Community Guidelines

Trust is foundational to a healthy community. Every account on Fanz® must represent a real person or a clearly identified entity. The following practices are prohibited:

• Impersonation: Creating or operating an account that falsely presents itself as a specific athlete, team, league, journalist, public figure, or another user.
• Fake Accounts: Registering multiple accounts to evade enforcement actions, manipulate engagement, or deceive other users.
• Misleading Profiles: Using fabricated credentials, false affiliations, or deceptive bios that misrepresent your identity or authority.
• Disinformation: Deliberately creating or spreading false or manipulated information about real events, including fabricated scores, fake injury reports, or fraudulent news attributed to legitimate sources.
• Artificial Engagement: Purchasing followers, likes, comments, or other engagement metrics, or using automated tools to inflate activity on an account.
• Unlabeled Parody Accounts: Parody, fan, and commentary accounts are permitted only if they are clearly labeled as such in the account name and bio so that no reasonable person would mistake them for the real individual or organization.

All content posted to the Platform must comply with applicable law and the standards set forth below. Content that violates these standards is subject to removal, and the posting account may face enforcement action.

3.1 Prohibited Content

• Explicit Sexual Material: Pornography, sexually explicit imagery, or other adult content is not permitted on the Platform.
• Graphic Violence: Excessively violent, gory, or disturbing media that is not in the public interest (e.g., gratuitous injury footage shared for shock value rather than news reporting).
• Illegal Activity: Content that promotes, facilitates, or instructs illegal conduct, including drug trafficking, weapons sales, and fraud.
• Spam: Repetitive, unsolicited, or bulk content designed to drive traffic, promote products, or disrupt the user experience.
• Malware & Phishing: Links, files, or scripts that contain malicious software or that attempt to harvest credentials or personal information through deception.
• Algorithm Manipulation: Any technique designed to artificially influence content ranking, recommendations, or trending features, including coordinated engagement schemes and keyword stuffing.

3.2 Sports-Specific Content Rules

Because Fanz® is a sports-focused platform, additional content rules apply to protect the integrity of sports and compliance with league policies:

• Unauthorized Broadcasts: Restreaming, rebroadcasting, or distributing live game footage, broadcasts, or streams without authorization from the rights holder is prohibited.
• League Policy Violations: Content that violates the published policies of a professional league, governing body, or athletic organization (e.g., posting from restricted areas, sharing embargoed information).
• Non-Public Insider Information: Sharing material non-public information obtained through confidential relationships (e.g., unpublished trade details, private medical records) is not permitted.
• Match-Fixing Promotion: Any content that promotes, facilitates, or provides instruction on match-fixing, point-shaving, or other manipulation of sporting outcomes.

Fanz® respects intellectual property rights and expects all users to do the same. You may only upload, post, or share content for which you hold the necessary rights, licenses, or permissions.

• Original Content: You retain ownership of original content you create and post on the Platform, subject to the license granted in our Terms of Service.
• Fan Commentary & Nominative Fair Use: Good-faith commentary, criticism, reaction videos, and nominative use of team names, player names, and logos for identification purposes in fan discussion are generally permitted under applicable law.
• Commercial Use: Any use of third-party intellectual property for commercial purposes (e.g., merchandise, monetized content) requires a Creator or Commercial License. Review the Fan Content License for details.
• DMCA Compliance: We respond to valid notices of claimed copyright infringement in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. See our DMCA Policy for the full takedown and counter-notice procedure.
• Trademark Policy: Unauthorized use of trademarks in a manner likely to cause confusion is prohibited. See our IP & Trademark Policy.

Fanz® users who receive compensation, free products, or sponsorship in exchange for content or endorsements must disclose those material relationships clearly and conspicuously.

• Platform Disclosure Tools: Use the built-in sponsored content tag or partnership badge provided by the Platform wherever available.
• Text Disclosure: When platform tools are not applicable, include a clear disclosure such as #ad, #sponsored, or #paid at the beginning of the post or in a prominent position visible before the user must click to expand.
• Free Products & Gifts: If you received a product or service at no cost in exchange for coverage or a review, you must disclose that fact.
• Affiliate Links: Posts containing affiliate links must be identified as such.
• FTC Compliance: All disclosures must comply with the Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides. Failure to provide adequate disclosure is a violation of these Guidelines and may also expose you to regulatory liability.

