Community Standards, Safety, Reporting and Appeals Policy

1. About this Policy

Sapphic Sphere is operated by The Big Small Talk LLC, a United States limited liability company, trading as Sapphic Sphere.

This Policy explains:

• the standards expected within Sapphic Sphere;
• conduct that is prohibited;
• how members can report concerns;
• how Sapphic Sphere reviews reports;
• the moderation actions we may take;
• how urgent safety matters are handled; and
• when and how a member may appeal a decision.

This Policy forms part of the Sapphic Sphere Terms of Membership and applies to:

• members;
• applicants where relevant;
• group leaders;
• event hosts;
• moderators;
• guests permitted to attend an activity; and
• anyone using a Sapphic Sphere-controlled service or event.

OUR COMMUNITY

2. Purpose

Sapphic Sphere is a private, selective community intended to provide adult lesbian and bisexual women with space for:

• friendship;
• conversation;
• local and online community;
• shared interests;
• groups;
• events;
• mutual support;
• personal and professional networking;
• learning; and
• community participation.

Sapphic Sphere is not a dating or matchmaking platform.

Members may naturally form friendships or personal relationships through ordinary community participation, but Sapphic Sphere does not arrange or broker those relationships.

Membership eligibility is governed separately by the Membership Eligibility and Admission Policy.

These Community Standards regulate conduct.

A person's eligibility for membership and a person's behaviour within the community are separate questions.

3. Core standards

Members are expected to:

Respect privacy

Treat information learned through Sapphic Sphere as belonging within the context in which it was shared.

Respect boundaries

Accept another member’s right to decline:

• a connection request;
• private messaging;
• friendship;
• a date;
• physical or sexual contact;
• an invitation;
• participation in a group; or
• further communication.

Act in good faith

Do not deliberately deceive, manipulate, impersonate or exploit other members.

Disagree without targeting people

Members may hold and express different political, religious, philosophical and social opinions.

Disagreement is not automatically harassment.

Members may discuss contested subjects including:

• sex;
• sexual orientation;
• gender;
• relationships;
• feminism;
• politics;
• religion;
• law;
• culture; and
• public policy.

However, disagreement must not become threats, targeted harassment, stalking, degrading abuse or incitement against an individual or group.

Protect the community

Do not deliberately expose private members, confidential discussions or internal community activity to people outside Sapphic Sphere without appropriate permission.

MEMBERSHIP BOUNDARIES AND BELIEFS

4. Membership purpose is not a debate requirement

Sapphic Sphere has a defined membership purpose explained in the Membership Eligibility and Admission Policy.

Members are not required to subscribe to a prescribed political party, religion or wider ideological programme.

Members are, however, required to:

• respect Sapphic Sphere’s lawful membership structure;
• refrain from deliberately attempting to circumvent it;
• refrain from entering or remaining in the community for surveillance or disruption; and
• refrain from targeting members because they participate in a sex-based lesbian and bisexual women’s community.

Likewise, members must not use Sapphic Sphere to organise harassment of people who are not eligible for membership.

PROHIBITED CONDUCT

5. Threats and violence

You must not:

• threaten to kill or physically harm another person;
• encourage another person to commit violence;
• glorify a specific act of violence in a manner that creates a credible threat;
• solicit violence;
• publish information intended to facilitate an attack; or
• threaten a person’s family, home, workplace or animals.

Credible threats may result in immediate suspension and referral to appropriate authorities.

6. Harassment and targeted abuse

You must not engage in persistent or serious targeted behaviour intended, or reasonably likely, to intimidate, frighten or seriously distress another person.

Examples include:

• repeated unwanted messages after being asked to stop;
• coordinated targeting;
• following a member between groups in order to confront her;
• encouraging other members to contact or intimidate someone;
• persistent sexual comments after a boundary has been expressed;
• degrading personal abuse;
• maliciously contacting someone’s employer, family or associates to punish her for lawful community activity; or
• repeated attempts to circumvent a block.

A single disagreement or criticism is not automatically harassment.

Context, persistence, severity and the behaviour of everyone involved will be considered.

7. Abuse based on personal characteristics

Sapphic Sphere does not permit threats, harassment or degrading attacks directed at an individual or group because of characteristics such as:

• race or ethnicity;
• nationality;
• sex;
• sexual orientation;
• gender or gender identity;
• disability;
• religion or belief; or
• other characteristics protected by applicable law.

This does not prohibit discussion or criticism of:

• political movements;
• religions;
• ideologies;
• theories of sex or gender;
• legislation;
• public policy;
• organisations; or
• public figures.

The distinction is between discussing ideas and targeting people with prohibited abuse or threats.

