible match between the person depicted and the person who reported the content.

    • The reporting individual and the depicted individual share the same name.

• Covertly taken non-commercial images of a real person's typically sexualised body parts (breasts, groin, buttocks or thighs), or a real person involved in a sexual act. This includes "creepshots" or "upskirts" that sexualise, mock, or expose the individual depicted.

• Threatening or expressing intent to share private sexual conversations if:

  • Consent is not granted, as indicated by:

    • Vindictive or threatening context.

    • A visible match between the person depicted and the individual who reported the content.

    • The reporting individual and the depicted individual share the same name.

Content with a warning label includes

• Narratives and statements describing non-consensual sexual contact that provide details beyond just naming or mentioning the act, if:

  • Shared by the victim, or

  • Shared by a third party (not the victim) in support of the victim, in condemnation of the act, or for raising general awareness.

• Content that ridicules the concept of non-consensual sexual contact.

We require additional information/context to enforce the following Community Standards:

We may limit the visibility of certain content depicting non-consensual sexual contact to people over the age of 18 and include a warning label. This applies when content is shared to raise awareness, does not contain nudity, and is not presented in an entertaining or sensational context. Furthermore, the victim or survivor should not be identifiable.

In addition to removing content that threatens or promotes rape or other non-consensual sexual contact at scale, we may also disable the account responsible for posting such content.

We may act on content that identifies survivors of sexual assault if reported by an authorized representative or trusted partner.

Intimidation and Maltreatment (Bullying and harassment)

Policy Intent

At Resident, we are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and truthful platform for users to interact with the government and each other. We take the maintenance of this positive environment very seriously and have outlined the following guidelines for all users to follow:

1. No Intimidation or Maltreatment: Any form of intimidation or maltreatment, whether through threats, disclosing personal information, sending menacing messages, or initiating uninvited malevolent contact, is strictly prohibited. This behavior undermines an individual's sense of security and respect. It is essential to maintain a safe and welcoming environment where all users can comfortably interact and share their views.

2. Distinction between Public Personas and Private Individuals: We understand the public nature of discourse involving individuals with substantial public followings or those making headlines. In the case of such public personas, which include government officials and individuals with a significant social media following, we remove severe assaults and specific attacks where the individual is directly tagged. For private individuals, our protective measures extend to eliminating content intended to demean or disgrace, including assertions about a person's private activities. We offer heightened protection for users aged 13 to 18, recognizing the potential emotional impact of such conduct.

3. No Hate Speech or Discrimination: We prohibit any content that belittles, devalues, or dehumanizes individuals or groups based on attributes such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or health conditions. Respect and equality form the foundation of our community.

4. No Threats or Harassment: Content that threatens, harasses, or intimidates any user is not allowed. We aim to foster a community free from violence or physical harm.

5. No Disinformation or False News: Accurate and truthful discourse is crucial to our objective of fostering productive dialogue with the government. Sharing of misleading or incorrect information that disrupts quality discussions is strictly prohibited.

6. Respect for Government Officials and Fellow Users: Maintaining decorum that promotes constructive conversations and mutual respect is key. Any form of disrespect towards government officials or other users, such as derogatory comments, insults, or abusive language, is unacceptable.

7. Context and Intent Matter: We acknowledge the importance of context and intent behind a post. Content posted to condemn or highlight intimidation and maltreatment may be permitted. Self-reporting of such instances is encouraged to help us understand and better address cases where users feel intimidated or maltreated.

Avoid

Level 1

• Purposeful targeting of individuals by persistently engaging with someone in an: Unsolicited or Sexually intrusive manner or Aimed at numerous people without prior engagement.
• Demonstrating hostility towards someone due to their experience as a victim of sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment or domestic violence.
• Encouraging self-harm or suicide of a specific person or group. Disparaging someone using sexually explicit slurs (e.g. prostitute, promiscuous).
• Circulating content about a violent incident, or victims of such incidents that include assertions that such an event did not take place.
• Spreading content about victims or survivors of violent incidents or terrorist attacks by name or image, alleging they are: Faking their victim status. Otherwise being compensated or employed to deceive people about their involvement in the incident.
• Threatening to disclose an individual's confidential phone number, residential address, email address or medical records (as outlined in the Privacy Violations policy).
• Expressing an intention to participate in a sexual act or advocating for the participation of others.
• Posting explicit sexual commentary.
• Disseminating derogatory sexualized edited images or sketches.
• Encouraging or expressing an intention to partake in bullying and/or harassment. Circulating content that further demeans or reviles individuals depicted during, or immediately after, menstruation, urination, vomiting or defecation.
• Creating Resident communities or groups dedicated to harming individuals by: Wishing death, or a serious medical condition.
• Expressing an intention or advocating for sexual engagement.
• Alleging that the individual has or is likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease.
• Sexualizing another adult.
• Sending messages containing attacks as outlined in Level 1, 2 and 4 of this policy when targeted at an individual or group in the thread: Purposeful swearing. Wishing death, severe illness, disability, widespread disease or physical harm.

Level 2

• Deliberate targeting of private individuals, public figures of limited influence (such as activists, journalists or those who became well-known involuntarily) or minor public figures with:
• Wishing death, or a serious medical condition.
• Use of female-gendered derogatory terms.
• Assertions about sexual behaviour or sexually transmitted diseases, except when related to criminal allegations against adults concerning non-consensual sexual contact.
• Creation of Resident pages or groups to attack through: Purposeful swearing. Negative physical descriptions. Assertions about religious identity or blasphemy.
• Expressions of revulsion or disdain. Use of female-gendered derogatory terms.

Level 3

• Deliberate exposure of public figures for adults and minors:
• Wishing death, or a serious medical condition.
• Claims about sexually transmitted diseases.
• Use of female-gendered derogatory terms.
• Content that glorifies, rejoices or ridicules their death or medical condition.
• Attacks through negative physical descriptions.

For minors

Comparisons to animals or insects stereotypically considered inferior in intelligence or physical abilities or an inanimate object (e.g., "cow", "monkey", "potato"). Content modified to draw negative attention to specific physical characteristics (e.g., nose, ear).

