Preamble

Helo is a one-stop social platform. Helo's mission is to inform people, empower creativity, and bring people closer together. Helo equips users with information and empowers diverse communities to express themselves and bring them closer conveniently under one platform. We are aiming to contribute to the unity of everyone by connecting diverse communities and providing them with a platform to express themselves. For more information, please visit www.helo.com.

At Helo, we are committed to creating a trusted and safe in-app environment that encourages a responsible exchange of ideas and perspectives. We deploy a combination of policies, safety tools, and online resources to ensure the same. Our Community Guidelines are the reflection of our values and principles and outline the code of conduct for users. Our Community Guidelines apply to everyone, and to everything shared on Helo and these guidelines underline general guidance on what is and what is not allowed on the platform.

We update our Community Guidelines from time to time to evolve with our community.

Violent extremism

We do not allow violent extremists to use the platform to promote terrorism, crime, or other types of behavior that could cause physical injuries, violent activities, and disrupt societal harmony in the real world. When there is a credible threat to public safety, we handle the issue by taking action against the account.

We allow exceptions to content from verified news accounts or content in news, educational, historical, satirical, artistic setting, and other content that can be clearly identified as counterspeech or aims to raise awareness of the harm caused by terrorists, terrorist organizations, criminal groups, their members, or other such unlawful actors.

Promotion of terrorism

We do not allow any non-state actors using premeditated violence or threats of violence to cause harm to non-combatant individuals, in order to intimidate or threaten a population, government, or international organization in the pursuit of political, religious, ethnic, or ideological objectives.

Do not post:

  • Names, symbols, logos, flags, slogans, uniforms, gestures, portraits, songs, or other objects meant to represent terrorist organizations banned by government or their members

  • Content that praises, glorifies, supports, or incites terrorism, terrorist acts, terrorists, or terrorist organizations banned by government

Promotion of crime groups and criminals

We do not allow crime groups or criminals that cause other types of severe harm with the use of extreme violence, including: homicide, human trafficking, organ trafficking, arms trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, blackmailing, etc. We allow people to debate and advocate for the legality of criminal and harmful activities, as well as draw attention to harmful or criminal activity that they may witness or experience as long as they do not advocate for or lead to harm.

Do not post:

  • Names, symbols, logos, flags, slogans, uniforms, gestures, portraits, or other objects meant to represent organized crime groups, their members, or other such unlawful actors;

  • Content that praises, glorifies, supports, or promotes organized crime groups, their members, or other such unlawful actors.

Violent threat

We do not allow statements of intent to inflict permanent and/or potentially life-threatening physical injuries or threats of violence against an individual or a group of individuals, including sexual and physical violence.

Illegal activities and regulated goods

We prohibit the trade, sale, promotion, and use of certain regulated goods, as well as the depiction or promotion of criminal activities. We do not allow actions that go beyond the laws that govern the usage of national elements, and the violation of the code that may invite severe punishments and penalties. We handle the issue by taking action against the account. We allow exceptions to content for the educational, scientific, artistic and newsworthy purpose.

Regulated goods

Do not post:

  • Displaying or using firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition, or explosive weapons

  • Illegal trade or instructions to make firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition, explosives

  • Coordinating, encouraging others or providing instructions to sell, buy or make firearms, accessories, ammunition, or explosives

  • Use of drugs and other controlled substances, and drug paraphernalia, including displaying, admitting to use, portraying controlled substances positively, encouraging others or providing instructions to use controlled substances, displaying or providing instructions to use, sell, or make drug paraphernalia products or accessories

Illegal activities

Do not post:

  • Frauds and scams intended to deceive others in order to gain an unlawful financial advantage

  • Poaching and Illegal trade of wildlife includes depicting and promoting, Coordinating, encouraging others or providing instructions to engage in poaching or illegal wildlife trade

  • Human exploitation includes depicting, promoting, encouraging, coordinating others or providing instructions to exploit others

  • Adult commercial sexual services including depicting, promoting, encouraging, coordinating with others or providing instructions to engage in sexual services

  • Depicting, promoting, encouraging, coordinating with others to get involved in criminal activities (e.g. kidnapping, theft etc.)

