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Effective Date: February 2026

Zyaku is built on the belief that free expression and community safety are not mutually exclusive. These Community Guidelines establish the standards that keep our platform open, respectful, and safe for creators, thinkers, and users worldwide. Every member of the Zyaku community shares the responsibility of upholding these principles.

1. Our Commitment

Zyaku exists to empower authentic human expression in the age of AI. We are committed to building a platform where diverse voices can thrive, creators can flourish, and meaningful conversations can happen without fear of unjust censorship. At the same time, we recognize that absolute freedom without responsibility leads to harm.

Our approach to community management is guided by these core principles:

• We default to keeping content up. Content is only removed when it clearly violates these guidelines or applicable law. We do not remove content simply because it is unpopular, controversial, or offensive to some users.
• We believe in transparency. When we take action on content or accounts, we explain why. Our moderation decisions are documented and users always have the right to appeal.
• We apply rules consistently regardless of a user's follower count, verification status, or subscription tier. No user is above the guidelines.
• We invest in both AI-powered moderation tools and trained human reviewers to ensure context is always considered before enforcement action is taken.
• We regularly publish transparency reports detailing the volume and types of enforcement actions taken, so our community can hold us accountable.
• We actively seek feedback from our community and update these guidelines as the platform evolves, with advance notice of any significant changes.

2. Free Speech Boundaries

Zyaku is proudly a free speech platform. We believe that open discourse, even when uncomfortable, is essential to a healthy society. However, free speech has boundaries where it intersects with direct harm to others.

What is protected on Zyaku:

• Political opinions and commentary across the entire ideological spectrum, including viewpoints that are controversial, unconventional, or critical of mainstream narratives.
• Robust debate, disagreement, and criticism of ideas, ideologies, policies, and public institutions. You are free to challenge any belief system or political position.
• Satire, parody, irony, and humor, including content that may be provocative, irreverent, or in poor taste. Context and intent are considered.
• Artistic expression in all forms, including visual art, literature, music, film, and comics that explore difficult, mature, or taboo themes.
• Religious and philosophical discourse, including criticism of religious institutions, theological debate, and expression of atheistic or agnostic viewpoints.
• Whistleblowing, citizen journalism, and sharing information that serves the public interest, even when it challenges powerful entities.
• Personal experiences, testimonials, and lived perspectives, even when they contain strong emotions or controversial opinions.

What is NOT protected on Zyaku:

• Direct, credible threats of violence against specific individuals or identifiable groups, including threats of physical harm, death threats, and incitement to imminent unlawful action.
• Content that sexually exploits or endangers minors in any form, including imagery, solicitation, grooming, or any material that sexualizes children. This is reported to NCMEC and law enforcement.
• Content that facilitates or promotes terrorism, recruitment for violent extremist organizations, or provides operational instructions for carrying out attacks.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery (revenge pornography), including AI-generated intimate content depicting real individuals without their consent.
• Content that directly facilitates human trafficking, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, or other serious criminal enterprises.
• Spam, phishing, scams, and coordinated inauthentic behavior designed to deceive or manipulate users for financial gain or political manipulation.

We are committed to minimal moderation. Our team intervenes only when content clearly crosses into the categories above. Borderline cases are reviewed by senior moderators who consider context, intent, and potential for real-world harm before taking action. We would rather err on the side of leaving content up than removing legitimate expression.

3. Hate Speech Policy

Zyaku distinguishes between expressing controversial opinions and targeting individuals or groups with dehumanizing attacks. You are free to criticize ideas, but attacks on people based on their inherent characteristics cross a line.

Hate speech on Zyaku is defined as content that directly attacks, threatens, or dehumanizes individuals or groups based on the following protected categories:

• Race and ethnicity
• National origin and immigration status
• Gender identity and gender expression
• Sexual orientation
• Religious affiliation or lack thereof
• Disability (physical, mental, or developmental)
• Age
• Caste
• Serious medical conditions

Context matters:

Not all offensive content constitutes hate speech. We carefully consider context before taking action:

• Academic discussions, news reporting, and documentary content about hate speech or discrimination are permitted when shared for educational or informational purposes.
• Self-referential use of slurs by members of the affected community is generally permitted.
• Criticism of beliefs, ideologies, or practices associated with a protected group is allowed. Criticizing a religion's doctrines is not hate speech; calling for violence against its followers is.
• Satire and comedy that reference protected categories are evaluated based on overall intent and context, not isolated phrases.

