Community Guidelines

Not allowed

• ✗Credible threats of violence against any person or group, whether made publicly or privately
• ✗Content that incites, encourages, glorifies, or celebrates acts of violence, terrorism, or mass harm
• ✗Instructions for carrying out violent acts, including instructions for making weapons, explosives, or dangerous substances
• ✗Content that facilitates the purchase, sale, or transfer of weapons, including firearms, ammunition, or regulated weapons under the Firearms Act
• ✗Content that depicts graphic real-world violence or gore intended to shock, disturb, or intimidate
• ✗Content that threatens, doxxes, or incites others to harm a specific individual

Not allowed

• ✗Content that promotes, glorifies, or provides detailed methods for self-harm or suicide
• ✗Content that encourages others to harm themselves
• ✗Content that depicts acts of self-harm in a graphic or instructional manner
• ✗Targeting or exploiting users who appear to be in emotional distress

Allowed

• ✓Sharing personal experiences with mental health challenges in a supportive, non-graphic way
• ✓Raising awareness about mental health issues in a responsible manner
• ✓Directing others to professional resources and crisis support

Not allowed

• ✗Any sexual content involving minors, including drawn, illustrated, or digitally generated content
• ✗Content that facilitates grooming, exploitation, or abuse of minors
• ✗Content that reveals the identity, location, or personal information of a minor without parental consent
• ✗Content designed to gain the trust of minors for harmful purposes

Not allowed

• ✗Content that promotes dangerous activities, stunts, or challenges that could result in physical injury
• ✗Content that encourages dangerous consumption of alcohol, drugs, or substances
• ✗Content promoting the use of controlled substances under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

Allowed

• ✓Discussion of substance use in an educational or harm-reduction context
• ✓Extreme sports documented with appropriate safety measures, not framed as challenges

Not allowed

• ✗Repeatedly sending unwanted messages or contact after being asked to stop
• ✗Coordinating group harassment of a specific individual
• ✗Posting content designed to demean, humiliate, or embarrass a specific individual
• ✗Sharing manipulated or out-of-context content designed to damage a person's reputation
• ✗Making unwanted sexual advances or sending unsolicited sexual content
• ✗Using The Chirp's anonymous feature to deliver targeted harassment toward an identifiable individual
• ✗Threatening to share or actually sharing intimate images without consent (non-consensual intimate image sharing)

Allowed

• ✓Expressing disagreement or criticism of ideas, institutions, or public figures, without crossing into personal abuse
• ✓Sharing your own experiences with difficult interpersonal situations without targeting identifiable individuals harmfully

Not allowed

• ✗Posting another person's home address, phone number, workplace, or daily routine without consent
• ✗Aggregating publicly available information about a specific individual in a way that enables harassment
• ✗Sharing a person's real-time location without their knowledge or consent

Not allowed

• ✗Creating a profile that impersonates another person, including fellow students, public figures, or Koup staff
• ✗Using a username, photo, or bio designed to deceive others into believing you are a specific individual
• ✗Falsely claiming affiliation with a university, student organization, or official body

Allowed

• ✓Parody or satire accounts, clearly and prominently labelled as parody, not using the exact name or photo deceptively

Not allowed

• ✗Content that dehumanizes people based on any protected characteristic, including comparisons to animals or calls for exclusion
• ✗Content that promotes or supports hate groups, white supremacist movements, antisemitic ideologies, or any hateful ideology
• ✗Using slurs to attack or demean any person or group
• ✗Intentionally and repeatedly misgendering or deadnaming an individual as a form of harassment
• ✗Content reinforcing harmful stereotypes that degrades or dehumanizes entire groups
• ✗Holocaust denial, genocide denial, or revisionism that minimizes historical atrocities

Allowed

• ✓Educational or documentary content discussing hate speech to raise awareness
• ✓Sharing personal experiences with discrimination in a first-person context
• ✓Counter-speech challenging hateful ideologies, provided it does not amplify harmful content
• ✓Political debate and discussion on controversial topics, provided it remains respectful