  • Content reflecting violation of codes that govern the usage of protected national elements i.e. destroy, damage, or mutilate a flag, or constitution.

Privacy and confidential information

The confidentiality of personally identifiable information is protected by a person's right to privacy under applicable data protection laws. To protect the privacy of our users, we remove content that depicts personal data or personally identifiable information from the platform.

  • Personal data/Personally Identifiable Information, including identity documents, social security number, taxpayer number, passport, non-public phone number or email address, home address, financial record and account information, medical records

Violent and graphic content

We do not allow content that is excessively gruesome or shocking, especially such content that promotes or glorifies abject violence or suffering. We do allow exceptions for certain circumstances, for example, content that is newsworthy or meant to raise awareness about social issues. When we identify a genuine risk of violence or threat to public safety, we take action against the account. However, we allow exceptions to content for the educational, scientific, artistic and newsworthy purpose.

Violent and graphic content involving humans

Do not post:

  • Violent death or accident where a victim is visible or subjected to life-threatening injury

  • Mutilated human body

  • Torture causing severe physical or psychological suffering in real setting

  • Violent fighting that may cause serious injury

Violent and graphic content involving animals

Do not post:

  • Content depicting animal abuse, that is the behavior that causes physical or psychological harm and may impact the overall well-being of an animal. This includes beating, slapping, violently shaking, torture of the animal

  • Animal mutilation and slaughter showing up visible innards or muscle tissue

  • Gore that is graphic in nature

Suicide, self-harm, and dangerous acts

We do not promote participation in activities that could lead to physical harm and do not permit users to encourage others to take part in dangerous activities that can be imitated easily and may further lead to partial or total physical disability, temporary or permanent damage to human body, incapacity or disfigurement. However, we allow depiction of dangerous acts if it is educational in nature, in fictional and professional setting. We do not allow content that promotes or encourages self-harm or suicide, but we do allow our users to share their experiences and raise awareness about these issues. We encourage users who are struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or who know someone who has suicidal tendencies, to immediately seek external help from professionals in this field.

Suicide and self-harm

Research indicates that exposure to graphic depictions of suicide or self-harm can influence vulnerable users. We do not want to expose such content to facilitate suicidal or self-harm behavior. Therefore, we do not allow graphic content depicting suicide or self-harm on the platform.

Do not post:

  • Graphic depiction, promotion or encouragement of suicide or self-harm

  • Depiction, promotion, encouragement of eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia. This includes graphic signs and unhealthy diet tips that may lead to eating disorder

  • Suicide or self-harm challenges

Dangerous acts

Dangerous acts are defined as acts that have a high risk of being harmful or injurious to oneself or others. We do not want to encourage, promote, or glorify such content on the platform.

Do not post:

  • Inappropriate use of tools or equipment in any manner that may threaten the safety of oneself or others

  • Consumption of inedible object that cannot be digested and could cause physical harm, including stones, plastics, cigarettes

  • The action that runs the risk of causing serious bodily harm. This includes dangerous trends and challenges

Hateful behavior

We do not tolerate content that attacks an individual or a group of individuals on the basis of protected attributes such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, serious disease, disability, or immigration status. We remove content that invokes hateful behaviors, including speech that dehumanizes or segregates a protected group. We also consider hateful content that will result in communal violence in the real world. We suspend or ban accounts that have multiple hateful behavior violations.

Hate speech

We do not allow speech that does or intends to attack, threaten, dehumanize, or incite violence against an individual or a group of individuals on the basis of protected attributes.

Do not post :

  • Content depicting inciting violence or making a violent threat against a member of a protected group

  • Content depicting stripping a person of their inherent humanity by making assertions that a person or people are inferior based on mental, physical or moral faculties

  • Content depicting exclusion of people from groups, opportunities or benefits on the basis of their protected attributes, or intolerance against them.

Hateful ideology

A hateful ideology is defined as an ideology substantially based on a shared hostility towards people of one or more protected attributes.

Do not post:

  • Content promoting or glorying a hateful ideology or hate figure

  • Content depicting songs or lyrics promoting a hateful ideology

  • Content depicting symbols associated with a hateful ideology

Slur

We do not allow slurs that are particularly egregious, and most often used in a hateful context.

