Community Guidelines

BARQ! is a social platform created for and by furries. To ensure all of the users have a safe and pleasant experience when interacting via BARQ! we've created some community guidelines and rules. The community guidelines are an addition to the general Terms and Conditions and focus on how to interact with each other and with the platform.

• Rule 1: Do not harass others
• Rule 2: Do not promote or encourage anyone to hurt themselves or others
• Rule 3: Do not engage in malicious content
• Rule 4: Do not sexualize minors
• Rule 5: Do not identify with or promote violent ideologies and organisations
• Rule 6: Do not mislead others
• Rule 7: Do not violate the intellectual property of others
• Rule 8: Label your content
• Rule 9: Don't break the platform
• Rule 10: Keep it legal
• Rule 11: With great power comes great responsibility
• Content Policy
• Reporting rule violations

Rules

Rule 1: Do not harass others

Harassment includes creating an profile, event, group etc. with an offensive name, impersonation of another user, remarks which discuss personal grievances, quarrels, malicious rumors, negative statements about, purposefully misgendering or deadnaming other users, and attempting to address or contact a user who has blocked you or whom you have blocked, including soliciting other users to pass on messages or otherwise make contact on your behalf.

This does not include civil discussions about topics of public interest such as celebrities or government officials, but does include 'bewares' and similar content. If a particular type of content does not appeal to you, then do not seek it out to make disparaging comments. Users with a pattern of this behavior may be cited for harassment.

Being annoying or disagreeing with someone, even strongly, is not harassment. However, menacing someone, directing abuse at a person or group, following them around the platform, encouraging others to do any of these actions, or otherwise behaving in a way that would discourage a reasonable person from participating on BARQ! crosses the line.

Rule 2: Do not promote or encourage anyone to hurt themselves or others

Do not encourage other users to engage in harmful behaviors, including suicide, eating disorders, reckless use of weapons, or other forms of (self) harm. Do not give other users medical or veterinary advice that could result in harm coming to them or their pets.

Rule 3: Do not engage in malicious content

Do not make derogatory use of caricatures, slurs, nor disparaging remarks about others' race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation or similar, or make maliciously misleading statements about cultures, religions, etc.

Some examples of hateful activities that would violate the rule:

• Group dedicated to mocking people with physical or mental disabilities
• Post describing a racial minority as sub-human and inferior to the racial majority
• Comment arguing that rape of women should be acceptable and not a crime
• Meme declaring that it is sickening that people of color have the right to vote

Rule 4: Do not sexualize minors

Do not share or encourage the sharing of sexual, abusive, or suggestive content involving minors (humans under the age of 18). Any predatory or inappropriate behavior involving a minor is also strictly prohibited.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Minors involved in explicit or implied sexual intercourse or oral sex, including when contact is imminent or not directly visible
• Content of minors in a sexual fetish context

Rule 5: Do not identify with or promote violent ideologies and organisations

A hate group is one that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a designated sector of society (e.g. Nazism, ISIS, KKK) that are reflected in the real world. Users who identify with or promote real hateful or terrorist organizations and their ideologies will be banned.

Example list of common hate group symbolisms

Rule 6: Do not mislead others

This can take the form of promoting scams, attempting to defraud other users, or otherwise using the platform deceptively. This also includes spreading misinformation which endangers public health and safety, or is being used to harass or cause harm to others. Examples include: Covid misinformation, anti-vaccination, QAnon

Additionally, Do not lie to the staff or moderation team with the intent to evade moderation decisions, abuse the platform, or fabricate terms of service violations.

Rule 7: Do not violate the intellectual property of others

Uploading content that you do not have the license for is prohibited. Please ask the owner before you use someone else's art!

Rule 8: Label your content

Ensure others have predictable experiences on BARQ! by properly labeling content you submit, particularly content that is graphic, sexually-explicit, or offensive. This means that all suggestive or explicit content must be rated appropriately via our Safe/Explicit/Hard content rating system. This also means that your username, biography, interests and replies you post in Safe-rated discussions must be Safe For Work.

Rule 9: Don't break the platform

Don't break BARQ! or do anything that interferes with normal use of the platform. This can be submitting content that breaks layouts, causes lag, is difficult to read or hinders users or the BARQ! team in other ways.

This also includes creating bot accounts (accounts run by multiple individuals or automated), fake accounts (accounts created using false, fabricated, or stolen identities), empty or “reserved” groups/usernames, or gaining unauthorized access to the platform.