Level 4

• Directing hostility at private citizens or public figures of limited prominence (for example, those known primarily for activism, journalism, or those who have gained notoriety through involuntary means) by:
• Equating them to animals or insects deemed physically or mentally inferior within societal norms, or likening them to an inanimate object ("cow", "monkey", "potato").
• Modifying content to single out and emphasize certain physical traits in a disparaging manner (such as the nose, ear, etc.).
• Deriding individuals through unkind physical remarks.
• Ranking individuals based on physical looks or personal characteristics.
• Inappropriate sexualization of another adult.
• Demeaning individuals portrayed as victims of physical bullying, except in self-defence or fight-sport contexts.
• Celebrating or ridiculing serious physical harm or death.
• Besides the above, aggression through Resident platforms or groups involves: Negative comments on character or competence.
• First-person voiced aggression, only when aimed at multiple private individuals.

Level 5

• Hostility directed at private adults (who must self-report) or any private minors or involuntary minor public figures through:
• Targeted profanity.
• Allegations about romantic relationships, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
• Encouragement, endorsement or support of ostracism.
• Negative assertions about character or abilities, except in the context of criminal allegations and business reviews against adults.
• Criminal allegations are permitted so individuals can highlight personal experiences or offline incidents.
• However, if such allegations potentially pose real-world harm to the named individual, we may consider removal.
• Demonstrations of scorn or revulsion, except in the context of criminal allegations against adults.

Level 6

• Hostility towards private minors with claims concerning criminal or illicit activities.
• Non-condemnatory sharing of physical bullying videos.

Level 7

• Hostility towards private individuals (who must self-report)
• First-person voiced aggression.
• Unsolicited modified imagery.
• Comparison to other public, fictional or private individuals based on physical looks.
• Assertions about religious identity or sacrilege.
• Equating individuals to animals or insects that are not culturally seen as intellectually or physically inferior ("tiger", "lion").
• Neutral or complimentary physical descriptions.
• Non-derogatory claims about character or abilities (including mental health references).
• Any violation of harassment or intimidation guidelines, when shared in a loving or affectionate context.
• Aggression conveyed through derogatory terms associated with a lack of sexual activity.

We use precautionary measures for this content to let users decide whether they wish to view it:

• Footage exhibiting physical intimidation against minors when shared in a disapproving context.

Avoid

• Publishing content that invades the privacy of individuals via post. We delete such content once reported by the aggrieved party or a legitimate representative.

• Publishing offensive material using derogatory language with a feminine connotation. We eradicate such content when notified by the victim or a valid representative, even without a direct report from the aggrieved.

• Sharing content that implicitly targets a victim, thereby requiring them to report the content (for example, tagging the victim in a post or comment). We eliminate this material if we receive affirmation from the aggrieved or a legit representative that such content is undesired.

• Sharing content that glorifies, revels in, or ridicules someone's demise. We also eradicate content aimed at a deceased individual, which would typically need a report from the victim.

• Publishing content that indicates a desire to participate in actions that could be considered intimidation or harassment as per our guidelines. We delete such content if confirmed unwanted by the victim or a validated representative.

• Sharing content that sexualises a public figure. Such content is eliminated once confirmed unwanted by the victim or a legitimate representative.

• Persistently contacting someone with sexual harassment intent. We eradicate such content once confirmed unwanted by the victim or a validated representative.

• Partaking in collective harassment against individuals based on their choice to receive or not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, involving:

  • Declarations of mental or moral inferiority based on their decision, or

  • Assertions advocating or suggesting a negative outcome due to their decision, excluding widely acknowledged COVID-19 symptoms or vaccine side effects.

• Deleting targeted collective harassment, when:

  • Directing, via any platform, "individuals at heightened risk of offline harm", identified as:

    • Human rights activists

    • Minors

    • Survivors of violent incidents/tragedies

    • Opposition personalities in vulnerable countries during elections

    • Election administrators

    • Government critics who have been targeted for their dissent

    • Ethnic and religious minorities in conflict regions

    • Member of an identified at-risk group

  • Targeting any person via personal platforms, such as inbox or profiles, with:

    • Content that breaches the intimidation and disturbance prevention policies for private individuals, or

    • Disagreeable content based on a protected characteristic

• Disabling accounts involved in mass harassment as part of either

  • State or state-affiliated networks targeting any person via any platform.

  • Opponent networks targeting any person via any platform with:

    • Content that breaches the intimidation and disturbance prevention policies for private individuals, or

    • Content targeting them based on a protected characteristic, or

    • Content or behaviour otherwise considered objectionable in local context.

Inhibition of Human Exploitation (Human exploitation)

Policy Intent

The primary aim of our app, Resident, is to facilitate constructive, respectful and transparent interactions between users and the government. It is our mission to ensure this platform remains a safe space for users to express their views, requests, and suggestions.

Our policy strictly prohibits any content that promotes or enables illegal activities, exploitation, or harm towards individuals. This includes, but is not limited to, content that enables, encourages, or glorifies human trafficking, smuggling, or any form of forced labor.

The United Nations defines human trafficking as a commercial venture exploiting individuals for profit, which includes forced labor, commercial sex, or other activities against their will. Similarly, human smuggling is defined as arranging or facilitating the unauthorized entry of an individual into a country across its international borders. Both are severe crimes that violate basic human rights.

While our app's main objective is to enable communication between the government and its citizens, we remain committed to ensuring this communication remains legal, safe, and respectful. We will not allow our platform to be used to propagate harmful behaviors or activities.

Prohibited Posts

Content that promotes, enables, or glorifies any form of illegal activities or exploitation of individuals, including but not limited to:

1. Human trafficking, which includes forced labor, commercial sex, or other activities against a person's will.

2. Human smuggling, arranging or facilitating the unauthorized entry of an individual into a country across its international borders.

3. Promoting forced or child labor, sexual exploitation, non-consensual organ donation, domestic servitude, or the recruitment of child soldiers.