8. Stalking and unwanted contact

You must not:

• repeatedly contact someone who has clearly asked you to stop;
• create alternative accounts to bypass a block;
• use another member to relay unwanted messages;
• repeatedly attend locations for the purpose of confronting or monitoring a member;
• track another member without permission; or
• use information obtained through Sapphic Sphere to facilitate stalking.

Where there is evidence of stalking or a credible safety concern, Sapphic Sphere may restrict contact immediately while investigating.

9. Sexual harassment and consent

These standards apply to personal, social, sexual or romantic interactions that may arise organically between adults in any social community. Their inclusion does not mean that Sapphic Sphere provides a dating or matchmaking service.

Sexual or romantic interest must always respect the other person's boundaries.

You must not:

• send unsolicited explicit sexual images;
• repeatedly make sexual propositions after rejection;
• pressure someone into sexual or romantic interaction;
• threaten consequences because someone refused a date or sexual contact;
• share intimate images without consent;
• secretly record intimate or sexual activity;
• distribute private sexual information about another member; or
• exploit someone who cannot provide meaningful consent.

Flirting or expressing interest is not itself prohibited.

Continuing after a clear refusal may be.

10. Pornographic and sexually explicit content

Sapphic Sphere is an adult community, but it is not a pornography platform.

Members may discuss adult sexuality, relationships and sexual health where relevant to the community.

Members must not post:

• pornography;
• explicit sexual imagery;
• non-consensual intimate images;
• sexual content involving minors;
• sexual exploitation material; or
• sexual material prohibited by Mighty Networks or applicable law.

11. Children and child sexual exploitation

Sapphic Sphere is strictly 18+.

Content involving child sexual abuse or exploitation is prohibited without exception.

Where Sapphic Sphere detects content that may constitute child sexual exploitation or abuse, we may:

• immediately restrict access to the content;
• suspend relevant accounts;
• preserve information where legally required;
• report the content or relevant information to the National Crime Agency or another competent authority where required; and
• cooperate with lawful investigations.

Members must never investigate suspected child sexual abuse themselves by downloading, copying or redistributing illegal material.

Use the reporting function and contact law enforcement where appropriate.

12. Privacy, screenshots and disclosure

You must not disclose another member’s private information outside the context in which it was shared without an appropriate reason or permission.

This includes:

• private messages;
• private profile information;
• photographs;
• home addresses;
• telephone numbers;
• personal email addresses;
• workplace details;
• legal names where a member uses a private display name;
• membership status;
• private group discussions;
• event attendance; and
• screenshots from private areas.

Particular care is required because disclosure of Sapphic Sphere membership may reveal or imply information about a person’s sexual orientation.

Exceptions may include disclosures reasonably necessary to:

• report crime;
• obtain legal advice;
• report safeguarding concerns;
• respond to a regulator;
• establish or defend legal rights; or
• respond to an emergency.

Only the minimum information reasonably necessary should be disclosed.

13. Doxxing

You must not publish, threaten to publish or encourage others to publish another person’s private identifying information for the purpose of intimidation, retaliation or harassment.

This includes:

• home addresses;
• private telephone numbers;
• financial information;
• identity documents;
• precise real-time location;
• information concerning children or vulnerable family members; and
• private employment information.

14. Recording calls and events

Do not secretly record:

• private video calls;
• private audio calls;
• support groups;
• one-to-one conversations; or
• other private events.

Where Sapphic Sphere or an event host intends to record a session, attendees must be informed beforehand.

Photography and recording rules for in-person events may be specified separately.

15. Impersonation and deceptive identity

You must not:

• impersonate another member;
• create an account in another person’s name without authority;
• falsely represent yourself as a Sapphic Sphere moderator or employee;
• create deceptive accounts to monitor members;
• falsely represent a professional qualification;
• use another member’s photographs as your own; or
• create an account for the purpose of circumventing a restriction.

Reasonable pseudonyms, nicknames or display names are permitted where Sapphic Sphere allows them, provided they are not used deceptively.

16. Fraud, scams and financial exploitation

You must not use Sapphic Sphere to:

• defraud another person;
• operate a romance scam;
• solicit money dishonestly;
• conduct phishing;
• promote fraudulent investments;
• obtain passwords or payment credentials;
• impersonate a business;
• sell nonexistent goods or services;
• exploit vulnerable members financially; or
• conduct unlawful financial activity.

Members should exercise caution before sending money to someone they have met online.