If you discover a security vulnerability, please responsibly report this via our security page.

Rule 10: Keep it legal

BARQ is hosted in The Netherlands, meaning we follow the Dutch laws and data protection legislation. Sharing any content deemed illegal by Dutch or European law is not permitted, such as the coordination or participation of production of illegal drugs, controlled substances, firearms, blades, bribery, scams, laundering, bestiality, child pornography or piracy.

Rule 11: With great power comes great responsibility

As a group admin or group moderator, you are responsible for keeping your group in check with BARQ’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. You are allowed to establish additional rules for your community as long as they do not conflict with our guidelines. Reports should be dealt with in a timely manner. We recommend appointing multiple moderators. BARQ! reserves the right to change group admins or remove the group if there is an ongoing violation of our global policies.

The same goes for events.

Content Policy

BARQ! uses a labeling system to categorise content as Safe, Explicit or Hard content. Users can use these labels on their submitted content to make sure users can filter out content they do not want to see.

Safe (S)

This content will be visible for everyone on the platform.

Examples of content deemed Safe:

• Collars and Kink gear worn in a non-suggestive setting (for example, a pup hood but otherwise fully clothed)

Explicit (E)

All content showing explicit or very suggestive nudity (genitals, breasts with nipples showing, butts, bulges) is considered explicit. This content will be hidden by default and users need to opt-in before they can see this content.

Examples of content deemed Explicit:

• Collars or kink gear worn in a suggestive setting
• Clearly visible genitals
• Breasts with nipples showing
• Extremely big breasts
• Visible bulges or cameltoes
• Nudity in a suggestive setting
• Content focussing on a subject solely for fetish reasons is also considered explicit (feet pics etc.)

Hard Kink (H)

Hard Kink content is considered not suitable for most users. This includes the more extreme fetishes like watersports, scat, blood, breath-play etc. This content has its own opt-in.

The following content must be labeled Hard Kink:

Extra rules for primary images

Normally images uploaded to your gallery will only be shown to users visiting your profile. Primary images (the primary photo for your profile, group or event) are publicly shown in notifications, profile overviews etc. Because of this, primary images have more strict content rules to guarantee all users have a pleasant experience browsing BARQ!

Rules for primary images:

• Primary profile images must be rated Safe
• Primary NSFW profile images must be rated Safe or Explicit (Hard is not allowed)
• Group images must be rated Safe or Explicit (Hard is not allowed)
• Event images must be rated Safe or Explicit (Hard is not allowed)

Reporting rule violations

At BARQ!, we value the active participation of our community in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone. Your reports play a crucial role in helping us address concerns and uphold community standards. Our dedicated team of moderators carefully reviews each report to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. To facilitate the efficient handling of reports, please consider the following guidelines:

• Provide Context: When reporting an incident, include relevant context explaining why you believe the reported behavior violates our guidelines. Clear and detailed information helps us better understand the situation.
• Submit Proof: If you have supporting evidence related to your report, such as screenshots or other documentation, please send them to [email protected]. This additional information can assist our team in making well-informed decisions.
• Be Specific: Clearly outline the details of the reported behavior. Generic or vague reports may require additional clarification, delaying the resolution process.
• Timely Reporting: To ensure effective action, report incidents promptly. Delayed reports may limit our ability to gather accurate information or witness the context of the reported behavior.

It's important to note that our ability to address issues is confined to actions occurring within the BARQ! platform. We are not here to police the furry fandom at large, but rather to maintain a positive and respectful space within our community. While we strive to create a safe environment, our jurisdiction is limited to our platform.

Examples of when BARQ! cannot take action

• Vague Statements: Reports lacking clear information or context may be challenging for us to assess. Please present details in a concise and understandable manner.
• Serious Claims, Serious Evidence: Posting serious allegations requires substantial evidence. For example, accusations of illegal activities should be accompanied by relevant documentation, screenshots, or other credible proof rather than relying solely on verbal descriptions.
• Selective Presentation: Only providing parts of a conversation or purposefully excluding context can hinder our ability to accurately evaluate a situation. We rely on objective information to make fair judgments.
• Respectful Communication: Ensure your reports and communications with our team are respectful and adhere to our community guidelines. Harassment or abusive language in reports will not be tolerated and may lead to appropriate action.
• Avoid Retaliation: Do not engage in retaliatory actions or behaviors in response to a reported incident. We prioritize resolving issues impartially and discourage any form of personal retaliation.