Enforcement for hate speech violations:

• First offense: Content removal with a written warning explaining the specific violation and guidance on how to express the same idea within guidelines.
• Second offense: Content removal, 7-day posting restriction, and mandatory review of Community Guidelines.
• Third offense: 30-day account suspension with full feature restriction.
• Severe or repeated violations: Permanent account ban with no appeal. Severe cases include calls for genocide, coordinated hate campaigns, or content promoting violence against protected groups.

4. Harassment Policy

Zyaku is a platform for vigorous debate, not a platform for personal attacks. Disagreeing with someone is not harassment. Systematically targeting someone to intimidate, silence, or cause distress is.

Types of harassment prohibited on Zyaku:

• Targeted harassment: Repeated, unwanted contact directed at a specific individual with the intent to intimidate, degrade, or cause emotional distress. This includes sustained personal attacks, name-calling campaigns, and coordinated pile-ons.
• Doxxing: Publishing or threatening to publish private personal information (home address, phone number, workplace, financial details, family member identities) without consent, with intent to harass, endanger, or enable others to harass.
• Brigading: Coordinating with others, whether on or off-platform, to mass-report, mass-downvote, flood replies, or otherwise overwhelm a specific user or community with the intent to silence or punish them.
• Stalking and surveillance: Persistently monitoring, tracking, or following a user across the platform after being asked to stop, creating alternate accounts to continue contact after being blocked, or aggregating a user's posts to build a dossier for intimidation.
• Sexual harassment: Sending unsolicited sexual content or messages, making persistent sexual advances after rejection, sharing sexual commentary about someone's appearance or body without invitation, or using sexual language to degrade or objectify someone.

Public figures vs. private individuals:

• Public figures (politicians, celebrities, public officials, influencers) have a reduced expectation of privacy regarding their public roles and are subject to broader criticism and commentary.
• However, even public figures are protected against doxxing of private information (home addresses, family details), credible threats of violence, and content targeting their minor children or non-public family members.
• Private individuals receive the fullest protections under our harassment policy. Lower thresholds apply for enforcement when private individuals are targeted.

Reporting harassment:

• Use the in-app report button on any post, message, or profile to flag harassment. Select the specific type of harassment for faster processing.
• For urgent situations involving credible threats of physical harm, contact safety@zyaku.com directly. Our safety team monitors this inbox around the clock.
• Harassment reports are reviewed within 24 hours. Urgent reports involving threats are reviewed within 2 hours.
• Consequences range from warnings to permanent bans depending on severity, pattern, and impact. Doxxing and credible threats result in immediate account suspension pending review.

5. Misinformation Handling

Zyaku does not position itself as an arbiter of truth. We believe that open debate, counter-speech, and access to diverse viewpoints are more effective than censorship at combating misinformation. However, we recognize that certain categories of false information can cause direct, measurable harm.

Our approach:

• We do not remove content simply because it is factually inaccurate or because fact-checkers disagree with it. Users have the right to be wrong, and other users have the right to correct them.
• We partner with independent fact-checking organizations to provide contextual labels on content that has been disputed or debunked. These labels link to additional context and sourcing without removing the original content.
• Our labeling system uses three tiers: "Disputed" (claims actively debated with conflicting evidence), "Missing Context" (accurate information presented in a misleading way), and "False" (claims conclusively debunked by multiple independent sources).
• We prioritize labeling over removal. Users can still view, share, and engage with labeled content, but the label ensures they have access to additional context.

Categories requiring intervention:

• Health and safety misinformation: False claims that could directly lead to physical harm, such as promoting dangerous fake medical treatments, discouraging emergency medical care in life-threatening situations, or spreading false information about active public safety emergencies. These may receive prominent warning labels and reduced algorithmic distribution.
• Election-related content: False information about voting procedures (wrong dates, locations, eligibility requirements) that could prevent citizens from exercising their right to vote. Procedural election misinformation is labeled and corrected with accurate information from official sources. Political opinions about candidates and policies are always protected.
• AI-generated deepfakes: Synthetic media that realistically depicts real individuals saying or doing things they did not say or do, when presented as authentic without disclosure. AI-generated content must be labeled as such. Deepfakes presented as real may be labeled or removed depending on potential for harm.
• Fabricated crisis events: Entirely fabricated reports of emergencies, natural disasters, or violent incidents that do not exist, designed to cause public panic or manipulate markets.