17. Spam and unwanted commercial activity

Unless permitted in an appropriate Sapphic Sphere area, do not:

• send bulk unsolicited messages;
• repeatedly advertise products or services;
• add members to external mailing lists without permission;
• promote unrelated businesses;
• use automated messaging;
• post repetitive promotional material; or
• scrape member information for marketing.

Business, marketplace, job or event promotion may be permitted in designated areas under applicable rules.

18. Malware, hacking and platform interference

You must not:

• upload malware;
• conduct phishing;
• attempt to bypass access controls;
• access another member’s account without permission;
• interfere with platform security;
• attempt unauthorised penetration testing;
• scrape or harvest member data;
• use bots or automated systems to collect member content;
• deliberately overload the service; or
• exploit a security vulnerability.

If you discover a security vulnerability, report it privately to Sapphic Sphere rather than exploiting or publicly distributing it.

19. Illegal goods, services and activity

Sapphic Sphere must not be used to facilitate unlawful activity.

This includes the unlawful sale or distribution of:

• controlled drugs;
• weapons;
• stolen property;
• counterfeit goods;
• illegal sexual services;
• fraudulent documents; or
• other prohibited goods or services.

Availability of marketplace or business features does not override applicable law or payment-provider restrictions.

20. Intellectual property

Do not knowingly upload or distribute material that infringes another person’s copyright, trademark or other intellectual-property rights.

Members should:

• post their own material;
• obtain appropriate permission; or
• use material where a lawful exception applies.

Sapphic Sphere may remove material following a valid intellectual-property complaint.

21. False accusations and malicious reporting

The reporting system exists for safety and enforcement.

You must not deliberately:

• fabricate evidence;
• make knowingly false allegations;
• coordinate false reports to have another member removed;
• manipulate screenshots;
• repeatedly report lawful conduct merely because you disagree with it; or
• use the reporting system as retaliation.

A report made honestly will not breach this rule merely because the allegation is ultimately unsubstantiated.

CONNECTIONS AND MESSAGING

22. Private messaging

Where supported by the platform, Sapphic Sphere may restrict private messaging so that members can communicate directly only after a connection request has been accepted.

Members remain free to:

• decline a connection;
• remove a connection;
• block another member; and
• report unwanted contact.

A declined connection request must be respected.

Repeatedly sending new requests after a refusal may constitute harassment.

23. Blocking

Blocking is a personal safety and boundary tool.

A member who has been blocked must not deliberately circumvent the block through:

• another account;
• another member;
• a group;
• another communication channel obtained through Sapphic Sphere; or
• repeated offline contact.

A block does not prevent either person from making a genuine safety or moderation report.

SUPPORT GROUPS AND SENSITIVE DISCUSSIONS

24. Peer support is not professional treatment

Members may discuss personal experiences and offer peer support.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Sapphic Sphere members and group hosts are not acting as:

• doctors;
• psychologists;
• counsellors;
• lawyers;
• financial advisers; or
• emergency services.

Members must not falsely represent themselves as qualified professionals.

Professional services offered through Sapphic Sphere may be subject to separate requirements.

25. Self-harm and immediate danger

A member may discuss difficult experiences, including mental distress, in an appropriate support context.

However, members must not:

• encourage suicide or serious self-harm;
• provide instructions intended to facilitate suicide or serious self-harm;
• pressure another member to injure herself; or
• deliberately romanticise another member’s imminent self-destruction.

If Sapphic Sphere reasonably believes that someone faces an immediate and serious risk of harm, we may take proportionate action, which can include contacting emergency services where appropriate and legally permitted.

Sapphic Sphere is not an emergency service.

REPORTING

26. How to report something

Members should use the platform’s reporting function where available.

Reports may also be submitted to:

safety@sapphicsphere.com

A report should, where possible, include:

• the member or content concerned;
• what happened;
• where it occurred;
• approximate date and time;
• relevant links;
• relevant screenshots or evidence lawfully held by the reporter; and
• whether there is an immediate safety concern.

Do not circulate sensitive evidence more widely than necessary.

27. Emergency situations

If somebody is in immediate physical danger, contact the appropriate emergency service first.

In the United Kingdom this will normally be 999 or 112.

Sapphic Sphere’s reporting system should not be used as a substitute for emergency assistance.

A safety report may still be made to Sapphic Sphere afterwards.

28. What happens after a report

A report may result in:

1. acknowledgement of the report;
2. an initial safety assessment;
3. preservation of relevant information where appropriate;
4. temporary protective measures if necessary;
5. review of available information;
6. contact with the reported member where appropriate;
7. consideration of relevant context;
8. a moderation decision; and
9. notification of the parties to the extent appropriate.

Not every report will result in a sanction.

29. Reports are evidence, not proof

The number of reports against a member does not, by itself, determine whether a rule has been broken.