4. Content promoting any form of violence, discrimination, or harm towards individuals or groups.

5. Any other illegal activities not listed here.

We permit and encourage content that promotes awareness about these issues, seeks help or information, and supports those affected by these activities.

Preserving Confidentiality and Privacy (Privacy Violations)

Policy Intent

Privacy and the sanctity of personal data form the cornerstone of our values at Resident. We are committed to the protection of your personal identity and information, and we prohibit the publication of personal or confidential information about yourself or others.

We action against content that discloses, advertises, or solicits personally identifiable information or any other private information that could result in physical or financial harm. This includes but is not limited to financial, residential, and medical data, as well as private information procured from illicit sources. Nevertheless, we understand that private information may become publicly accessible due to news reports, legal proceedings, press statements, or other means. In such instances, we might permit the posting of such information.

Additionally, we offer users a means to report images they consider to infringe on their privacy rights.

Avoid sharing or requesting any of the following confidential data, either within Resident or via external hyperlinks:

1. Personal Identifiable Information (PII) about yourself or others:

   • Identity Verification: Identifying people via government-issued numbers:

     • Government identification number (e.g., Social Insurance Number (SIN), passport number, Canada Health Insurance number).

     • Governmental IDs of law enforcement, military or security personnel.

   • Directly Identifying Personal Details: Directly pointing out an individual by coupling their ID or registration info with their name:

     • Official records or civil registry documents (e.g., marriage, birth, death, name or gender alteration records, etc.)

     • Immigration and work status documents (e.g., permanent residency cards, work permits, visas, or immigration documents).

     • Driver's licenses or license plates, unless these details are disclosed to aid in finding lost people or pets.

     • Credit Privacy Numbers (CPN).

2. Digital Identity Information: For accessing online identities:

   • Email addresses paired with passwords.

   • Digital identities paired with passwords.

   • Passwords, PINs or codes to access confidential information.

3. Other Personal Details:

   • Contact details of others, including phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses, unless shared to support charitable causes, locate missing individuals, pets or items, or to get in touch with service providers.

   • Financial information:

     • Personal financial information, either yours or others', including:

       • Non-public financial records or statements.

       • Bank account numbers with their security or PIN codes.

       • Digital payment method details, along with login credentials, security details or PIN codes.

       • Credit or debit card details with expiry dates or security PINs or codes.

     • Financial information of businesses or organisations, unless the organisation has publicly disclosed it, includes:

       • Financial records or statements, unless the financial records of the business are publicly available (e.g., listed on stock exchanges or regulatory bodies etc.)

       • Bank account numbers paired with their security or PIN codes.

       • Digital payment method details, along with login details, security details or PIN codes.

4. Residential Details:

   • Images showing the exterior of private homes if the following conditions are met:

     • The residence is a single-family home, or the apartment's unit number is displayed in the image or caption.

     • The city/neighbourhood or GPS pin (e.g., a pin from Google Maps) are specified.

     • The content identifies the resident(s).

     • The same resident opposes the public exposure of their private residence, or there are plans for protests against the resident (this doesn't apply to embassies that double as residences).

   • Content exposing details about safe houses by sharing any of the following, unless the safe house is proactively advertising their facility:

     • The actual address (note: "PO Box only" is permissible).

     • Pictures of the safe house.

     • The identifiable city/neighbourhood of the safe house.

     • Information revealing the identity of the safe house residents.

5. Medical Details:

   • Official records or documents showing medical, psychological, biometric, or genetic heritage of others.

6. Information from Compromised Sources:

   • Except in certain instances of public interest, content claimed or confirmed to have originated from a compromised source, regardless of whether the affected individual is a public figure or a private person.

The following content may also be subject to removal:

• Reported photos or videos of individuals where the person depicted in the content is:

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

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

  • An adult, where the content was reported by the adult from outside Canada 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 guidelines, additional information or context is necessary for enforcement:

Please refrain from posting

1. Images or footage depicting an individual in a healthcare or wellness facility, if such media is reported by the person featured or an authorized representative.

2. Materials claiming to reveal non-public, election-related information as part of an overseas government's influence campaign. If such materials are disseminated by state-controlled media entities from the country responsible for the leak, they will be removed.

Addressing Disrespectful and Prejudicial Speech (Hate speech)

Policy Intent

Resident encourages its users to express their thoughts freely, but we also strongly believe in respecting each individual's identity. This is why we maintain a firm stand against any form of prejudiced speech within the Resident app. Such forms of speech cultivate a hostile atmosphere that fosters intimidation, exclusion, and could potentially encourage offline aggression.

Prejudiced speech, in our context, signifies a direct assault against individuals – as opposed to abstract ideas or institutions – grounded on certain protected attributes. These attributes include race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religious belief, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, and serious illness. An 'attack', in this framework, includes any form of aggressive or dehumanising language, detrimental stereotypes, declarations of inferiority, expressions of disdain, repulsion or dismissal, offensive language, and demands for exclusion or segregation.

We are firmly against the use of harmful stereotypes, which we recognise as dehumanising comparisons that have historically been deployed to threaten, intimidate or exclude certain groups, often associated with real-world aggression.

Age is also deemed a protected attribute when it is referred to along with another protected attribute.

In addition, we extend protections to refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from extreme forms of assault, although we do permit critique and commentary on immigration policies.

On similar grounds, we offer protection for attributes like occupation when they're mentioned in connection with a protected attribute. At times, specific words or phrases are recognised as often-used substitutes for protected attribute groups, based on regional context.

We strictly prohibit the use of derogatory slurs intended to target individuals based on their protected attributes. However, we do understand that in certain instances, users may share content containing such slurs or hate speech to condemn the act or spread awareness.

There are also instances where language, including slurs, which may otherwise violate our guidelines can be used self-referentially or in an empowering manner. Our guidelines are devised to make allowance for such forms of speech, but we mandate users to clearly express their intentions.

If the intention is ambiguous, we may proceed to remove the content.

