Community Guidelines

Effective 1 January 2026 · Last updated 21 May 2026

Our community standard

Circus is built for creators and the fans who love what they make. These guidelines exist to protect that relationship — to ensure everyone can create, share, and connect without fear of harm, harassment, or exploitation.

These guidelines apply to all content, accounts, and behavior on Circus, including posts, comments, direct messages, and profile information. They apply globally, though we may apply additional standards in specific regions to comply with local law.

What we will never allow

The following are absolute prohibitions. Accounts found to have engaged in these behaviors will be permanently removed, and where required by law, reported to the relevant authorities.

Zero tolerance — Child sexual abuse material

Any content that sexually exploits or depicts minors in a sexual context is illegal and will be reported to NCMEC and relevant authorities in every jurisdiction.

Zero tolerance — Terrorism & violent extremism

Content that promotes, glorifies, or facilitates acts of terrorism, genocide, or mass violence is strictly prohibited.

Zero tolerance — Non-consensual intimate imagery

Sharing or threatening to share intimate images of a person without their consent (sometimes called “revenge porn”) is illegal in most jurisdictions and will result in permanent removal.

Zero tolerance — Human trafficking

Content that facilitates or promotes human trafficking, forced labor, or sexual exploitation is prohibited and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Harmful content

The following content is prohibited and will be removed. Depending on severity and intent, accounts may be suspended or permanently banned.

Harassment and bullying: Repeated targeted behavior designed to distress, intimidate, or humiliate a specific person. This includes coordinated pile-ons and encouraging others to harass someone.
Hate speech: Content that attacks people on the basis of protected characteristics including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or caste.
Threats of violence: Credible threats to the physical safety of any person or group.
Self-harm promotion: Content that encourages, instructs, or glorifies suicide or self-harm. We may restrict such content and surface support resources rather than remove it, depending on context.
Dangerous misinformation: False information that poses a direct threat to public health or safety — including false claims about emergency situations, vaccines (in contexts likely to cause harm), or crisis events.
Spam and manipulation: Inauthentic behavior including fake accounts, artificially inflated metrics, coordinated inauthentic campaigns, and unsolicited commercial messaging.

Sensitive content

Some content is not prohibited outright but is subject to restrictions designed to protect certain users — particularly minors — from encountering it unexpectedly.

Adult content: Nudity and sexually explicit content is only permitted on accounts that have been approved for adult content, have completed age verification, and have appropriate age-gating in place. It remains prohibited in comments and DMs to non-followers.
Graphic violence: Gratuitous or shocking depictions of violence are restricted by default. Documentary or educational content about violence may be allowed with appropriate context and warnings.
Sensitive health topics: Content about eating disorders, self-harm, or substance use that is educational or recovery-focused is allowed; content that promotes these behaviors is not.

Intellectual property

Do not post content that infringes someone else’s copyright or trademarks. This includes re-uploading other creators’ work without permission. If you believe your intellectual property has been infringed, see our Copyright Policy for how to submit a takedown request.

Authentic identity

Do not impersonate another person, creator, or organization in a way that is likely to deceive.
Parody and satire accounts are allowed if they are clearly labeled as such.
You must meet the minimum age requirement for your country (16 in most regions, 18 in some). We will remove accounts that we determine do not meet the age requirement.

Creator responsibilities

As a creator on Circus, you take on additional responsibilities to your community:

Accurately represent what your community offers.
Disclosures: clearly label any paid partnerships or sponsored content as required by the laws of your jurisdiction (e.g., UK CAP Code, US FTC guidelines).

Enforcement

When we identify a violation, we may take one or more of the following actions depending on severity:

Remove the specific content
Issue a warning to the account
Apply temporary restrictions (e.g., limiting posting or commenting)
Suspend the account temporarily
Permanently ban the account
Report to law enforcement or relevant agencies

We use a combination of automated detection and human review. Automated systems help us identify likely violations at scale; human reviewers make final decisions on complex cases and all permanent bans.

Appeals

If your content was removed or your account was actioned and you believe it was an error, you have the right to appeal. You can submit an appeal through the in-app appeals flow within 30 days of the action. We will review your appeal and respond as soon as possible.

If you believe you have been seriously harmed by a content moderation decision and your appeal has been unsuccessful, you may also contact our support team directly.

Reporting

If you see content that you believe violates these guidelines, please use the in-app reporting tools available on every post, comment, and profile. Our Trust & Safety team reviews all reports.

For urgent safety issues — including content involving imminent risk to life — contact us directly at safety@circus.app.

Changes to these guidelines

We review these guidelines regularly and may update them as the platform evolves or as laws change. Significant changes will be communicated via in-app notification. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the current version.