Several reports may concern:

• the same incident;
• a disagreement that is not prohibited;
• misunderstanding;
• coordinated reporting; or
• malicious reporting.

Automated systems may temporarily flag or restrict content for safety, but permanent disciplinary decisions should ordinarily involve human review.

30. Confidentiality of reports

We will not routinely disclose the identity of a reporter to the reported person.

However, complete confidentiality cannot always be guaranteed.

Disclosure may occasionally be necessary because of:

• legal proceedings;
• natural justice or fair review;
• regulatory requirements;
• police investigations; or
• the nature of the underlying incident.

We will disclose only what is reasonably necessary.

MODERATION

31. Moderation principles

Moderation decisions should be:

• proportionate;
• evidence-based;
• consistent;
• attentive to context;
• respectful of legitimate disagreement;
• protective of member safety;
• privacy-conscious; and
• compliant with applicable law and platform requirements.

Relevant factors may include:

• severity;
• intent;
• persistence;
• impact;
• previous warnings;
• vulnerability of affected members;
• whether conduct was public or private;
• whether behaviour ceased when asked;
• risk of repetition;
• cooperation with the review; and
• immediate safety concerns.

32. Possible moderation actions

Depending on the circumstances, Sapphic Sphere may take no action or may use one or more of the following:

Informal guidance

A reminder or clarification where conduct appears minor or inadvertent.

Formal warning

A recorded warning identifying the rule and expected change in behaviour.

Content removal

Removal or restriction of posts, comments, images, listings or other content.

Feature restriction

Temporary restriction of:

• posting;
• commenting;
• messaging;
• group participation;
• event attendance;
• referrals; or
• another feature.

Connection restrictions

Restriction of direct contact between particular members.

Temporary suspension

Temporary loss of access while an incident is investigated or as a proportionate sanction.

Removal from a group or event

Where the problem concerns a particular group or activity.

Permanent termination

Removal from Sapphic Sphere following serious misconduct or repeated material breaches.

Referral to authorities

Where required or reasonably necessary under applicable law.

33. Immediate protective action

We may take temporary action before completing an investigation where reasonably necessary because of:

• credible threats;
• stalking;
• serious harassment;
• suspected child sexual exploitation;
• non-consensual intimate imagery;
• serious fraud;
• compromised accounts;
• serious privacy breaches;
• imminent physical danger; or
• another significant safety risk.

Temporary protective action does not itself establish guilt.

34. Permanent removal

Permanent removal should normally be reserved for:

• very serious misconduct;
• persistent breach following warnings;
• serious fraud;
• deliberate stalking or threats;
• serious sexual misconduct;
• major privacy violations;
• deliberate circumvention of membership eligibility;
• repeated ban evasion;
• serious illegal conduct; or
• circumstances in which continued access poses an unacceptable risk.

Where appropriate, the member will receive:

• notice of the broad reason;
• the principal policy section involved; and
• information about any available appeal.

Detailed evidence may be withheld where disclosure would create a serious privacy, safety, security or legal risk.

APPEALS

35. Right to appeal

A member may normally appeal:

• a permanent membership termination;
• a substantial account suspension;
• a significant feature restriction; or
• another decision expressly identified as appealable.

Minor content removals or informal moderator guidance may not carry a formal appeal right unless repeated decisions materially affect the member.

Admission appeals remain governed by the Membership Eligibility and Admission Policy.

36. Appeal deadline

Unless another period is stated in the decision notice, an appeal should normally be submitted within 14 days.

The appeal should explain:

• the decision being challenged;
• why the member believes it was incorrect or disproportionate;
• any relevant context not previously considered; and
• any relevant evidence.

37. Appeal review

Where reasonably practicable, the appeal will be reviewed by somebody who did not make the original decision.

The reviewer may:

• uphold the decision;
• reduce the sanction;
• remove the sanction;
• substitute a different action;
• request additional information; or
• return the matter for further investigation.

Sapphic Sphere aims to communicate an appeal outcome within 30 days, although complex safety or legal matters may take longer.

Where there is a delay, the member should receive an appropriate update.

38. Final internal decision

The outcome of the appeal is normally the final decision under Sapphic Sphere’s internal moderation process.

This does not remove any non-waivable right to:

• contact a regulator;
• report crime;
• exercise privacy rights;
• make a consumer complaint; or
• pursue a lawful court or tribunal claim.

MODERATOR AND GROUP-LEADER CONDUCT

39. Moderators

Moderators must not use their position to:

• settle personal disputes;
• access information without a legitimate need;
• favour friends;
• retaliate against critics;
• disclose confidential reports;
• manipulate moderation records; or
• apply unpublished personal rules.