We do not engage in viewpoint-based censorship. Political opinions, alternative theories, religious beliefs, and unconventional viewpoints are never labeled as misinformation simply because they conflict with mainstream consensus. Our misinformation policies target verifiably false factual claims that pose direct risk of harm, not opinions or interpretations.

6. AI Misuse Prevention

Zyaku integrates powerful AI capabilities through our dual-model system powered by OpenAI (GPT) and Anthropic (Claude). These tools are designed to enhance creativity and productivity, not to deceive, manipulate, or harm.

Rules for AI feature usage:

• AI-generated content shared publicly must be disclosed as AI-assisted or AI-generated. Zyaku automatically adds an "AI-assisted" label to content created using our built-in AI tools, and users are expected to disclose AI involvement when using external tools.
• AI features must not be used to impersonate real individuals, create fake personas that mislead others about their identity, or generate content falsely attributed to specific people.
• Using AI to generate spam, mass-produce low-quality content for engagement farming, or flood conversations with automated responses is prohibited.
• AI must not be used to generate content that manipulates, deceives, or psychologically exploits vulnerable individuals, including but not limited to financial scams, emotional manipulation, and predatory targeting.
• Generating harmful content through AI, including instructions for violence, exploitation material, malware code, or content designed to circumvent platform safety measures, is strictly prohibited.
• Attempting to jailbreak, bypass safety filters, or manipulate AI models into producing restricted outputs is a violation of these guidelines and our Terms of Service.

AI content labeling:

• All content generated through Zyaku's AI features is automatically tagged with an "AI-generated" or "AI-assisted" indicator visible to all users.
• Users who substantially modify AI-generated content may use the "AI-assisted" label instead of "AI-generated" to reflect their creative contribution.
• Removing or circumventing AI content labels is a violation of these guidelines.

Bot account policies:

• Automated accounts and bots must be clearly identified as such in their profile bio and display name. Bot accounts that impersonate human users are prohibited.
• Bot accounts must comply with all Community Guidelines and may not be used to artificially inflate engagement, spread misinformation, or harass users.
• Bot accounts are subject to rate limits and may have restricted access to certain features. Commercial bot operations require prior approval from Zyaku.
• Users who operate bot accounts are responsible for all actions taken by their bots and will be held accountable for any guideline violations.

7. NSFW Content Policy

Zyaku permits adult content (Not Safe For Work) on the platform, provided it is properly labeled, gated, and complies with all applicable laws. We believe adults should have the freedom to create and consume mature content, while ensuring minors are protected.

Age-gating requirements:

• All NSFW content must be placed behind Zyaku's age-gate system. Users must verify they are 18 years or older to access NSFW content.
• Creators who publish NSFW content must have a verified age of 18 or older on their account. Unverified accounts cannot post NSFW content.
• NSFW content must never appear in public feeds, search results, or recommendations for users who have not opted in to adult content viewing.

Labeling requirements:

• Creators must apply the appropriate NSFW label to all mature content before publishing. Zyaku uses a tiered labeling system: "Suggestive" (mild mature themes), "Mature" (explicit themes, strong language, graphic violence), and "Adult" (sexually explicit content).
• Failure to properly label NSFW content will result in content removal and a warning. Repeated failure to label may result in account restrictions or suspension.
• Zyaku's AI moderation system also scans content to detect unlabeled NSFW material and may automatically apply labels or flag content for human review.

Prohibited NSFW content (no exceptions):

• Any sexual content involving minors, including fictional or illustrated depictions of minors in sexual situations. This is reported to law enforcement.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery, including revenge pornography and deepfake pornography depicting real individuals without their explicit consent.
• Content depicting or promoting sexual violence, non-consensual acts, or sexual coercion presented approvingly or as entertainment.
• Content involving bestiality or other illegal sexual acts.

Safe search and defaults:

• Safe search is enabled by default for all users. Users must explicitly opt in to view NSFW content through their account settings.
• NSFW content is excluded from trending topics, explore pages, and algorithmic recommendations unless the user has specifically enabled adult content.

Creator responsibility and advertising:

• Creators are solely responsible for ensuring their NSFW content complies with all applicable laws in their jurisdiction and the jurisdictions where their audience resides.
• Advertising and sponsored content are not permitted on NSFW posts. NSFW creator profiles may not display advertisements. This ensures compliance with advertising partner policies.
• NSFW creators are eligible for monetization through subscriptions and direct tips but are excluded from advertising revenue sharing programs.

