Community Guidelines

Version: 2026-07-20 · Date: 20 July 2026

Ripple works if people can trust what they read about what is happening around them. These guidelines describe what is welcome, what is prohibited and how moderation works. They form an integral part of the Terms of Service.

The three principles

• Post only what you see: report facts you witness, not second-hand rumors.
• Respect people: behind every nickname there is a real person, often a neighbor.
• Stay local: every piece of content must concern the place it is anchored to on the map.

What is welcome

• Real, useful local news: traffic, accidents, events, roadworks, closures, lost items, situations worth watching in the neighborhood.
• Photos taken on the spot, showing what you describe.
• Comments that add context: updates, clarifications, information useful to people nearby.
• Honest confirmations and disputes, based on what you actually see from where you are.

Prohibited content

The following is not allowed on Ripple:

• Violence: threats, incitement to violence, glorification of violent acts.
• Hate: attacks or discrimination against people or groups based on ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other personal characteristics.
• Doxxing: posting other people's personal data (addresses, phone numbers, license plates, identities) without their consent.
• Sexual content: sexually explicit material or material otherwise inappropriate for a community open to 16-year-olds.
• Deliberate disinformation: invented or manipulated news posted in the knowledge that it is false.
• Spam: advertising, repetitive self-promotion, duplicate or irrelevant content.
• Content unrelated to the place: Ripple is for hyperlocal news; generic opinions, national debates or content with no link to the point on the map do not belong here.

How moderation works

1. Automated screening at publication: the text of every news item and every comment passes an automated moderation check (via OpenAI) at the time of publication. Content that violates the rules is blocked or flagged for review.

2. Community reports: anyone can report a news item or a comment. When a report threshold is reached, the content is automatically hidden, pending review.

3. Administrator review: the administrators examine reported or flagged content and decide whether to restore it or remove it permanently. Reported content that violates the rules is removed within 24 hours and the users responsible are ejected.

Consequences of violations

Depending on severity and frequency:

• removal of the content;
• impact on the account's reputation;
• suspension or permanent ejection from the app, with zero tolerance for serious abuse.

How to report

Open the ⋯ menu on the news item or comment and choose Report. The report is anonymous to the reported user. You can also block a user from their author profile or from the menu of one of their comments.

How to contest a removal

If content of yours has been removed or your account has been suspended and you believe it is a mistake, write to alessio.danna.94@gmail.com stating your nickname and the content concerned. We will review the case and get back to you.