Moderators must follow Sapphic Sphere’s internal moderation procedures.

40. Group leaders and event hosts

Group leaders and event hosts may establish reasonable additional rules for their spaces provided those rules:

• do not conflict with these Community Standards;
• are communicated clearly;
• are applied consistently; and
• comply with applicable law.

Serious matters should be escalated to Sapphic Sphere rather than handled privately by a group leader.

PLATFORM REQUIREMENTS

41. Mighty Networks rules

Where Sapphic Sphere is hosted through Mighty Networks, users must also comply with applicable Mighty Networks platform rules.

If Mighty Networks prohibits particular content or conduct, Sapphic Sphere may be required to remove that content or restrict an account even where the issue is not separately described in detail in this Policy.

Sapphic Sphere may adopt stricter community rules than the underlying hosting platform.

LAW AND ONLINE SAFETY

42. Illegal content

Sapphic Sphere may remove, restrict or preserve content where we reasonably believe action is required under applicable law.

Where Sapphic Sphere becomes aware of potentially illegal content, we may take proportionate measures including:

• removal;
• restriction;
• account action;
• evidence preservation;
• reporting to competent authorities; and
• cooperation with lawful investigations.

43. UK Online Safety obligations

Sapphic Sphere may fall within the scope of UK online-safety legislation because members can create and share content with other members.

Where applicable, Sapphic Sphere will maintain appropriate systems and processes concerning:

• illegal-content risk;
• content reporting;
• complaints;
• moderation;
• terms governing user-generated content;
• child-access assessment;
• record keeping; and
• legally required reporting.

These legal obligations may require Sapphic Sphere to take action independently of a member complaint.

CHILD ACCESS

44. Adults-only service

Sapphic Sphere is intended solely for adults aged 18 or over.

Referral-only membership and an age declaration form part of the current access model.

However, describing a service as 18+ does not by itself establish that children cannot access it.

Sapphic Sphere will assess child-access risk separately as required by applicable online-safety law and may introduce additional age-assurance measures if required.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

45. Updates

We may amend this Policy because of:

• changes in law;
• regulatory guidance;
• platform requirements;
• changes to Sapphic Sphere features;
• emerging safety risks;
• experience from moderation;
• expansion into new territories; or
• changes to reporting systems.

The current version and effective date will appear at the top.

Material changes affecting member rights or obligations will be communicated where reasonably necessary or legally required.

CONTACT

46. Safety and moderation contact

Sapphic Sphere
Operated by The Big Small Talk LLC

Safety and reports:
safety@sapphicsphere.com

General support:
support@sapphicsphere.com

Privacy:
privacy@sapphicsphere.com

Business mailing address:
2333 Brickell Ave D1-92, Miami, Florida 33129, United States

APPENDIX 1

SHORT COMMUNITY RULES

Display these inside Sapphic Sphere as the everyday version of this Policy.

Sapphic Sphere Community Rules

1. Respect privacy.
Do not share private messages, profiles, screenshots or membership information outside the community without appropriate permission.

2. Respect boundaries.
No means no. Respect declined connections, blocks and requests to stop contacting someone.

3. No threats, harassment or stalking.

4. No sexual harassment or unsolicited explicit material.

5. No doxxing or deliberate exposure of another member.

6. No fraud, scams, impersonation, spam or account sharing.

7. Debate ideas; do not target people.
Disagreement about politics, religion, sex, gender or other contested subjects is permitted. Threats and targeted degrading abuse are not.

8. No illegal content or activity.

9. Sapphic Sphere is 18+.

10. Use the report function when something is wrong.
Do not organise pile-ons or retaliatory reporting.

APPENDIX 2

REPORT FORM

Who or what are you reporting?
[member/content/group/event]

What happened?
[text field]

When did it happen?
[date/time if known]

Where did it happen?
[link/group/message/event]

Is anyone in immediate physical danger?
Yes / No

Have you asked the person to stop or blocked them, if appropriate?
Yes / No / Not appropriate

Evidence:
[optional upload]

What outcome are you seeking?
[optional]

Important: If somebody is in immediate danger, contact emergency services. A Sapphic Sphere report is not a substitute for emergency assistance.

APPENDIX 3

APPEAL FORM

Decision being appealed:
[insert]

Date of decision:
[insert]

Why do you believe the decision was incorrect or disproportionate?
[text]

Is there information that was not considered previously?
[text]

Supporting evidence:
[optional]

Requested outcome:
[optional]

Submitting an appeal does not automatically suspend a safety restriction while the appeal is considered.