Not allowed

• ✗Sexually explicit content of any kind, including explicit photographs, videos, or written descriptions
• ✗Content depicting or describing sexual acts
• ✗Nudity, including toplessness, genital exposure, or NSFW content
• ✗Sexually suggestive content primarily designed to arouse
• ✗Solicitation of sexual activity or sex work through any Platform feature
• ✗Any sexual content involving or directed at minors, without exception

Allowed

• ✓Educational content about sexual health or relationships, provided it is not graphic
• ✓Artistic nudity in recognized works of art shared in an educational context
• ✓Non-sexualized depictions of the human body in medical or clinical contexts

Not allowed

• ✗Deliberately spreading demonstrably false factual claims that could cause significant harm
• ✗Fabricating quotes, statements, or actions attributed to real people
• ✗Creating or spreading false emergency alerts, campus safety warnings, or public health notifications
• ✗Coordinated inauthentic behaviour using multiple accounts or bots to amplify or suppress content
• ✗Impersonating journalists, researchers, or officials to lend false credibility to misinformation

Allowed

• ✓Satire and parody, clearly labelled as such and not reasonably mistakable for factual reporting
• ✓Sharing personal opinions and commentary, clearly framed as such
• ✓Sharing unverified information in good faith, framed as uncertain rather than established fact

Not allowed

• ✗Sharing another person's private information without consent, including home address, phone number, financial information, health information, or immigration status
• ✗Uploading photos or videos of identifiable individuals without their consent, particularly in private or semi-private settings
• ✗Using FlyBy or any feature to photograph individuals in spaces where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy
• ✗Sharing intimate or sexual images of another person without consent — also a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada
• ✗Using the Platform to compile or distribute personal information in a way that constitutes stalking or surveillance

Allowed

• ✓Sharing photos taken in public spaces where individuals have no reasonable expectation of privacy, provided no other guideline is violated
• ✓Sharing publicly available information about public figures relating to their public role

Not allowed

• ✗Uploading, reposting, or sharing creative works owned by others without the copyright owner's permission or valid licence
• ✗Removing or altering copyright notices or watermarks before sharing content
• ✗Using another person's creative work in a misleading way that implies it is your own
• ✗Sharing pirated software, unlicensed streaming links, or other copyright-infringing materials

Allowed

• ✓Sharing your own original content
• ✓Sharing content you have a valid licence or permission to share
• ✓Quoting limited portions of a copyrighted work for commentary, criticism, or education consistent with fair dealing under the Copyright Act
• ✓Sharing content in the public domain

Not allowed

• ✗Sending unsolicited bulk messages, repetitive messages, or chain messages
• ✗Using bots, scripts, or third-party tools to interact with the Platform automatically
• ✗Creating multiple accounts to evade enforcement or inflate engagement
• ✗Purchasing or selling likes, followers, engagement, or account access
• ✗Posting duplicate or near-duplicate content across multiple features or accounts
• ✗Artificially amplifying content through coordinated behaviour by multiple accounts
• ✗Using misleading thumbnails, titles, or descriptions to deceive users
• ✗Manipulating the Platform's algorithm through artificial means

Allowed

• ✓Organically sharing and promoting content you genuinely support
• ✓Encouraging friends to engage with your content individually and in good faith

Not allowed

• ✗Using The Chirp to harass, bully, threaten, or target a specific identifiable individual under the protection of anonymity
• ✗Posting content that identifies another person's private information or sensitive details anonymously
• ✗Spreading false rumours about identifiable individuals
• ✗Posting content you would not post under your real name because it violates these Guidelines
• ✗Using anonymity to evade a ban or restriction on your Account

Allowed

• ✓Sharing genuine thoughts, feelings, and campus experiences within the spirit of each category
• ✓Posting about sensitive personal topics such as mental health, relationships, or academic stress constructively

Not allowed

• ✗Uploading photos of identifiable individuals without their knowledge and consent
• ✗Photographing individuals in private or semi-private spaces
• ✗Uploading photos designed to embarrass, humiliate, or harm the subject
• ✗Sharing intimate or sexualized images of any person
• ✗Photographing minors without verified parental consent
• ✗Using FlyBy to surveil or track specific individuals without consent

Allowed

• ✓Candid photos of public campus spaces, events, and shared experiences
• ✓Photos of yourself
• ✓Group photos where all identifiable subjects have consented
• ✓Campus scenery, architecture, and non-identifiable crowd shots

