Community Guidelines & Law-Enforcement Response Policy

1. Purpose and Governing Principles

MiClique's mission is to host timely, public conversation while safeguarding users from reasonably foreseeable harm. We facilitate a platform for robust debate and newsworthy speech; we intervene when content or behavior compromises safety, privacy, authenticity, or platform integrity.

Decisions are guided by: preventing harm, respecting human dignity, protecting minors, promoting authenticity, and preserving the reliability of the service.

• Safety first: protect users and the global community from harm, exploitation, and unlawful activity.
• Dignity & respect: no harassment, hate, or dehumanization.
• Authenticity: no impersonation, coordinated inauthentic behavior, or deceptive manipulation.
• Accountability: enforcement applies proportionally with a right to appeal.
• Compliance: guided by Nigerian laws and relevant international standards.

1.1 Applicability Across Features

These rules apply to posts, replies, quote-posts, reposts/shares, profile materials, usernames and bios, direct messages (where available), images, audio, video, live features, links, embedded media, hashtags, and any generative or synthetic content created with tools on or off the Platform.

1.2 Enforcement Philosophy

We use progressive, proportionate enforcement: labels, warning screens, downranking, reply limits, feature restrictions, temporary locks, content removal, account suspension, device bans, and referral to authorities where required by law. Child safety, credible threats of violence, and clear criminal activity receive immediate and maximum action and/or sanction.

1.3 Public-Interest and Newsworthiness Test

Content that would otherwise breach a rule may remain with labeling, age-gating, or friction if its value to public discourse outweighs the risk of harm and if display with context meaningfully mitigates that risk. This exception never applies to child sexual exploitation or doxxing with imminent risk.

2. Integrity of Identity and Accounts

2.1 Authenticity; Impersonation

Pretending to be another person or entity, falsely claiming endorsements, or using misleading profile elements to confuse the public is prohibited. Parody and fan accounts must state their nature in the profile and must not create confusion in names, avatars, or bios.

2.2 Account Security and Misuse

You may not buy, sell, barter, or transfer accounts or verification; share credentials; or attempt to bypass technical protections. Probing or exploiting vulnerabilities, distributing malware or credential-harvesting links, or running unauthorized automation that mimics human activity violates these Guidelines.

2.3 Spam, Platform Manipulation, and Deceptive Amplification

Coordinated inauthentic behavior; bulk or scripted posting; link-stuffing; paid engagement farming; repetitive replies; misleading redirects; and misusing hashtags or mentions to force reach are disallowed. We may throttle delivery, remove metrics, or disable features to protect conversation quality.

3. Safety and Prohibited Conduct

3.1 Violence, Terrorism, and Criminal Activity

Direct or implicit threats of harm to persons or property, instructions for violent acts, or praise of recent violent events are prohibited. Criminal facilitation — including recruiting for criminal activity, selling stolen goods, or posting detailed instructions to commit non-consensual or unlawful acts — is not allowed. Content that materially supports or praises designated violent or terrorist organizations is barred.

3.2 Hateful or Discriminatory Conduct

Attacks or dehumanization based on protected characteristics (such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, serious disease/disability, or immigration status) are prohibited. Contextual references in news or academic discussion may be allowed with care and without slurs.

3.3 Harassment and Targeted Abuse

Direct harassment, threats of doxxing, encouragement of pile-ons, or repeated unwanted contact is not permitted. We may limit replies, hide content from recommendations, or restrict accounts that coordinate harassment.

3.4 Sexual Content and Exploitation

Sexual exploitation, solicitation for sexual services, or sexualization of minors is prohibited. Child sexual exploitation (including cartoon/AI-generated) triggers immediate removal, permanent account action, and referral to appropriate authorities. Consensual adult nudity may be restricted, age-gated, or labeled depending on context and local law.

3.5 Suicide, Self-Harm, and Eating Disorders

Content encouraging self-harm or instructions to self-harm is disallowed. Supportive, recovery-oriented discussion may be allowed with resource links. We may surface crisis resources and limit distribution by default.

3.6 Graphic Violence and Sensitive Media

Media that is excessively gory or shocking is restricted. When newsworthy, it may remain behind a warning screen with limited distribution to adult users and contextual labels.