Please Refrain From Sharing

Level 1

Material that discriminates against an individual or a group of individuals (with exceptions for non-protected groups known for engaging in violent crimes, sexual offences or representing less than half of a particular group) based on their respective protected characteristic(s) or immigration status. This includes:

• Promoting violence or encouraging it in text or visual format.

• Employing degrading language or visuals that draw comparisons, blanket statements, or unfounded behavioural allegations (in textual or visual format) to or about:

  • Insects (for instance: cockroaches, locusts)

  • Animals broadly or specific types of animals culturally seen as intellectually or physically inferior (for instance: Black individuals and primates or creatures resembling primates; Jewish individuals and rats; Muslim individuals and pigs; Mexican individuals and worms)

  • Dirt and filth

  • Bacteria, viruses, or microscopic organisms

  • Illness (for instance: cancer, sexually transmitted diseases)

  • Excrements (for instance: feces)

  • Subhuman entities (for instance: savages, devils, monsters, primitives)

  • Sexual predators (for instance: Muslims depicted as engaging in sexual activities with goats or pigs)

  • Violent criminals (for instance: terrorists, murderers, members of hate or criminal groups)

  • Other criminals (for instance, "thieves", "bank robbers" or asserting "All [protected characteristic or quasi-protected characteristic] are 'criminals'")

  • Certain objects (women represented as domestic objects, property, or objects in general; Black individuals as agricultural tools; transgender or non-binary individuals referred to as "it")

  • Statements denying existence (for instance: "[protected characteristic(s) or quasi-protected characteristic] do not exist", "no such thing as [protected characteristic(s) or quasi-protected characteristic]")

  • Damaging stereotypes historically associated with harassment, exclusion, or violence based on a protected characteristic, such as Blackface; Holocaust denial; allegations that Jewish individuals control financial, political, or media institutions; and references to Dalits as manual workers

  • Ridiculing the concept, incidents, or victims of hate crimes, regardless of whether a real person is portrayed in an image.

Level 2

Material that discriminates against an individual or a group of individuals based on their protected characteristic(s), which includes:

• Stereotyping that signifies inferiority (in text or visual format) in the following ways:

  • Physical deficiencies related to:

    • Hygiene (for instance: filthy, dirty, smelly)

    • Physical appearance (for instance: ugly, hideous)

  • Mental deficiencies related to:

    • Intellectual capacity (for instance: dumb, stupid, idiots)

    • Education (for instance: illiterate, uneducated)

    • Mental health (for instance: mentally ill, retarded, crazy, insane)

  • Moral deficiencies related to:

    • Negative cultural character traits (for instance: coward, liar, arrogant, ignorant)

    • Derogatory terms associated with sexual activity (for instance: whore, slut, perverts)

• Other statements of inferiority:

  • Expressions of inadequacy (for instance: worthless, useless)

  • Comparisons of protected characteristics (for instance: "I believe that males are superior to females")

  • Expressions of deviation from the norm (for instance: freaks, abnormal)

• Expressions of contempt (in text or visual format):

  • Self-admission of intolerance towards protected characteristics (for instance: homophobic, islamophobic, racist)

  • Expressions denying the existence of a protected characteristic

  • Expressions of hate (for instance: despise, hate)

• Dismissive expressions (for instance: don't respect, don't like, don't care for)

• Expressions of disgust (in text or visual format):

  • Suggesting that the target causes sickness (for instance: vomit, throw up)

  • Expressions of repulsion or distaste (for instance: vile, disgusting, yuck)

• Swearing or cursing,

  • Referring to the target with genital or anal terms (for instance: cunt, dick, asshole)

  • Profane phrases intended to insult (for instance: fuck, bitch, motherfucker)

  • Phrases requesting engagement in sexual activities or contact with genitalia, anus, feces, or urine (for instance: suck my dick, kiss my ass, eat shit)

Level 3

Material that discriminates against an individual or a group of individuals based on their protected characteristic(s), such as:

• Advocating for segregation through calls to action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or any communication that supports segregation.

• Encouraging exclusion through calls to action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or any communication that supports exclusion, including:

  • Explicit exclusion, which involves expelling certain groups or declaring they are unwelcome.

  • Political exclusion, which denies the right to participate politically.

  • Economic exclusion, which denies access to economic benefits and limits participation in the job market.

  • Social exclusion, which involves denying access to spaces (both physical and online) and social services, except for gender-based exclusion in health and positive support groups.

• Using slurs to describe or negatively target individuals based on their protected characteristic(s). Slurs are words inherently offensive and used as derogatory labels for the above characteristics.

Our moderation criteria necessitate supplementary data or framework for their proper implementation. It's prohibited to:

1. Share material that expressly aimed at altering a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

2. Generate content that confronts notions, institutions, ideologies, customs, or beliefs associated with safeguarded attributes, which may likely result in imminent physical harm, bullying, or discrimination towards the people sharing that protected characteristic. Resident scrutinizes numerous indicators to ascertain whether there is a risk of harm in the content. These may encompass but are not limited to: material that could provoke imminent violence or intimidation; periods of escalating tension such as an election or an ongoing conflict; and whether there has been recent violence against the targeted protected group. In specific cases, we may also take into account whether the content originator holds a public office or is a figure of authority.

3. Distribute content that targets an individual or group based on their protected characteristic(s) with allegations that they possess, disseminate, are accountable for the inception of the novel coronavirus, are deliberately spreading the novel coronavirus, or ridiculing them for having or experiencing the novel coronavirus.

Handling of Violent and Graphic Material (Violent and graphic content)

Policy Intent

Our principal aim is to safeguard the mental well-being of our users, by ensuring they're not exposed to intense violent or graphic images. This includes, but is not limited to, videos illustrating mutilation, visible internal organs, or scorched bodies. We also reject any content that pairs sadistic commentary with visuals portraying human or animal suffering.

For meaningful conversations around pivotal topics such as human rights infringements, warfare, or terroristic acts, we permit graphic content, albeit with certain restrictions, so as to aid in the denouncement and consciousness-raising of these issues.

