1. Why these Guidelines exist

ActsSocial is built on Acts 2:42–47, where the first believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. That is the community we are trying to make room for: gratitude that rises, prayer that gets answered by people who show up, and conversation that leaves you better than it found you.

These Community Guidelines form part of our Terms of Service and apply to everyone. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning given in the Terms of Service.

2. How moderation works

We use AI assisted moderation, 24 hours a day. Every post is scanned automatically for negative sentiment, foul language, and bullying. Human moderators review escalations and reports.

We want to be precise about that, because it matters. A human being does not read every post. Automated systems review everything and route what they flag, along with anything members report, to people. Automated systems make mistakes in both directions, which is why Section 13 explains how to appeal.

Automated systems are used elsewhere on ActsSocial too. They rank and organize your feed around the interests you choose, translate content into the languages we support, and build the search index. Section 6.9 of the Terms sets that out in full.

3. What we ask of you

• Use your real name. Every account is verified by phone number. Anonymous accounts are not permitted.
• Speak life. Disagree without contempt. You can hold a firm conviction and still treat the other person as someone made in the image of God.
• Keep it clean. No profanity, no crude sexual content, no gore.
• Be honest. Do not misrepresent who you are, who you represent, or where your content came from.
• Respect other people’s privacy. Do not post someone else’s personal information, and be careful when your testimony involves a real person who has not agreed to be written about.

4. What is not allowed

You may not post or do any of the following.

• Harassment, bullying, threats, or targeted abuse
• Hate speech, or content that dehumanizes people on the basis of who they are
• Sexually explicit material, or any sexualization of a minor
• Content that promotes or instructs self harm, suicide, or disordered eating
• Violence, threats of violence, or celebration of violence
• Content that promotes illegal activity, or the sale of regulated goods
• Spam, deceptive engagement schemes, or manipulation of the ActsSeeds program
• Impersonation of a person, church, ministry, or organization
• Content you do not have the rights to post
• Music recordings. Music may not be uploaded to ActsSocial, including music you own, and uploaded recordings are removed
• Scraping, automated collection, or unauthorized access

5. Child safety

ActsSocial is an adults only service. We report apparent child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through the CyberTipline as required by 18 U.S.C. 2258A, we preserve the related content and account information for at least 90 days, and there is no opt out from this.

If you encounter this material, report it immediately and do not share it. You can also contact [email protected].

6. Prayer requests and personal crisis

ActsSocial is a place to ask for prayer. It is not an emergency service and it is not a substitute for professional care. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.

If you see a post suggesting someone is at risk of harming themselves, report it. Our moderators route those to people, not to automated systems.

7. Teaching content

Members with an approved role may publish devotional and teaching content. Those members agree to our Statement of Faith, warrant that they hold the rights to what they publish, and must tell us the basis on which they hold those rights.

The English Bible translations on ActsSocial are in the public domain, so quoting them on the Services is free. Other translations are not. They carry their own license terms, so check before you quote at length, and tell us about it when you publish. Section 7.3 of the Terms explains which translations are which.

Song lyrics are different again. Contemporary worship lyrics are protected by copyright and are among the most actively enforced categories there is. Do not quote them without permission.

8. Faith, conviction, and disagreement

ActsSocial holds a conservative Christian position rooted in Acts 2. Members disagree with one another about secondary matters, and that is normal and healthy. We moderate conduct, not conscience. What gets removed is abuse, not disagreement.

ActsSocial as an institution does not endorse candidates or partisan political platforms.

9. Sponsors and partner organizations

Organizations that appear as sponsors, partners, or supporters of ActsSocial are independent of ActsSocial. Their inclusion reflects alignment with our Christian values and their support for our mission. It is not an endorsement by ActsSocial of any statement, action, or position they may take, political or otherwise, and no partner speaks for ActsSocial. Each organization is responsible for its own conduct and public statements.

10. What happens when the Guidelines are broken

Depending on what happened and whether it has happened before, we may remove content, limit its distribution, restrict a feature, suspend an account, revoke an approved role, or terminate an account. Serious cases result in immediate removal without warning.

Where we revoke an approved role, the account normally continues as an ordinary member account. Section 8.4 of the Terms explains that in full.

Whenever we remove your content, limit its distribution, restrict a feature, suspend your account, or revoke your role, we tell you what we did and why, unless the law prevents us from doing so. That notice explains the ground we relied on, whether an automated system was involved, and how to appeal under Section 13.

11. Our legal position on moderation

ActsSocial is an interactive computer service. We claim the protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. 230, for decisions we make about content published by others, including decisions to restrict access to material we consider objectionable, and we reserve all rights and defenses available to us.

Content posted by members is the responsibility of the member who posted it.

12. Reporting

Report content from the post itself, or write to [email protected]. Reports made this way are confidential. Copyright notices work differently, because the law requires us to pass a notice to the person who posted the material. Our Copyright and DMCA Policy explains that. Do not report content in bad faith; doing so is itself a breach of these Guidelines.

13. Appeals

If we remove your content, restrict your account, or revoke your role and you believe we made a mistake, write to [email protected] within 30 days. Tell us what was removed and why you think the decision was wrong. You may appeal a decision once. Someone who was not involved in the original decision will review it and we will respond in writing. Our decision after appeal is final.

14. Changes

We update these Guidelines as the community grows. Where a change is material we give at least 30 days notice before it takes effect.

15. Contact

Safety: [email protected] · Appeals: [email protected] · General: [email protected]