Legal

Content Moderation Policy

Last updated: March 2026

UNICONNECT CONTENT MODERATION POLICY

This policy explains how UniConnect moderates content, handles reports, and enforces our rules. This policy is incorporated by reference into the UniConnect Terms of Service.


1. Scope

UniConnect may moderate, review, remove, restrict, label, or otherwise enforce rules on content and activity related to the Service, including:

  • Event posts (text, images, links, event details, and locations entered by users)
  • User profiles (name, bio, profile photo, school affiliation signals)
  • Reports, appeals, and related evidence
  • User behavior and account activity (spam patterns, suspected fraud, ban evasion, scraping attempts, etc.)

2. Goals and Principles

We aim to maintain an open student community while prioritizing:

  • Student safety and harm prevention
  • Legal compliance (including IP/DMCA, privacy, and law enforcement requests where applicable)
  • Platform integrity (anti-spam, anti-fraud, anti-impersonation)
  • Fairness and consistency (reasonable, good-faith application of rules)

We may act quickly in safety-sensitive situations even if all facts are not yet verified.

3. No Duty to Monitor; No Guarantee

UniConnect is not obligated to proactively monitor all content or user activity, and we do not guarantee that content will be reviewed, removed, or reinstated within a specific timeframe. Moderation outcomes may vary based on context, severity, volume of reports, and operational constraints.

4. Detection and Review Methods

We use a combination of:

  • User reports (in-app reports and email reports)
  • Automated signals to detect likely violations (e.g., spam patterns, repeated posting behavior, known abusive terms, suspicious account activity)
  • Human review where feasible, particularly for edge cases, higher-severity issues, and appeals

Automation may surface items for review or apply limited restrictions, but final decisions may involve human judgment depending on severity and available information.

5. Enforcement Actions

Depending on severity, context, and history, UniConnect may take actions including:

  • Remove content
  • Restrict visibility/distribution (e.g., reduce reach, hide from feeds, remove from map)
  • Require edits before reposting or reinstating content
  • Add labels/warnings or age/eligibility gating (where applicable)
  • Temporarily limit features (e.g., posting limits, link restrictions)
  • Temporarily suspend accounts
  • Permanently ban accounts
  • Prevent re-registration (ban evasion controls)
  • Preserve records and evidence for safety, security, legal compliance, or dispute resolution

UniConnect may take any enforcement action in its sole discretion to protect users, comply with law, or maintain the integrity of the Service, including immediate removal or bans for severe violations.

6. What We Typically Remove or Restrict

This policy works alongside our Community Guidelines. Examples of content and behavior that may result in removal or enforcement include:

  • Threats of violence, incitement, or credible self-harm content
  • Harassment, hate, targeted abuse, or stalking
  • Doxxing / sharing personal information without consent
  • Scams, fraud, phishing, deceptive promotions, or fake events
  • Impersonation (including UCSB/SBCC staff, organizations, or businesses)
  • Illegal activity promotion or facilitation
  • Spam and manipulation (bots, coordinated engagement manipulation)
  • IP infringement (copyright/trademark) under our IP/DMCA policy
  • Ban evasion and attempts to bypass verification or security controls

7. Reporting Content

Users may report content through:

  • In-app reporting tools (preferred for time-sensitive event issues)
  • Email: help@uniconnect.social

When possible, include:

  • event/profile link or screenshot,
  • reason for the report,
  • any relevant context (time, location, why it’s unsafe or misleading).

Submitting knowingly false or abusive reports may result in enforcement.

8. Appeals

If your content is removed or your account is actioned, you may appeal by emailing help@uniconnect.social with:

  • the content in question (or screenshot),
  • why you believe it complies,
  • any supporting context.

Target response times are goals, not guarantees:

  • Event-related appeals: within 24 hours
  • Email-based appeals: within 48 hours

We may deny appeals where we determine enforcement was appropriate, or where repeated violations occur.

9. Repeat Offender Policy

We may apply escalating consequences based on severity and history. For certain violations (including IP infringement or repeated harmful behavior), we may use a “3 strikes” approach. However, we reserve the right to remove content or ban accounts immediately for severe violations (e.g., threats, doxxing, fraud, exploitation, or repeated ban evasion).