We acknowledge that individuals have varying levels of tolerance towards violent and graphic visuals. Hence, we attach cautionary notes to certain forms of violent or graphic content to provide pre-emptive warning of potentially disturbing imagery. In addition, we prevent users below 18 years old from viewing such material.

Prohibited Material Includes: Human Imagery

Videos of individuals or deceased bodies outside of medical contexts if they show:

• Mutilation

• Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies

• Burnt or burning individuals, except in instances of cremation or self-immolation when these acts serve as political commentary or newsworthy events

• Victims of cannibalistic practices

• Acts of throat-slitting

• Real-time broadcasts of a person's capital punishment

Offensive Commentary

Offensive commentary in relation to visuals that are provided with warning labels under this policy, signifying potential disturbance, unless there's a context of self-defence or a medical environment. Offensive commentary accompanying the following content, which includes a label to caution users of potentially sensitive material:

• Visuals of one or more individuals subjected to violent and/or humiliating actions by one or more individuals in police uniforms

• Visuals of fetuses or newborns

• Explicit offensive commentary towards animal suffering depicted in visuals

• Promoting or requesting visuals that are either removed or provided with warning screens under this policy, when paired with offensive commentary

We provide cautionary screens to make users aware of potential disturbance for the following content and restrict its visibility to users who are 18 years and above:

Human Imagery

Videos of individuals or deceased bodies within medical contexts if they depict:

• Mutilation

• Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies

• Burnt or burning individuals, inclusive of cremation or self-immolation when these acts serve as political commentary or newsworthy events

• Victims of cannibalistic practices

• Acts of throat-slitting Images of injured or deceased individuals if they show:

• Mutilation

• Visible internal organs; partially decomposed bodies

• Burnt or burning individuals

• Victims of cannibalistic practices

• Acts of throat-slitting Visuals illustrating violent accidental or intentional death of a person or people

Visuals depicting capital punishment of a person

Visuals showing acts of torture inflicted on a person or people

Visuals of non-medical foreign objects (such as metal objects, knives, nails) causing severe injury to a person

Animal Imagery

The following content related to animals:

• Videos showing humans killing animals without an explicit context of manufacturing, hunting, food consumption, processing, or preparation

• Visuals of animal-to-animal fights, when there are visible innards or dismemberment of non-regenerating body parts, except in the wild

• Visuals depicting humans inflicting torture or abuse on live animals

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

For certain types of content that might be sensitive or distressing, we apply warning labels to alert users before they engage with the material:

1. Images depicting non-medical foreign items inserted into a person's body within a religious or cultural context.

2. Visual content displaying internal anatomy within the context of childbirth.

3. Images of fetuses and newborn infants, if the visuals include: a. Disintegration or fragmentation. b. Exposed internal organs. c. Contexts related to abortion or abandonment.

4. Photos or videos showcasing animals undergoing ritualistic slaughter, which exhibit disintegration, visible innards, or scenes of burning or charring.

To effectively enforce the following community standards, we need additional context or information:

We ensure the removal of:

1. Audio-visual content depicting violent human fatalities when a family member has requested its deletion.

2. Videos displaying violent human fatalities where the actual incident is not visible, but the audio partially or fully captured the event and the death is verified through official law enforcement records, death certificates, reports from our trusted partners, or credible media reports.

Content Guidelines Regarding Explicit Imagery and Adult-Themed Material (Adult nudity and sexual activity)

Policy Intent

The core aim of our app, Resident, is to foster a safe, respectful, and constructive environment for users to interact with government entities. As such, we have specific policies regarding explicit content to ensure that all users feel comfortable participating in the conversations on our platform.

At Resident, we prioritize maintaining a platform that respects the diversity of our users and their comfort levels. As such, we discourage sharing of explicit material or suggestive content. Our policy leans towards the removal of explicit imagery, including unauthorized or underage material, unless it is shared with a clear intention of education or is part of a request or question form.

Our policies have evolved over time to become more context-aware. We understand that certain content, while potentially explicit, may serve a broader purpose like rallying for a cause, raising awareness, or education. If the intention behind the shared content is clearly aligned with such purposes, we may permit it.

Prohibited Posts

Content that shares explicit material or suggestive actions without a clear educational or informative purpose. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Explicit or sexually suggestive imagery.

2. Graphic depictions of violence or harm to individuals.

3. Content that disrespects the privacy and safety of others.

Permitted Posts

Content that, while potentially explicit, serves a broader purpose such as education, awareness-raising, or health information. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Discussions, images or videos about health-related issues or procedures, provided they are shared with a clear educational or informative intent.

2. Artistic or historical representations of explicit themes, given they are shared for educational or informational purposes.

Users are encouraged to be mindful and respectful of the diverse audience using our platform. Content that may be considered explicit or sensitive should be accompanied by a warning to alert users.

This policy ensures that Resident remains a platform that prioritizes respect, safety, and constructive dialogue between citizens and their government.

Guiding Principles Against Erotic Solicitation (Sexual solicitation)

Policy Intent

The Resident platform is used by our community to voice concerns about and shed light on issues surrounding sexual violence and exploitation. We acknowledge the significance of such discussions and allow them. Advocacy for the rights of sex workers and discussions regarding the regulation of sex work are also permitted. Nonetheless, we draw the line when content promotes, fosters, or coordinates sexual encounters or commercial sexual services among adults. This policy exists to prevent the facilitation of transactions potentially involving trafficking, coercion, and non-consensual sexual activities.

Prohibited Posts Include the following

• Content soliciting or advertising adult commercial services, such as proposals, bids, or asking for prices for escort services and paid erotic fetish or domination services. (Content that solicits or offers others for third-party commercial sex work is separately assessed under the Human Exploitation Policy).

• Endeavours to organize or recruit for adult sexual activities, except when publicizing an event or venue, including but not limited to:

  • Filmed sexual actions.

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

  • Sexual, erotic, or tantric massages.

  • Explicit sexual solicitation, including but not limited to, proposing or asking for:

    • Sex or sexual partners (including partners with shared fetish or sexual interests).