8. Comic & Animated Content Restrictions

Zyaku's comic and animation platform serves creators across all genres and age groups. To ensure content is appropriately categorized and accessible to the right audience, the following restrictions and guidelines apply.

Content rating system:

• E (Everyone): Suitable for all ages. No violence beyond mild cartoon action, no mature language, no sexual themes.
• T (Teen, 13+): May contain moderate violence, mild language, minimal blood, and non-explicit romantic themes.
• M (Mature, 17+): May contain intense violence, strong language, blood and gore, and suggestive sexual themes. Requires age verification.
• A (Adult, 18+): Explicit content including graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and mature themes. Requires age verification and NSFW opt-in.

Age-appropriate labeling:

• All comic and animated content must carry the appropriate content rating before publication. Creators select the rating during the upload process.
• Zyaku's moderation team may reclassify content if the applied rating does not accurately reflect the content's maturity level.
• Content that is consistently mis-rated by a creator will result in mandatory pre-publication review for that creator's future submissions.

Violence guidelines:

• Cartoon violence (slapstick, exaggerated action without realistic consequences) is permitted at all rating levels.
• Realistic violence with consequences (blood, injury, death) requires a minimum rating of T (Teen) and must be contextualized within the narrative.
• Graphic, gratuitous, or glorified violence requires an M (Mature) or A (Adult) rating and must be behind the appropriate age gate.
• Content that glorifies or provides instructions for real-world violence is prohibited regardless of rating or artistic context.

Copyright compliance for fan works:

• Fan art, fan comics, and derivative works are permitted on Zyaku provided they comply with fair use principles and do not infringe on the original rights holder's commercial interests.
• Fan works must credit the original creator or franchise and must not be presented as official or licensed content.
• Monetization of fan works (premium access, paid chapters) is at the creator's own legal risk. Zyaku does not guarantee the legality of monetizing derivative works and will remove content upon valid copyright complaints.
• Rights holders may submit DMCA takedown notices for fan works that infringe their copyrights, and Zyaku will comply with valid requests.

AI-generated comic rules:

• Comics and animations created with AI assistance (including Zyaku's dual AI engine or external tools) must be labeled as "AI-assisted" or "AI-generated" depending on the level of AI involvement.
• AI-generated comics must comply with all content rating, labeling, and community guideline requirements, just as human-created content does.
• AI-generated content must not reproduce copyrighted characters, art styles, or specific works without authorization from the rights holder.

Premium content standards:

• Premium (paid) comic content must meet a minimum quality standard. Content that is clearly low-effort, deceptive (e.g., misleading previews), or fails to deliver on its description may be removed from premium listings.
• Creators must accurately describe premium content in previews and summaries. Misrepresenting content to drive purchases will result in removal from the creator program and potential refunds to affected subscribers.

9. Copyright Violation Policy

Zyaku respects intellectual property rights and complies fully with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and applicable international copyright law.

How to file a copyright claim:

• Submit a DMCA takedown notice to our designated copyright agent at copyright@zyaku.com with the following information:
• Identification of the copyrighted work you believe has been infringed.
• Identification of the infringing material on Zyaku, including the URL or sufficient information to locate it.
• Your contact information (name, address, phone number, email).
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner's behalf.
• Your physical or electronic signature.

Upon receiving a valid DMCA notice, Zyaku will promptly remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing content and notify the user who posted it.

Counter-notice process:

• If you believe your content was wrongfully removed due to a DMCA takedown, you may submit a counter-notice to copyright@zyaku.com.
• Your counter-notice must include: identification of the removed material and its former location, a statement under penalty of perjury that the removal was a mistake or misidentification, your contact information, and consent to jurisdiction of the federal court in your district.
• Upon receiving a valid counter-notice, Zyaku will forward it to the original complainant. If the complainant does not file a court action within 10-14 business days, the content will be restored.

Repeat infringer policy:

• Zyaku maintains a strict repeat infringer policy. Users who receive three valid DMCA strikes within a 12-month period will have their accounts permanently terminated.
• DMCA strikes are recorded on the user's account and remain active for 12 months from the date of the notice. After 12 months, strikes expire automatically.
• Account termination for repeat infringement is permanent and not subject to appeal.

Fair use recognition:

• Zyaku recognizes the importance of fair use in commentary, criticism, education, parody, and news reporting. We do not automatically remove content that may constitute fair use.
• When evaluating fair use, we consider the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount used in relation to the whole, and the effect on the market for the original work.
• If you believe a DMCA notice was filed against fair use content, we encourage you to submit a counter-notice detailing your fair use argument.