Protecting minors is a top priority. Fanz® maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the sexual exploitation of children and cooperates fully with law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

• NCMEC Reporting: Any apparent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) identified on the Platform is reported to NCMEC immediately, and the associated account is permanently terminated without notice.
• Soliciting Minors' Information: Requesting personal information (name, school, address, phone number, photos) from users known or reasonably believed to be under 18 is strictly prohibited.
• Targeting Minor Athletes: Sexualized, degrading, or exploitative content directed at minor athletes, whether professional, collegiate, or amateur, is prohibited regardless of context.
• Enhanced Protections: Accounts identified as belonging to users under 18 receive enhanced default privacy settings, limited direct-message capabilities, and restricted visibility in public search results. Additional protections are detailed in our COPPA Addendum below.

Fanz® offers prediction games and related competitive features for entertainment purposes. Fair play is essential to maintaining the integrity and enjoyment of these features for all participants.

• No Bots or Scripts: Automated entries, bots, scripts, or any software designed to gain an unfair advantage in prediction games are prohibited.
• No Collusion: Coordinating with other users to manipulate leaderboards, share answers in closed contests, or otherwise undermine fair competition is not allowed.
• No Insider Information Abuse: Using material non-public information (e.g., undisclosed injury reports, unpublished lineup decisions) to gain an edge in prediction games is prohibited.
• No Harassment Over Outcomes: Taunting, threatening, or harassing other users based on prediction results, win/loss records, or leaderboard standings is a violation of these Guidelines.
• No Illegal Gambling Promotion: Promoting, advertising, or facilitating illegal gambling operations through the Platform is strictly forbidden. This includes sharing referral links or promo codes for unregulated offshore sportsbooks.

Fanz® employs a graduated enforcement system designed to be fair, proportional, and transparent. The specific action taken depends on the severity of the violation, the user's history, and the potential for ongoing harm.

Fanz® reserves the right to skip levels in cases of severe violations that pose an immediate threat to safety or platform integrity. All enforcement actions are logged internally, and affected users receive a notification explaining the action and the reason.

If you believe an enforcement action was made in error, you have the right to appeal. The appeals process is designed to ensure that every user receives a fair and impartial review.

• Filing Window: Appeals must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the enforcement notification.
• How to Appeal: Send a detailed email to appeals@fanz.us including your username, the date of the enforcement action, and a clear explanation of why you believe the action was incorrect.
• Independent Review: Every appeal is reviewed by a team member who was not involved in the original enforcement decision to ensure objectivity.
• Response Time: You will receive a written response within 10 business days of submitting your appeal. If additional time is required, you will be notified of the expected timeline.
• Outcome: The reviewing team member may uphold the original action, modify it, or reverse it entirely. The decision on appeal is final.

Every user plays a role in keeping Fanz® safe. If you encounter content or behavior that violates these Guidelines, please report it promptly.

• In-App Report Button: Use the report button available on every post, comment, profile, and message to flag content for review. Reports are reviewed by our Trust & Safety team.
• Urgent Safety Concerns: For situations involving imminent danger, threats of violence, or child exploitation, contact our safety team directly at safety@fanz.us. Urgent reports are prioritized and may be escalated to law enforcement.
• Confidentiality: Reporter identities are kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. We do not disclose who filed a report to the reported user.
• Abuse of the Reporting System: Filing false, frivolous, or coordinated reports with the intent to harass another user or manipulate enforcement outcomes is itself a violation of these Guidelines and subject to the same enforcement framework.

Fanz® may update these Community Guidelines from time to time to reflect changes in law, platform features, or community needs. When we make material changes, we will:

• Post the revised Guidelines on this page with an updated effective date.
• Send an in-app notification alerting you to the changes.
• Send an email notification to the address associated with your account for significant revisions.

Your continued use of the Platform after the updated Guidelines take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. We encourage you to review these Guidelines periodically.