    • Sexual discussions or chats.

    • Nude photos/videos/imagery/sexual fetish items.

    • Sexual innuendos.

We allow discussions about sexual health education, as well as the expression of queries or experiences related to sexual health practices. This is under the assumption that these interactions adhere to a tone of respect, safety, and aim to foster an informed understanding or spread awareness.

Exceptions:

• Humorous, satirical, or educational content that contains sexually explicit language or imagery will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. However, these exceptions must not be used to bypass our guidelines against explicit sexual content or solicitation.

• Please remember that the primary goal of Resident is to facilitate meaningful and respectful conversations between the government and its citizens. We ask our users to respect these guidelines and use the app responsibly. We reserve the right to remove any content that we believe violates our community guidelines.

• Further details or contextual understanding may be required for effective implementation of these rules. In some instances, content that may traditionally infringe upon the Community Guidelines may be acceptable, provided it is established that the content embodies satire or critique. Such content will be permitted if the violating aspects of the content are being used satirically or attributed to an entity or individual in an attempt to joke or critique them.

• By adhering to these guidelines, we can ensure Resident remains a safe, respectful, and productive platform for all users.

Upholding Account Integrity and Genuine Identification (Account integrity and authentic identity)

Policy Intent

Maintaining authenticity forms the bedrock of our collective. It is our belief that genuineness fosters an environment where people are responsible to each other and to Resident, in substantial and meaningful ways. We are committed to embracing the multitude of ways in which identity can be represented throughout our community, while simultaneously taking measures against false representation and impersonation. This is the reason we mandate that individuals on Resident use their everyday life names. Our Authenticity Policies are crafted with the aim of establishing a safe platform where people can place their trust in each other and ensure mutual accountability.

To ensure a secure platform that facilitates free expression, we eliminate accounts that pose a threat to our community, which includes those that jeopardize the safety of other accounts and our services. A mix of automated and manual mechanisms have been implemented to identify and eliminate accounts that recurrently or egregiously violate our Community Standards.

We acknowledge that disabling an account is a significant measure, hence, whenever feasible, we strive to provide our community an opportunity to familiarize themselves with our rules and abide by our Community Standards. Penalties, which encompass account suspensions, are established in a manner proportional to the violation's gravity and the potential risk it poses to our community. Continued infractions, despite repeated warnings and limitations, or violations that present substantial safety hazards, will result in account suspension.

The use of our services is prohibited and actions such as account restrictions or disablements will be enforced in cases where users:

• Violate our Community Standards severely or persistently.

• Coordinate as part of a network of accounts to evade or violate our Community Standards.

• Represent perilous individuals or organizations.

• Establish or operate an account that exhibits intention to violate our Community Standards.

• Operate an account through scripted or other counterfeit means.

• Develop a new account to bypass a limitation or after previous disablement.

• Establish or operate an account that purposefully misrepresents your identity to misguide or deceive others, or to circumvent enforcement or violate our other Community Standards. Several factors are considered in assessing misleading identity misrepresentation, such as frequent or significant alterations to identity details (like name or age), deceptive profile information, usage of stock or stolen imagery, and other related account activity.

• Impersonate others through:

  • The use of their images with the clear intention to deceive others.

  • The establishment of an account under the pretense of representing or speaking for another individual or entity without their authorization.

• If you are under the age of 13.

• If you are a registered sex offender.

• If you are legally barred from utilizing our products, services, or software.

In certain circumstances, as outlined below, we will require additional information about an account before taking actions, which may range from temporary restrictions to permanent suspensions.

Accounts that misrepresent their identity (applicable to Resident and Messenger only) by:

• Using a name that doesn't correspond to your genuine everyday life name.

• Using a name that inherently violates our standards, containing slurs or any other violations of the Community Standards.

• Providing an incorrect date of birth.

• Establishing a singular account that represents or is used by multiple individuals.

• Operating multiple accounts as a single user.

• Accounts that have been compromised.

• Accounts that have remained inactive for a prolonged period.

Disruptive Content Control (Spam)

Policy Intent

We put in tireless efforts to curtail the propagation of disruptive content since we staunchly oppose material that has the intent to deceive or mislead users for boosting user engagement. Such material disrupts the quality of user interaction, hinders authentic engagement within digital communities, and can endanger the stability, security, and functionality of our services. Furthermore, we endeavour to inhibit individuals from exploiting our platform, its features or products, to artificially escalate user engagement or broadly disseminate content for monetary benefits.

Please refrain from the following

• Publishing, interacting with or sharing content, or establishing accounts either manually or automatically, at exceedingly high rates.

• Insisting or asserting that users must engage with content (e.g. liking, sharing) prior to viewing or interacting with the promised material.

• Promoting likes, shares, follows, clicks or the use of apps or websites under deceptive pretences, such as:

  • Offering non-existent or false services or functionality (e.g. "Unlock a 'Dislike' button!")

  • Not directing users to the promised content (e.g. "Click here for a discount code at Hudson's Bay"; misleading play buttons)

  • Using URLs in a deceptive or misleading manner, defined as:

    • Cloaking: Displaying dissimilar content to Resident users and Resident crawlers or tools.

    • Deceptive content: Content contains a link that promises one form of content but delivers something substantially different.

    • Deceptive redirect actions: Websites demanding an action (e.g. captcha, watch ad, click here) to view the anticipated landing page content, and the domain name of the URL alters post the completion of the required action.

    • Like/share-gating: Landing pages necessitating users to like, share or otherwise engage with content before accessing the material.

    • Misleading landing page functionality: Websites exhibiting a deceptive user interface, leading to inadvertent traffic generation (e.g. pop-ups/unders, clickjacking, etc.).

    • Typosquatting: An external website imitates a credible brand or service by using a name, domain or content that includes typos, misspellings or other ways to impersonate notable brands, utilizing a landing page akin to another, trusted site to mislead visitors (e.g. www.resid3nt.com, www.resident_ca.com).