Do not post:

  • Content intended to insult an individual or group based on one of their protected attributes

Offensive content

We respect people's right to express themselves. However, some expressions are considered offensive, including praising or belittling violent tragedies and their victims or attacking a particular community or individual, for example religious figure or religious precept that is likely to offend others and trigger conflict and violence between communities.

Do not post:

  • Denying that well-documented and violent events have taken place

  • Praising the outcome of a violent tragedy

  • Attacking, insulting, degrading, making negative remarks or blaspheming any religion or any deities from all religions

  • Damaging or disrespecting religious symbols

  • Threat against places of worship

  • Applying a degrading characteristic or trait to the religion.

Harassment and bullying

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior among two or more people with the intent to harm, intimidate, humiliate, or coerce another individual, often perceived as vulnerable. We are promoting a community where users can safely express themselves. Content intended to intimidate, humiliate, cause emotional or physical harm to individuals is not allowed on the platform.

Do not post:

  • Bullying statements, including targeted swearing, expressing disgust or hate, aggressive insults, or making degrading statements on intellect, appearance, personality traits, or hygiene

  • Bullying behavior, including using physical force to degrade, humiliate, coerce others, or producing digitally altering or filming content with a malicious and degrading intent to humiliate, degrade, or harm others

  • Sexual harassment includes making statements of intent to engage in sexual activity or solicitation of sexual acts, simulating sexual activity on others or using degrading terms pertaining to sexual activities

  • The threat of hacking or revealing personally identifiable information or data

Adult nudity and sexual activities

We do not allow sexually explicit or gratifying content on our platform, including animated content of this nature. Displaying nudity or sexual activities is sensitive to some audience in our community and overtly sexual content can be offensive as well. We do allow exceptions around nudity and sexually explicit content for educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic purposes.

Sexual Exploitation

Sexual exploitation is an act or acts committed through non-consensual exploitation of another person's sexuality for the purpose of sexual gratification, financial gain, personal benefit or advantage, or any other non-legitimate purpose.

Do not post:

  • Content depicting or promoting non-consensual sexual acts, including rape, molestation, supporting sexual violence

  • Content depicting or promoting sexual solicitations, including asking for sex or sexual partners, sex chat or conversations, nude imagery or sexually suggestive imagery

Nudity

Do not post:

  • Content depicting nudity, including full or partial exposure of genitalia, female areola, or suggested nudity without private part exposure.

Sexual activities

Sexual activities include penetrative sexual acts, non-penetrative sexual acts, bestiality, necrophilia, and oral intercourse.

Do not post:

  • Content depicting fetishism, sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviors including BDSM, foot fetishism

  • Content depicting sexual arousal, including rubbing, stroking, squeezing on private parts by any objects

Sexually explicit content

Sexually explicit content includes exposing undergarments, sexually seductive behaviors, indecent gestures, explicitly sexual or erotic messages and sexually explicit objects, including sex toys, unpacked condom in non-educational context, fetish wear.

Displaying animal sexuality

Imagery of animal genital and sexual activity between animals are not suitable for public audience. Therefore, when such content is inadvertently exposed, we remove it from our platform.

Minor safety

We are deeply committed to child safety and have zero tolerance for predatory or grooming behavior towards minors. We do not allow content that depicts or disseminates child abuse, child nudity, or sexual exploitation of children in both the digital and real worlds. We also do not allow content depicting minors engaged in delinquent behavior. We will report and escalate such content to relevant legal authorities to prevent ongoing or potential sexual exploitation or abuse towards minors.

Sexual activity or exploitation involving minor

Content that depicts or promotes sexual activity or exploitation involving minors is illegal, socially unacceptable, and may be triggering for victims of sexual assault. Such content will be removed from our platform.