10. Emergency, Safety, and Law Enforcement

If content indicates credible threats of violence, self-harm, or other emergency risk, UniConnect may:

  • restrict or remove content quickly,
  • preserve evidence,
  • restrict accounts, and
  • contact appropriate authorities or comply with legal requests when required or reasonably necessary to protect users or the public.

11. Records and Retention

We may retain moderation-related records (reports, decisions, and supporting evidence) consistent with our Data Retention & Deletion Policy, including retaining de-identified or anonymized records and records needed for security, fraud prevention, compliance, and dispute resolution.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted in the Service or otherwise communicated as appropriate.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY + DMCA POLICY

UNICONNECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY / DMCA POLICY

UniConnect respects intellectual property rights and expects users and businesses to do the same. This policy explains how to submit copyright (DMCA) and trademark/impersonation complaints, how counter-notices work, and how UniConnect handles repeat infringers. This policy is incorporated by reference into the UniConnect Terms of Service.

1. Scope

This policy applies to content and activity on UniConnect, including:

  • event posts, images, links, and locations entered by users,
  • user profiles and names,
  • Sponsored Pins / Business Offers content (where applicable).

UniConnect may remove or restrict access to content alleged to be infringing, and may suspend or terminate accounts consistent with our Terms, Community Guidelines, and Content Moderation Policy.

2. DMCA Copyright Complaints (Takedown Notices)

If you believe content on UniConnect infringes your copyright, submit a DMCA notice to our designated agent:

DMCA Agent (Designated Copyright Agent)Name: Declan McClintockEmail: help@uniconnect.socialMailing Address: P.O. Box 2218, Santa Barbara, CA 93120Phone: (805) 451-4960

What your DMCA notice must include

To be effective under the DMCA, your notice must include all of the following:

Your physical or electronic signature (typed full name is acceptable for electronic signature).

Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed (or a representative list if multiple works are involved).

Identification of the allegedly infringing material and information reasonably sufficient for us to locate it in the Service (e.g., event title, posting account name, screenshots, and any link/path within the app, plus date/time).

Your contact information, including address, telephone number, and email address.

A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.

A statement that the information in your notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.

Our process

Upon receiving a valid DMCA notice, we may:

  • remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing content,
  • notify the user who posted it,
  • preserve relevant records for legal, security, and dispute-resolution purposes.

3. Counter-Notice (If You Believe Content Was Removed by Mistake)

If your content was removed due to a DMCA notice and you believe the removal was a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notice to the DMCA Agent above.

What your counter-notice must include

Your counter-notice must include:

Your physical or electronic signature.

Identification of the material that was removed or disabled and the location where it appeared before removal.

A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.

Your name, address, telephone number, and email address.

A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or, if you are outside the United States, the federal district in which UniConnect is located), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA notice (or their agent).

Forwarding and restoration

We may forward a complete counter-notice to the original complainant as required by law. If we receive a valid counter-notice, we may restore the removed content unless the complainant notifies us that they have filed an action seeking a court order to restrain the user from engaging in infringing activity.

4. Repeat Infringers

UniConnect may terminate accounts of users who are repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances. Three valid infringement claims may result in account termination, and severe cases may result in immediate action, including immediate removal and/or account suspension or termination.

5. Trademark, Impersonation, and Other IP Complaints (Non-DMCA)

If you believe content on UniConnect misuses your trademark, business name, brand, or otherwise impersonates you or your organization, contact us at help@uniconnect.social and include:

  • the mark, name, or identity being misused,
  • examples and screenshots,
  • your relationship to the mark/identity (e.g., owner, authorized agent),
  • any registration details (if applicable) and relevant links.

We may remove content, require modifications, restrict visibility, or take account action consistent with our Terms and policies.

6. Misrepresentations and Abuse of This Process

Submitting knowingly false, misleading, or abusive notices or counter-notices may result in:

  • denial of your request,
  • account enforcement (if applicable),
  • and potential legal consequences under applicable law.

7. Reservation of Rights

UniConnect may remove or restrict content at any time for policy, safety, legal, or operational reasons, even if a complaint does not strictly meet DMCA requirements. UniConnect also reserves the right to request additional information to evaluate complaints and to determine the appropriate response at its discretion.

8. Agent Registration (Operational)

UniConnect intends to maintain a designated DMCA agent and may register or update the agent information with the U.S. Copyright Office to support DMCA safe-harbor processes.