Community

Community Guidelines

Effective: October 2026 · Binding for all users · Applies in addition to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

note.txt

Note: This is an English translation of our German Community Guidelines for the convenience of international users. In case of conflict, the German version is legally binding.

S'Up is an app for real-life encounters: no newsfeed, no like-competition, no toxic algorithm. To keep it that way, we have a few clear rules. These guidelines explain what's allowed and what isn't, what happens when someone breaks the rules, and how to report or block.

They apply bindingly to all users (private and business) and are part of our Terms of Service. Anyone breaking them risks content removal, account suspension, and in cases of criminal content, referral to law enforcement.

1. Our Values

Respect. Every person on S'Up is treated with respect, regardless of origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, or disability.
Authenticity. S'Up thrives on real people meeting in real life. Fake profiles, catfishing, and identity theft are off-limits.
Safety. No one should feel unsafe on S'Up. We protect minors and vulnerable groups in particular.
Responsibility. What you post, send, and share has real-world consequences. Think before you publish.

2. What is not allowed

The following content and behavior is prohibited on S'Up. Depending on severity, violations lead to content removal, warnings, mute, account suspension, or (for criminal acts) reporting to the competent authorities.

2.1

Hate speech, incitement, and discrimination

Content that demeans, dehumanizes, or calls for violence against persons or groups based on origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or other protected characteristics. Includes coded hate speech (dog-whistles), Holocaust denial, trivialization of Nazi crimes, and similar violations of § 130 StGB (incitement of the masses).

2.2

Harassment, bullying, stalking, doxxing

Repeated unwanted contact, targeted public shaming, mobbing campaigns, publishing other people's private data (addresses, phone numbers, workplaces, routine locations) without their consent. Collecting such data for later disclosure is also prohibited.

2.3

Sexualized content involving minors: ZERO TOLERANCE

Sexualized depictions of persons under 18 (CSAM = Child Sexual Abuse Material) are absolutely prohibited. We detect known abuse material automatically by matching uploaded images by hash with PhotoDNA (Microsoft). Matches are blocked, the account is permanently suspended, and we report the case to the competent authorities (BKA, German Federal Criminal Police Office). Initiating sexual contact with minors (cyber-grooming, § 176 StGB) is also prohibited and will be reported.

2.4

Violence, terror, self-harm

Glorification of or instructions for physical violence, terror propaganda, instructions for building weapons or explosives, content that romanticizes or instructs self-harm or suicide. Suicide prevention or awareness content is allowed if it contains no concrete instructions.

2.5

Illegal content and actions

Advertising or selling prohibited drugs, weapons, stolen goods, forged documents, animals from illegal trade. Instructions for crimes. Distribution of copyrighted content without license.

2.6

Spam, scam, commercial manipulation

Mass-identical posts or messages, phishing, investment scams, romance scams, crypto pump-and-dump schemes, manipulated ratings, purchased engagement signals. Authentic advertising from business accounts is fine when clearly identifiable and non-intrusive.

2.7

Identity theft and fake profiles

Impersonating someone else (celebrities, other users, authorities, S'Up staff), cloning profiles, using others' photos without permission as your own. Parody accounts are allowed if clearly identified as such.

2.8

Misinformation with harm potential

Intentionally spreading false information that endangers health, democratic processes, or public safety, e.g., medical misinformation, election-fraud lies, conspiracy theories with calls for violence. Personal opinions, satire, and discussions are of course allowed.

2.9

Copyright infringement

Uploading content (images, music, text, video) without rights or license. Rightsholders can report infringements at report@s-up.social (DMCA-style notice-and-takedown, analogous to § 10 TMG).

3. What happens after a violation

We respond proportionally to the severity of the violation. For first minor offenses, often a warning; for severe or repeated offenses, immediate suspension.

Content removal. The affected post / comment / image is removed. You receive a push and email notification with reasoning (DSA Art. 17).
Warning (strike). For repeated minor violations you accumulate strikes. Three in the current quarter lead to a temporary suspension.
Mute / Read-Only. You can read the app but cannot post content. Duration: 24 hours to 30 days depending on the violation.
Account suspension. Your account is fully suspended. For severe violations, possible without prior warning.
Criminal referral. For criminally relevant content (CSAM, incitement, threats, stalking, fraud), we file charges and hand data to the competent authorities.

You always have the right to appeal a moderation decision (DSA Art. 20). Write us at support@s-up.social. We review every case again within 14 days.

4. How to report content or persons

Three ways to report a violation:

In-app report button. On every post, every comment, and in every profile you'll find a menu with “Report”. Choose the matching category. We'll look at it within 24 hours.
Email. For sensitive cases (doxxing, stalking, CSAM suspicion), email directly to report@s-up.social. We typically respond within 24 hours.
Emergency hotlines. In acute danger (threats, physical violence, suicide indicators), first contact the German police emergency number 110 or the Telefon-Seelsorge crisis line 0800 111 0 111. We cooperate with authorities on inquiries.

5. How to block someone

In every profile you'll find the Block button. Blocked persons can no longer contact you, see your content, and you no longer see theirs. Blocking is discreet: the other side gets no notification. You can manage blocks anytime in your settings.

6. Special protection for minors

We automatically match uploaded images with PhotoDNA (Microsoft) against known child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If there is a match, the image is blocked, the account is permanently suspended, and we report the case to the competent authorities (the BKA, German Federal Criminal Police Office). On suspicion indicators of cyber-grooming or sexual advances, we suspend the account immediately and involve law enforcement.

7. Notice-and-Action (DSA Art. 16)

If you want to flag illegal content as a third party (e.g., as an authority, rightsholder, or trusted flagger under DSA Art. 22), write to report@s-up.social with the following:

A sufficiently precise description of the content
The link to the content (URL or S'Up profile handle)
Your reasoning why the content is unlawful
Your contact details (authorities + trusted flaggers: official; private persons: private. We treat your data confidentially)
A good-faith declaration that the information is accurate

We confirm receipt within 24 hours and typically decide within 7 days. For acute danger (CSAM, threats), we act immediately.

8. Applicable law

Digital Services Act (EU) 2022/2065: notice-and-action, statement-of-reasons, right to appeal
German Telemedia Act (TMG) and Digital Services Act (DDG): hosting-provider obligations
GDPR (EU) 2016/679: processing of your data
German Youth Protection Act (JuSchG): protection of minors
German Criminal Code (StGB): in particular §§ 130, 176, 184b, 185 ff.

9. Updates to these Guidelines

We update these Community Guidelines regularly. For material changes, we notify all users via push and/or email with a 30-day lead time.

Last updated: October 10, 2026

contact.txt

Direct contact: Reports → report@s-up.social · Complaints / Support → support@s-up.social