Not allowed

• ✗Listing items you do not own or are not authorized to sell
• ✗Providing false, misleading, or incomplete descriptions of items or services
• ✗Listing any absolutely prohibited item (see Section 8F.1 of the Terms and Conditions): weapons, controlled substances, cannabis, alcohol, prescription medications, counterfeit goods, stolen property, or adult content
• ✗Listing academic materials that facilitate academic integrity violations, including completed assignments or exam answers
• ✗Price gouging or unconscionable pricing, particularly during campus emergencies

Allowed

• ✓Textbooks, course materials, and study resources
• ✓Electronics, furniture, clothing, and everyday goods with accurate condition descriptions
• ✓Student services such as tutoring, design, photography, and other skills
• ✓Event tickets, subject to BC Ticket Sales Act and face value disclosure

Not allowed

• ✗Listings that explicitly exclude prospective roommates based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, Indigenous identity, or any other protected characteristic
• ✗Communicating discriminatory preferences through Messages or any other feature
• ✗Using coded language or pretextual requirements to achieve discriminatory exclusions

Allowed

• ✓Stating genuine lifestyle preferences such as study habits, cleanliness, noise tolerance, and pet preferences
• ✓Expressing preferences for roommates of the same gender where you share sleeping, bathroom, or cooking facilities, as permitted under section 10(2)(a) of the BC Human Rights Code

Not allowed

• ✗Fictitious or fraudulent listings designed to deceive prospective roommates
• ✗Misrepresenting the location, cost, size, condition, or availability of accommodation
• ✗Soliciting deposits or personal information before a prospective roommate has viewed the property

Not allowed

• ✗Fictitious or fraudulent event listings
• ✗Events that violate applicable law, university policy, or these Guidelines
• ✗Promoting events involving illegal alcohol service, unlicensed gambling, or other unlawful activity
• ✗Using The Perch to recruit for hate groups, extremist organizations, or groups advocating violence
• ✗Charging undisclosed prices or failing to offer refunds for cancelled events

Allowed

• ✓Academic events, club activities, cultural celebrations, social gatherings, and campus community events
• ✓Charging for events, provided prices are disclosed and refunds offered for cancellations
• ✓Promoting events from external venues compliant with these Guidelines

Not allowed

• ✗Promoting products or services through The Chirp, The Flock, or FlyBy without Koup's prior written authorization
• ✗Posting pyramid scheme, multi-level marketing, or affiliate marketing solicitations
• ✗Sending unsolicited commercial messages to other users through Messages
• ✗Posting sponsored content or paid promotions without clearly disclosing the commercial relationship
• ✗Using the Platform to recruit users for competing social platforms

Allowed

• ✓Student entrepreneurs promoting genuine products or services through Market listings
• ✓Campus organizations promoting events or initiatives through The Perch
• ✓Authorized campus partners running approved campaigns through Koup's official advertising channels

Not allowed

• ✗Advertising, offering, or soliciting contract cheating services, essay mills, or examination ghost-writing
• ✗Selling or sharing completed assignments, essays, or examination answers to facilitate academic misconduct
• ✗Using any Koup feature to coordinate cheating on examinations or assessments
• ✗Sharing examination questions or invigilator instructions in violation of institutional policies

Allowed

• ✓Peer tutoring, study groups, and collaborative learning where academic work remains your own
• ✓Sharing course notes and study materials consistent with your institution's policies
• ✓Discussing course content and assignment topics in general terms

Not allowed

• ✗Using AI to generate content that violates any section of these Guidelines, including AI-generated hate speech, harassment, or misinformation
• ✗Creating deepfakes or synthetic media realistically depicting a real person without consent and clear labelling
• ✗Posting AI-generated content misrepresenting itself as genuine human experience, particularly in emotional or crisis contexts
• ✗Using AI tools to automate engagement activities in violation of Section 10

Allowed

• ✓Using AI tools to draft or edit content that is still genuinely your own expression
• ✓Sharing AI-generated art or writing, disclosed as AI-generated and not violating other Guidelines
• ✓Discussing AI tools and their applications as a topic of genuine campus conversation