    • And any other actions that closely resemble the aforementioned behaviours.

Digital Safety and Security (Cybersecurity)

Policy Intent

We acknowledge that the protection of our users extends to the security of their personal data, accounts, profiles, and other Resident-related aspects they might manage, as well as our wider applications and services. Actions that attempt to collect sensitive personal information or engage in unauthorized access by deceitful or intrusive means are detrimental to the genuine, open, and safe environment we aim to cultivate. Consequently, we disallow attempts to collect sensitive user data or engage in unauthorized access by misusing our platform, applications, or services.

Avoid the following

Endeavouring to compromise user accounts, profiles, or other Resident-associated entities, misusing our applications or services, collecting sensitive data through deceptive methods, or attempting to gain unauthorized access, including but not limited to:

1. Accessing accounts, profiles, Resident-related entities, or user data that do not belong to you via deceptive methods or without the explicit permission from the account, profile, or entity owner.

2. Persuading or misleading users into downloading or executing files or programs that jeopardize their online or data security, including via harmful software or websites. Such files and programs will be considered harmful software or "malware" if they damage or gain unauthorized access to a computer, device, or network.

3. Attempting to obtain, secure, or ask for another user's login details, personal data, or other sensitive information, whether overtly or through deceptive methods such as phishing (e.g. phony surveys designed to capture login info, links to counterfeit login pages or impostor websites) or the use of malicious software or websites.

4. Openly sharing your own or others' login information, either on the platform or through a third-party service.

5. Developing, disseminating, or hosting malicious software, including browser extensions and mobile applications, on or off the platform that jeopardize our users or products and services.

6. Supplying online infrastructure, such as web hosting services, domain name system servers, and ad networks, that facilitates abusive links, whereby a majority of those links on Resident violate the spam or digital security sections of the Community Standards.

Counterfeit Conduct and Deception (Inauthentic behaviour)

Policy Intent

In alignment with our unwavering dedication to authenticity, Resident does not permit users to impersonate others, operate fictitious accounts, artificially inflate content's popularity, or engage in actions aimed at facilitating other breaches under our Community Guidelines. This policy serves to secure user accounts and our services, and foster an environment where residents can trust the individuals and communities with whom they interact.

Are not allowed

• Operating multiple Resident accounts or sharing accounts amongst various users

• Manipulating Resident reporting systems to intimidate others

• Engaging in or asserting involvement in deceptive conduct, defined as exploiting Resident assets to mislead individuals or Resident concerning:

  • The identity, mission, or origin of the represented entity.

  • The popularity of content or assets on Resident.

  • The objectives of an audience or community.

  • The provenance or source of content.

  • To sidestep enforcement under our Community Guidelines.

In relation to the following Community Guidelines, we require supplementary information and/or context to enforce:

• We prohibit entities from engaging in, or purporting to engage in, coordinated deceptive conduct, defined as the collective use of multiple Resident assets to engage in deceptive conduct (as previously defined), where the operation primarily depends on the use of fake accounts.

• We prohibit entities from engaging in, or purporting to engage in, foreign or governmental interference, which constitutes coordinated deceptive conduct carried out on behalf of a foreign or governmental entity.

• We prohibit governments that have implemented prolonged social media blocks from using their official departments, agencies, and embassies to deny the use of force or violent events in the context of an assault on another state's territorial integrity, contravening Article 2(4) of the UN charter.

Dispelling Misconceptions (Misinformation)

Policy Intent

The notion of misinformation differs fundamentally from other forms of speech mentioned in our User Guidelines as it is impossible to itemize exhaustively what is forbidden. Our policies explicitly articulate the kinds of speech that we deem inappropriate, such as explicit violence or hate speech, providing even dissenters with guidelines to follow. However, when it comes to misinformation, we cannot offer such clarity. Our reality is ceaselessly in flux, and the truth at one moment might be untrue in the next. People's understanding of the world varies, and they may hold to truths that are actually misconceptions. A policy that merely bans "misinformation" would neither offer useful guidance to our users nor be enforceable, given our lack of complete information access.

Thus, our policies sketch out varying categories of misinformation and aim to give lucid instructions on how we handle such utterances. For every category, our approach mirrors our efforts to balance the principles of expression, safety, dignity, authenticity, and privacy.

As for other forms of misinformation, our emphasis lies on limiting its proliferation or crafting an environment conducive to constructive dialogue. We acknowledge that people frequently utilize misinformation in harmless ways, such as to emphasize a point ("This team is the absolute worst in the history of the sport!") or in humor or satire ("My spouse has just received the Spouse of the Year award.") They may also narrate personal experiences that contain inaccuracies. In certain instances, individuals disseminate deeply ingrained personal views that others regard as false, or spread information that some consider incomplete or misleading.

Lastly, we forbid content and conduct in other sectors that frequently coincide with the spread of misinformation. For instance, our User Guidelines prohibit fraudulent accounts, scams, and orchestrated insincere behavior.

As the digital and physical landscapes shift and evolve, our policies will correspondingly adapt. We delete the undermentioned categories of incorrect information:

I. Provocation of Physical Harm or Aggression

We eradicate false information or untraceable hearsay deemed by our specialist partners to pose an imminent risk of violence or physical harm to individuals. We define false information as claims deemed untrue by a reputable third party, while untraceable hearsay refers to claims whose origins our specialist partners confirm are extremely difficult or impossible to ascertain. In the absence of authoritative sources, if there is insufficient detail to disprove the claim or if the claim is too implausible or irrational to be believed, it will be deemed untraceable hearsay.

We acknowledge that even seemingly innocuous false information can, in certain circumstances, provoke offline harm, including threats of violence that could increase the risk of death, serious injury or other physical harm. We collaborate with an international array of non-profit organisations, humanitarian groups, and international bodies knowledgeable in these local dynamics.

II. Damaging Health Misinformation

Here are some examples of harmful health misinformation that we take down:

• False Information about vaccines. We remove false information about vaccines when public health authorities determine that the information is incorrect and likely to lead to vaccine refusal. This includes:

1. Claims that vaccines cause autism (e.g. "More vaccinations are the reason there are so many children with autism today.")