Creator attribution requirements:

• Users are encouraged to credit original creators when sharing, remixing, or building upon others' work, even when not legally required.
• Zyaku provides built-in attribution tools that allow users to link to original creators and source material when sharing derivative or curated content.
• Removing watermarks, signatures, or attribution from others' creative works before reposting is a violation of these guidelines and may constitute copyright infringement.

10. Enforcement Actions

Zyaku uses a graduated enforcement system designed to educate users and correct behavior before resorting to severe penalties. The severity of enforcement action depends on the nature of the violation, the user's history, and the potential for harm.

Warning system:

• For first-time or minor violations, users receive a written warning that identifies the specific content or behavior that violated guidelines, explains which guideline was violated, and provides guidance on how to avoid future violations.
• Warnings are recorded on the user's account for 6 months. Accumulating multiple warnings within this period may escalate enforcement actions.
• Users who acknowledge warnings and demonstrate improved behavior will have their warning history considered positively in any future reviews.

Temporary suspension:

• Temporary suspensions range from 24 hours to 30 days depending on the severity of the violation and the user's prior history.
• During suspension, users cannot post content, send messages, comment, or interact with the platform. They retain read-only access to their own content.
• Repeated violations after returning from suspension will result in longer suspension periods or escalation to permanent ban.

Permanent ban:

• Permanent bans are reserved for the most severe violations, including: child exploitation content, credible threats of violence, repeat copyright infringement, coordinated harassment campaigns, and persistent guideline violations after multiple warnings and suspensions.
• Permanently banned users may request a data export of their content within 30 days of the ban. After 30 days, account data is scheduled for deletion in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Circumventing a permanent ban by creating new accounts will result in immediate termination of the new account and may result in legal action.

Appeal process:

• All enforcement actions except permanent bans for child exploitation can be appealed. Appeals must be submitted within 14 days of the enforcement action.
• Submit appeals through the in-app appeal form or by emailing appeals@zyaku.com with your username, the enforcement action reference number, and a detailed explanation of why you believe the action was incorrect.
• Appeals are reviewed by a senior moderation team member who was not involved in the original decision. Appeal decisions are final and are typically delivered within 5 business days.
• If an appeal is successful, the enforcement action is reversed, the content is restored, and any strikes or warnings are removed from the user's record.

Transparency reports:

• Zyaku publishes quarterly transparency reports that include the total number of content removals, account suspensions, permanent bans, appeals received and their outcomes, DMCA notices processed, and law enforcement requests.
• Transparency reports are published on our website and are accessible to all users. We believe accountability is essential to trust.

11. Reporting

Every Zyaku user plays a role in keeping the community safe. If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines, we encourage you to report it.

How to report violations:

• Use the report button (flag icon) available on every post, comment, message, and profile on Zyaku. Select the most relevant violation category for faster processing.
• For urgent safety concerns (credible threats, child exploitation, imminent danger), contact our safety team directly at safety@zyaku.com or use the "Urgent Safety Report" option in the reporting menu.
• You can also report violations by emailing reports@zyaku.com with the relevant URLs, screenshots, and a description of the violation.

What happens after a report:

• All reports are logged and assigned a reference number. You will receive a confirmation that your report has been received.
• Standard reports are reviewed within 24 hours by our moderation team. Urgent safety reports are reviewed within 2 hours.
• Our moderation team reviews the reported content in context, examines the reporter's account history and the reported user's history, and makes a determination based on these guidelines.
• You will receive a notification when your report has been resolved, including the outcome (action taken or no violation found). Specific details about enforcement actions taken against other users are not shared to protect privacy.
• Filing false or malicious reports to harass other users or abuse the reporting system is itself a violation of these guidelines and may result in enforcement action against the reporter.

Anonymous reporting:

• Zyaku offers an anonymous reporting option. When you select "Report Anonymously," your identity is not disclosed to the reported user at any point in the process.
• Anonymous reports are treated with the same priority and seriousness as identified reports. However, our moderation team may not be able to follow up with you for additional context if you report anonymously.
• Even with anonymous reporting, Zyaku retains an internal record of the reporter's identity for abuse prevention purposes. This information is never shared with the reported user and is only accessible to the trust and safety team.

These Community Guidelines are a living document and may be updated periodically. Continued use of Zyaku after changes constitutes acceptance. Last updated February 2026.