Community Standards

Our Community & Values

Ripple exists to connect volunteers with community organisations and to make volunteering accessible, rewarding, and safe for everyone. These Community Standards explain the behaviour we expect, the content and conduct we prohibit, and how we enforce these rules. By using Ripple you agree to follow these standards. They apply everywhere on the platform — including your profile, events, communities, messages, and any other content you share. They sit alongside our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Prohibited Content & Behaviour

Harassment, bullying, threats, or targeted abuse of any person
Hate speech or content that attacks or demeans people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, age, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation
Sexual content, nudity, or sexually explicit material
Content that depicts, encourages, or glorifies violence or self-harm
Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in any form — this is strictly prohibited and handled under the Child Safety section of our Terms & Conditions
Illegal content or activity, including the sale of illegal or regulated goods
Spam, scams, fraud, or deceptive or misleading content
Impersonation of another person, organisation, or Ripple itself
Sharing another person’s private or personal information without their consent
Misuse of the platform by anyone under the minimum age of 13

Consequences

We take a graduated approach to enforcement, but we reserve the right to apply the most serious consequence immediately where the severity of the violation warrants it (for example, threats to safety or any child-safety violation). • Warning — for minor or first-time violations, we may notify you and ask you to remove or change the content. • Temporary suspension — for repeated or more serious violations, your account may be suspended for a period of time. • Permanent ban — for severe violations, or where violations continue, your account may be permanently removed without further notice. We may also remove offending content, restrict specific features, and where required report conduct to the relevant authorities.

How to Report a Violation

If you see content or behaviour that breaches these standards, please report it. You can report directly in the app from the content or profile in question, or from Profile > Report a safety concern. You can also block abusive users at any time — blocking removes contact and hides you from each other across chat, events, communities, profiles, and search. For anything you can’t report in the app, email us at contact@makearipple.app.

Moderation & Enforcement

Our 24-hour commitment

We review and action every report of objectionable content or abusive behaviour within 24 hours of it being submitted. Where a report raises an immediate safety risk, we act as quickly as possible and may suspend the account in question pending investigation.

How reports are reviewed

Reports are assessed by Ripple’s moderation team against these Community Standards and our Terms & Conditions. We consider the reported content or behaviour, the context, and any history associated with the account. We may contact you for more information, and we may take action without further notice where the violation is clear.

Actions we may take

Depending on severity and history, we may: issue a warning; remove or hide content; temporarily suspend an account; permanently ban an account; or restrict specific features. For definitions of each action, see the Consequences section above. Where conduct may be unlawful — including child-safety matters — we cooperate with and report to the relevant authorities.

Information we retain about moderation actions

To keep the community safe and to handle appeals consistently, we keep a record of reports and the moderation actions taken in response — including what was reported, the decision made, the action applied, and when. This record is retained for as long as needed for safety, legal, and audit purposes. How we handle your personal data is described in our Privacy Policy.

Appeals

If you believe a moderation decision about your account or content was made in error, you can appeal. Email legal@makearipple.app from the email address associated with your account and include: your account details, the action you are appealing, and why you believe it was incorrect. We will review your appeal and respond within a reasonable time.