2. Claims that vaccines cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (e.g. "Aren't you aware that vaccines lead to SIDS?")

3. Claims that vaccines cause the disease they are designed to prevent, or make the person receiving the vaccine more susceptible to the disease (e.g. "Getting a vaccine makes you more likely to contract the disease as it contains a strain of the disease. Be cautious!")

4. Claims that vaccines or their components are deadly, toxic, harmful, or dangerous (e.g. "Sure, take vaccines, if you don't mind injecting poison into your body.")

5. Claims that natural immunity is safer than immunity achieved through vaccination (e.g. "It's safest to contract the disease rather than get the vaccine.")

6. Claims that it's dangerous to receive several vaccines within a short period of time, even if medically advised (e.g. "Never take more than one vaccine at the same time, it's dangerous. Don't mind what your doctor tells you!")

7. Claims that vaccines are ineffective at preventing the disease they are meant to protect against. However, for COVID-19, flu and malaria vaccines, we don't remove claims stating that these vaccines don't prevent someone from catching these viruses. (e.g. Remove – "The polio vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting the disease"; Remove – "Vaccines don't actually protect you from diseases"; Allow – "The vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting COVID-19, hence the need for social distancing and mask-wearing when around others.")

8. Claims that measles can't be fatal (additional information and/or context required) (e.g. "Don't stress about getting measles, it can't be lethal.")

9. Claims that Vitamin C is as effective as vaccines in preventing diseases for which vaccines exist.

• False information about health during public health crises. We remove misinformation during public health emergencies when public health authorities conclude that the information is false and likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent physical harm. This includes misinformation discouraging healthy practices related to COVID-19 (such as getting tested, social distancing, wearing a face mask and getting a vaccine for COVID-19).

• Promotion of harmful miracle cures for health issues. These include treatments that have no legitimate health use and are likely to contribute to the risk of serious injury or death (e.g. bleach, disinfectant, black salve, caustic soda).

III. Safeguarding Election and Census Processes

In our commitment to safeguard the integrity of elections and census undertakings, we actively remove any misinformation that poses a significant risk to impede the public's involvement in these critical democratic processes. This encompasses the following types of misinformation:

False information pertaining to the dates, locations, times, and procedures for voting, registering as a voter, or participating in the census. Incorrect information about voting eligibility, voter requirements, the validity of a vote, and the necessary documents or information for voting. Untruthful claims regarding a candidate's election participation. Misinformation about census participation eligibility and the necessary documents or information required for census involvement. Incorrect information about the government's role in the census, including any insinuations that an individual's census data will be shared with another (non-census) governmental body. False claims suggesting that participating in the voting process will result in contracting COVID-19 (or any other communicable diseases). Additional guidelines regarding incitement of violence, promotion of unlawful participation, and coordinated interference in elections can be found in other sections of our Community Standards.

IV. Handling Altered Media

Media can be modified in various ways. While some alterations are harmless, such as artistic cropping or adding music, others are deceptive and can mislead viewers, particularly when it comes to video content. This kind of content is subject to removal due to its potential to spread rapidly and the difficulty in rectifying false beliefs it may foster.

Videos will be removed under this policy if they meet the following criteria: (1) the video has been altered or synthesized, beyond quality enhancements or clarifications, in ways that would not be obvious to an average viewer and could mislead them into believing a subject of the video uttered statements they did not make; and (2) the video is the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning, including deep learning techniques (e.g., a technical deepfake), which amalgamate, combine, replace, and/or superimpose content onto a video, generating a seemingly authentic video.

Intellectual Property Protection (Intellectual property)

Policy Intent

Resident deeply respects intellectual property rights, as they are essential in fostering expression, innovation, and creativity in our community. When you publish content on Resident, you retain full ownership and control over how it is shared via your privacy and application settings. However, we urge you to ensure that you have the rights to share content before doing so. We encourage you to respect the copyrights, trademarks, and other legal rights of others. Resident is dedicated to assisting individuals and organizations in promoting and safeguarding their intellectual property rights.

In alignment with the Resident Terms of Service, users are prohibited from posting content that infringes upon the intellectual property rights of others, including copyrights and trademarks.

When we receive a report from a rights holder or an authorized representative, we take swift action to remove or restrict content that is involved in:

• Copyright infringement

• Trademark infringement.

User Account Management (User requests)

We will respect and fulfill

1. Requests made by users for the deletion of their individual accounts.

2. Petitions for the deletion of an account belonging to a deceased user, provided they come from a verified immediate family member or executor.

3. Applications for the removal of an account of a user who is incapacitated, on the condition that they are from an officially recognised representative.

Enhanced Safety Measures for Minors (Additional protection of minors)

We adhere to

• Demands to delete accounts owned by underaged users.

• Government-issued requests to eradicate visual content showcasing child abuse, for example, scenes of a minor being physically abused, strangled, or smothered by an adult.

• Requests from legal guardians to remove any form of assault towards minors who have unintentionally become public figures.

In relation to the following Community Standards, we need supplementary information and/or context for enforcement:

We might eliminate content intended to expose a private minor's identity, particularly when there's a conceivable threat to the minor's safety. This would be actioned upon request from a user, government officials, law enforcement agencies, or external child protection specialists.

Final Remarks and Policy Amendment Rights

At Resident, our mission is to foster open, respectful, and constructive dialogues between citizens and their government. These community guidelines are an integral part of creating and maintaining such an environment. Please remember that by using our platform, you agree to these terms.

We continuously strive to ensure our policies reflect the evolving nature of our community and the digital landscape. To this end, we reserve the right to modify, amend, or change these guidelines at any time without prior notice. Any changes will be effective immediately upon being posted, and by continuing to use the Resident platform, users agree to be bound by the revised guidelines.

Your understanding, compliance, and cooperation with these community guidelines help us create a more inclusive, respectful, and beneficial platform for everyone. Thank you for being a part of the Resident community.