Moderation Policy

Welcome to the Hily Community. It is a safe place to be yourself, meet new people, build long-lasting friendships and real connections. All we request from you is to maintain respect, honesty, and adhere to our Community Rules, Moderation Policy, and other Hily policies.

COMMUNITY RULES ENFORCEMENT 

Our Community Rules and Terms of Use are designed to create a secure, enjoyable, and respectful environment for all users. Our moderation team is committed to upholding these standards and may take action against profiles, photos, or other inappropriate content that violate our policies. The following are examples of such violations:

• Child Exploitation & Abuse: We have zero-tolerance toward any content or behavior that features, glorifies, promotes, or accommodates the sexual exploitation of children. 
• Abuse, Harassment & Bullying: We do not tolerate any form of physical abuse, harassment, or bullying towards other users.
• Hate Speech & Discrimination: Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Hate speech and discrimination are not tolerated.
• Sexually Explicit Content: Public sharing of explicit or suggestive content, including, but not limited to,  depiction of naked or covered genitals, erect genitals, breasts, and very low necklines exposing breasts, depiction of sexual aids, guides, illegal sexual themes, and fetishes, is prohibited. 
• Sexual Services Promotion and Unsolicited Advertising: Advertising or commercial transactions are not permitted.
• Illegal Content: Content related to illegal actions or goods, including, but not limited to drugs, weapons, crimes etc, is strictly prohibited.
• Spam & Impersonalization: It is not acceptable to repeatedly copy and paste messages to numerous users or to direct users to external websites through links or any other means.  Impersonating other people in the app, including celebrities, is prohibited.

If we detect, or receive a report from another user, or if local authorities alert us to content that violates our rules and policies, we will promptly review and remove it. 

MODERATION PROCEDURE 

Our tools and actions

To maintain the quality of our moderation, we employ a combination of automated tools and human review. Initially, a user’s content, such as photos, undergoes automated moderation (proactive review). For messages and in situations requiring further or additional content checks, such as when we receive a report from another user, the review is carried out manually by a real person (reactive review).

If you believe that the user, their photos, messages or other inappropriate content violates our Community Rules and/or Terms of Use, we encourage you to submit a report via our in-app feature. You are able to choose the appropriate category for your report and provide relevant comments. We assure you that the report will be handled with confidentiality and that your personality will not be disclosed to the user you have reported (reported user).

When we receive a report, our dedicated moderator evaluates the situation and makes the decision. If the content violates our rules and\or policies, we promptly remove it. In cases of serious or repeated infractions, the user may be banned from Hily. 

Notices to users 

We strive to be open with our users, especially when it comes to actions with their content. That is why we have developed a user notice system: 

1. If you believe that another user violates our rules and you decide to report them, we will confirm the receipt of your report. 
2. If, as a result of the check, we do not detect violations by the reported user, we will notify you in a timely manner. The reported user will not receive any notices.
3. If, as a result of the check, we detect violations by the reported user, we will notify the reported user that their content was moderated and why. In some jurisdictions we are required to inform the reported user that their content was reported by another user. However, we will not disclose your personality. Regardless of whether the reported user submitted the appeal or not, we will inform you on our final decision.

Our team 

Our moderation team is dedicated to maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment year-round, operating 24/7 in more than 7 countries. We have carefully selected our moderation team to include diverse individuals with unique life experiences, enabling them to make fair and informed decisions.

Each of our moderators is trained to consider a wide range of factors and to make decisions ensuring fairness and equity. They are equipped to handle a wide range of content and situations, providing timely and effective responses to any issues that may arise.

This commitment to continuous improvement allows us to consistently uphold high standards of moderation across diverse cultural contexts. 

APPEAL (FOR EU AND UK USERS)

Since we are committed to ensure transparency and open dialog with our users, we provide EU and UK users with the opportunity to contest our decision regarding content moderation, regardless of whether you reported the content or your content was reported. 

You have the option to submit an appeal if you believe:

• we made a mistake in removing your content/banning your account; 
• we made a mistake in not removing the content of the user you reported. 

Your appeal will be evaluated separately by 2 (two) human reviewers who were not involved in the original evaluation, guaranteeing an impartial assessment. If the reviewers fail to make a unanimous decision, the third reviewer will make an independent assessment of the content in question and make a decision. Appeal decision is final. 

You can initiate an appeal within the 6 (six) months from the date of our initial decision. Alternatively, you also have the option to apply to an alternative dispute resolution body in accordance with the applicable legislation.

Please note that in certain circumstances, we may permanently ban your account. Examples of such circumstances include the dissemination of child sexual exploitation content or the non-consensual sharing of photos and/or videos of other individuals.

NOTE: Your subscription will remain active until you cancel it on Hily or the App Store and Google Play store, whichever applies. The ban on your Hily account DOES NOT automatically cancel your Hily Premium subscription. You can find more on how to cancel your subscription in Subscription Terms. 

REGIONAL REQUIREMENTS/COUNTRY-SPECIFIC REGULATIONS

Depending on your residency, different or additional rules may apply. For further information, refer to our Terms of Use.

AUSTRALIA. The following apply to you, if you are an Australian resident to the extent required by applicable law:

Australian eSafety Commissioner Information

The eSafety Commissioner serves as the online safety regulator in Australia, with a mission to protect Australians from online harms and foster a safer, more positive online environment. This is achieved through the enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2021 and other relevant legislation, which grants the eSafety Commissioner various powers.

In particular, Australian users can use the eSafety Commissioner’s systems to report harmful online content, such as cyberbullying,  adult cyber abuse, and  image-based abuse.

To learn more about the eSafety Commissioner’s role, functions, and the resources available, please refer to this webpage. For information on how to file a complaint, please consult this webpage.