Do not post:

  • Content depicting sexual activity involving minor including explicit or implied sexual intercourse

  • Content depicting sexual exploitation involving rape or molestation of minors

  • Content displaying intimate imagery involving minor

  • Content depicting sexual solicitation involving minor by asking or offering sexual partners, sex chat or sexually suggestive imagery

  • Content depicting minors commercial sexual services

  • Online and/or offline sexual harassment or intimate interaction involving minor

  • Grooming behavior and inappropriate interaction with minors

  • The allusion to sexual activity or sexual stimulation

Nudity or sexually suggestive coverage involving minor

Imagery depicting minors' body overexposure or nudity may be exploited for sexual purposes, including but not limited to sex extortion or sexual gratification. It will be removed from our platform. However, we allow certain content based on contexts, such as wearing a bikini for water activities, wearing leggings, or a sports bra for exercise.

Do not post:

  • Explicit nudity of minors

  • Implied or partial nudity of minors

  • Overexposure of breast area or torso of minors

  • Minors in minimal clothing including micro swimwear, thong swimwear or see-through clothing with visible undergarments

Sexually seductive behavior

Sexually seductive behavior includes behaviors or body movements that may emphasize sexuality or perform with the intent to be sexually seductive. However, we allow certain types of content based on contexts, such as artistic setting and well-choreographed dance performances.

Do not post:

  • Minors performing dance or body movements with sexually seductive intent

  • Minor performing facial expressions or behaviors with the intent to be sexually seductive

Minor abuse

Abuse of minors may result in immediate adverse physical and/or chronic psychological effects. Content depicting a minor subjected to physical suffering or underage labor will be removed from our platform.

Do not post:

  • Content depicting physical and verbal abuse against minors

  • Content depicting or promoting underage labor

  • Content depicting the underage marriage

Minor delinquent behavior

Due to their biological and psychological vulnerability, minors are at higher risk of alcohol- or tobacco-related harm than adults, which can impact their development and lead to impaired judgment. Imagery that depicts minors possessing or consuming tobacco or alcohol will be removed from our platform.

Do not post:

  • Underage tobacco possession or consumption, which includes conventional tobacco and noncombustible tobacco like vape, vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens or electronic cigarettes, etc.

  • Underage alcohol possession or abuse

Integrity and authenticity

We do not allow content that is intended to mislead or deceive any of our community members endangers our trust-based community. This includes activities such as spamming, impersonation and sharing or promoting misleading content.

Spamming

We do not allow inauthentic ways to increase followers, likes, views, or other engagement metrics on the platform with deception of users or abuse of platform mechanism as the basis.

Do not post:

  • Instructions, tricks or services to artificially increase likes, followers, views

  • Selling or buying of followers, likes or views

  • Apps or websites that promotes artificial traffic

Misleading information

We do not allow maliciously or unconsciously disseminated misleading information that can cause harm to individuals, communities, or the larger public.

Do not post:

  • Content that can cause imminent harm to user's health, including false medical treatment

  • Content that can mislead or manipulate public opinion about elections or other civic processes

Intellectual property

We do not allow content that constitutes intellectual property infringement of any individual or third party, including copyright or trademark violations or other intellectual property misappropriation. Please review applicable laws and regulations to learn more about intellectual property rights (such as, copyrights, trademarks and patents). We may ban or take further actions against accounts that upload unauthorized copyrighted content. Please contact copyright@helo.com, if you want to flag Intellectual Property infringement content.

Do not post:

  • Unauthorized copy of a copyrighted video or image of an individual or third party

  • Full-length online piracy film without editing

  • Links to allegedly infringing materials

Help keep our Helo community safe

As an important part of the Helo community, if you see content that you consider violates any of policies outlined above, please help us by using Helo's built-in reporting feature. We have a dedicated team to review all the content flagged by our users, 24/7, and take proper actions as quickly as we can. If you have further concerns, please contact feedback@helo.com.

In addition to the content and behavior addressed, our policies prohibit activities that undermine the Helo service:

  • Do not hack the Helo website, app, or associated networks, or bypass its measures to restrict users' access

  • Do not distribute files that contain viruses, Trojan horses, worms, logic bombs, or other materials that are malicious or harmful

  • Do not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile, or create any derivative products based on Helo, including any files, tables or documentation, nor attempt to regenerate any source code, algorithms, methods, or techniques embodied in Helo

  • Do not use automated scripts to collect information from Helo

We appreciate you for being a part of the Helo community, and for doing your part to foster a safe and enjoyable community for others.