3.7 Privacy Violations and Intimate Imagery

Posting someone's personal data (addresses, phone numbers, ID numbers, financial details) without consent, or sharing intimate images without consent, is prohibited. We will remove such content upon notice or where we reasonably believe it was shared non-consensually. Emergency doxxing with imminent danger may lead to rapid intervention and law-enforcement referral.

3.8 Fraud, Scams, and Deceptive Practices

Phishing, impersonating customer support, multi-level or get-rich schemes, counterfeit products, and manipulated media used to defraud are not allowed. “Satire” is not a defense to financial deception.

3.9 Restricted Goods and Services

Offers or requests for illegal drugs, weapons, stolen data, hacking tools, or regulated goods without proof of legal compliance are disallowed. Age-restricted goods (e.g., alcohol) must never target minors.

3.10 Civic Integrity and Public Participation

We may label and reduce the reach of demonstrably false claims that are likely to suppress lawful voting/participation or cause harm. Coordinated attempts to mislead about civic processes are prohibited.

3.11 Intellectual-Property Rights

Respect copyright and trademark. On valid notice from rights holders, we may remove or disable access to allegedly infringing material, limit repeat infringers, and provide counter-notice mechanisms where applicable law provides.

3.12 Minors and Age-Appropriate Design

For users we reasonably believe are minors, we apply stricter defaults for discovery, messaging, and sensitive media. Features that could expose minors to risk are limited by design.

4. Media Treatment, Recommendations, and Labels

4.1 Media Processing and Accessibility

We transcode, compress, and generate thumbnails, captions, transcripts, and alt-text to improve reliability and accessibility. Automated outputs can be imperfect; creators should review captions where accuracy matters.

4.2 Ranking, Recommendations, and Friction

Our systems promote relevance and reduce the spread of potentially harmful or borderline content. We may apply labels, context panels, downranking, or sharing friction to slow the spread of misleading or sensitive posts while allowing discussion to continue.

4.3 Warning Screens and Age-Gating

Where context justifies availability (news, documentary, human-rights reporting), sensitive media can remain behind an interstitial warning and may be restricted to adults.

5. Commercial Conduct and Promotions

5.1 Advertising and Sponsored Content

All ads and branded content must comply with law and MiClique's advertising standards. Promotions require clear disclosure (e.g., “paid partnership”). Targeting to minors is restricted; certain sensitive categories (health claims, financial schemes) require pre-approval or are barred.

5.2 Political and Issue Content

Where permitted, political or issue ads may require identity verification, geographic restrictions, spending transparency, and archive disclosure. We may limit micro-targeting to reduce manipulation risk.

6. Reporting, Review, and Appeals

6.1 Reporting Tools

Users can report posts, profiles, DMs, and ads within the product. Reports feed automated triage and human review. Attaching context (e.g., why a post is harmful) improves outcomes.

6.2 Enforcement Framework

Outcomes include: education prompts, labels, reduced distribution, reply limits, feature suspensions, temporary locks, content removal, account suspension/termination, device or IP bans, and referral to platform-level safety measures.

6.3 Notice and Appeal

Where lawful and feasible, we notify users of enforcement actions and offer an appeal path. If we reverse a decision, we will restore content or adjust penalties accordingly.

6.4 Repeat-Offender Program

We apply escalating penalties to repeated violations, with stricter thresholds for child safety, privacy invasion, or real-world harm.

7. Creator, Business, and Developer Features

7.1 Verification and Name-Based Trust Signals

Verification confirms notability or authenticity and not endorsement. Attempting to obtain or use verification deceptively may lead to removal of trust signals and account penalties.

7.2 Branded Content, Giveaways, and Promotions

Creators must follow anti-spam, consumer-protection, and local promotion laws. Prize drawings must include official terms, eligibility, clear rules, and local compliance.

7.3 API/Automation

Developer access is governed by separate terms. Scraping or bulk data harvesting without authorization, or using APIs to manipulate rankings or evade safety systems, is prohibited.

8. Children's Safety Protocol

We operate a zero-tolerance posture for child sexual exploitation or grooming. We use a combination of automated detection, expert review, and referral to relevant hotlines or authorities where appropriate. Accounts confirmed for CSE (Child Sexual Exploitation) content are terminated; related signals may be shared with lawful entities to prevent re-registration.

9. Transparency and Records

We maintain internal metrics about reports, enforcement actions, and government requests. Where legally permissible, we may publish periodic transparency summaries describing volumes and general outcomes, excluding sensitive details that risk user safety or investigations.

10. Law-Enforcement & Government Request Policy

MiClique complies with valid and properly scoped legal requests while defending user privacy and expression. This section governs subpoenas, court orders, search warrants, preservation requests, emergency disclosures, and government takedown demands.

10.1 Service of Process; Authentication

Requests must be addressed to us, transmitted through our designated intake channel, and include the requester's official email, phone, and badge/ID number. We may verify authenticity before acting. We will not process informal emails, screenshots, or requests lacking legal authority.

10.2 Minimum Contents of a Request

Every request must: (a) cite the legal basis and the offense under investigation; (b) specifically identify the account(s) and the precise date range; (c) specify data categories sought (subscriber information, IP logs, interaction metadata, message/content data); and (d) state whether user notice is permitted or prohibited (and for how long). Overbroad “all data” requests will be narrowed or rejected.

10.3 Data Categories We May Hold

Subscriber data; logs and metadata; content data (posts, media, comments, and where lawful direct messages); payment/commerce records (if applicable); and safety records. Content disclosures generally require a warrant or equivalent judicial authorization.

10.4 Types of Process Required

Subscriber/basic logs typically require a court order or equivalent. Content of communications requires a search warrant or equivalent judicial authorization. MiClique does not provide pen register or wiretap capabilities; such requests will be refused or redirected to lawful MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) or equivalent processes.

10.5 Preservation Requests

On valid written request, we will preserve a narrow set of data tied to identified account(s) for 90 days, renewable once for an additional 90 days upon timely written extension. If formal legal process is not received before expiry, preserved material may be deleted in the ordinary course.

10.6 Emergency Disclosure

In an emergency involving an imminent threat of death or serious physical harm, law enforcement officials may submit a specific request. If we believe disclosure is necessary to avert the harm, we may release limited information consistent with law. We document the request and outcome.

10.7 International Requests; MLAT

Authorities outside the relevant jurisdiction should use Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) or letters rogatory. We may decline to provide information directly to foreign authorities absent an applicable, valid mechanism.

10.8 User Notice

Where permitted by law and not dangerous to an investigation or a person, MiClique may notify the affected user(s) before or after disclosure. A valid court order may delay or bar notice for a defined period. We respect lawful gag orders and will seek clarification where scope is unclear.

10.9 Narrowing, Rejection, and Appeals

We will reject requests that are facially invalid, misaddressed, overly broad, lack legal authority, omit required details, or otherwise fail necessity/proportionality. We may ask the requester to narrow scope to the minimum data set needed.

10.10 Safeguards and Delivery

We authenticate requesting officials, use secure transfer methods, and maintain access logs for disclosures. Disclosed data is labeled with the legal process identifier and date. We expect authorities to protect data appropriately and destroy it when no longer necessary.

10.11 Cost Recovery

To the extent permitted by law, MiClique may seek reimbursement of reasonable costs for extraordinary search, collection, review, and production efforts.

11. Local Compliance and Governing Law

Users must comply with applicable laws and these Guidelines. Disputes arising from these Guidelines are governed by Nigerian law and the venue stated in MiClique's Terms of Use, without prejudice to mandatory consumer protections where applicable.

12. Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Guidelines to reflect new product features, safeguards, or legal obligations. Material changes will be communicated in-app or by other reasonable means. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

13. Contact Channels

Annex A — Enforcement Matrix (Illustrative)

• Low risk (spam, minor mislabeling): label, reduce reach, friction prompts, education notice.
• Moderate risk (repeat harassment, privacy violations without imminent harm): removal, reply limits, feature suspension, temporary lock.
• High risk (incitement, credible threats, CSE, extremist praise, doxxing with imminent risk): immediate removal, permanent suspension, device ban, referral to appropriate authorities.

Annex B — Definitions

• Doxxing: Publishing or threatening to publish non-public personal data likely to cause harm.
• Downranking:Reducing a post's distribution/recommendation without removing it.
• Friction: Additional steps (e.g., warning screens) designed to slow sharing of risky content.
• Synthetic media: Content generated or materially altered by software or AI tools.
• Minor: A person below the age threshold set by applicable law (often under 18).