Hate Speech Policy

Public incitement to hatred or violence against people on the basis of certain characteristics is not allowed in our platform

“Hate Speech” is defined as the public incitement to hatred or violence against individuals or groups on the basis of certain characteristics, including race, ethnicity, nationality, descent, religion, marital status, sex/gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, familial status, disability or serious disease.

We are aware that an abusive environment may negatively impact our Members and we are committed to combating abuse motivated by hatred, prejudice or intolerance. To that end, all Members agree to read and act in accordance with this Hate Speech Policy to strengthen our community and realize our mission of ensuring that everyone can live a well-balanced and fulfilling life.

Hate speech is not allowed on the ZeroDegrees Platform. Any content, as defined in our Content Policy, which contains hate speech will be removed from the ZeroDegrees Platform. This Hate Speech Policy applies to all parts of the ZeroDegrees business, on and off Platform.

1. Violent threats

We prohibit content that makes violent threats against an identifiable target. Violent threats are declarative statements of intent to inflict injuries that would result in serious and lasting bodily harm, where an individual could die or be significantly injured, e.g., “I will kill you.”

Note: we have a zero tolerance policy against violent threats. Any account that publishes a violent threat will be immediately and permanently terminated.

2. Wishing, hoping or calling for serious harm

We prohibit content that wishes, hopes, promotes, incites, or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm, or serious disease against an individual or a group with any of the characteristics mentioned above. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Hoping that an individual or group with any of the characteristics noted above dies as a result of a serious disease, e.g., “I hope all [nationality] get COVID and die.”
• Wishing for someone to fall victim to a serious accident, e.g., “I wish that you would be run over by a car next time you run your mouth.”
• Saying that a group of individuals deserve serious physical injury, e.g., “If this group of [slur] don’t shut up, they deserve to be shot.”
• Praising or glorifying violence or encouraging others to commit violence against an individual or a group with any of the characteristics noted above, e.g., “Get out there and punch a [racial slur].”

3. References to violence

We prohibit the harassment of an individual or a group with any of the characteristics noted above with content that references mass murder, violent events or other forms of violence where these protected groups have been the primary target or victims. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Media or text that refers to or depicts genocide (e.g., the Holocaust), lynching, etc.
• Denying that a well-documented, violent event took place, e.g., “All of the so-called victims of this [violent event] are actors. No one was hurt, and this is just a false flag.”

4. Alleging the superiority of a group

We prohibit content that alleges the superiority of a group over another group with any of the characteristics noted above to justify violence, discrimination, segregation, or exclusion. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Claiming that individuals or groups with any of the characteristics noted above are physically or mentally inferior, deficient, or diseased. This includes statements that one group is less than another, calling them less intelligent, less capable, or damaged, e.g., “[People with characteristics noted above] are less intelligent than us because their brains are smaller.”
• Calling for the subjugation or domination over individuals or groups with any of the characteristics noted above.
• Content containing hateful supremacist propaganda including the recruitment of new Members or requests for financial support for their ideology.

5. Incitement against a group

We prohibit inciting behaviour that targets individuals or groups with any of the characteristics mentioned above. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Inciting fear, spreading fearful stereotypes, or claiming that individuals or groups with any of the characteristics mentioned above are evil, malicious or more likely to take part in dangerous or illegal activities, e.g., “All [religious group] are terrorists.” or “[Group with characteristics noted above] has an agenda to run the world and get rid of us.” or “All [group with characteristics noted above] are criminals and thugs.”
• Inciting others to harass Members of a protected category on or off Platform, e.g., “I’m so sick of these [religious group], if you see someone wearing a [religious symbol of the religious group], grab it off them!”
• Inciting others to discriminate in the form of denial of social or economic support of individuals or groups with any of the characteristics noted above, e.g., “If you book a Service with a [slur], you are supporting those [slur], let’s stop giving our money to these [slur].”

6. Non-consensual slurs, epithets or tropes

We prohibit the use of slurs, epithets, tropes or other language that dehumanizes, degrades or reinforces negative or harmful stereotypes about individuals or groups with any of the characteristics noted above. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Misgendering or deadnaming transgender individuals or attacking a person’s emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to another person, e.g., “I’m glad this [violent event] happened. They got what they deserved [referring to persons with characteristics noted above].”
• Claiming that individuals or groups with any of the characteristics noted above are subhuman or comparing them to animals, insects, pests, diseases, or any other non-human entity, e.g., “[Group with characteristics noted above] are dogs” or “[Person with characteristics noted above] is scum of the earth.”

Some content may appear to be hateful when viewed in isolation, but may not be when viewed in the context of a larger conversation. For example, Members of a protected category may refer to each other using terms that are typically considered as slurs. When used consensually, the intent behind these terms is not abusive, but a means to reclaim terms that were historically used to demean individuals.  

7. Violent or hateful media

We consider violent or hateful media to be video, audio or images, including photos, symbols or logos whose purpose is to promote hostility and malice against individuals or groups with any of the characteristics mentioned above. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Symbols historically associated with hate groups, e.g., the Nazi swastika.
• Images depicting others as less than human, e.g., altering images of individuals to include animalistic features.
• Images altered to include hateful symbols or references to a mass murder that targeted a group with characteristics noted above, e.g., manipulating images of individuals to include yellow Star of David badges, in reference to the Holocaust.
• Images or videos depicting physical harm.

8. Hate Speech Policy Violation

If you find content on the ZeroDegrees Platform that violates this policy, please report it by clicking the report button. We will investigate reports of violation of this policy and take action against accounts targeting individuals or groups on the basis of the characteristics mentioned above.

If content is found to violate this policy, we will remove the content and suspend the account for a period of time. When determining the length of the suspension period for violating this policy, we consider a number of factors including the severity of the violation and the Member’s previous record of violations across all our Terms and Policies. We will send the Member an email to inform of our decision. Subsequent violations will lead to longer suspension periods and may eventually result in termination of the account, pursuant to section 17 of our Terms of Service.

We may also terminate the account immediately after a single case of severe abuse such as a violent threat, or when we have determined that the account’s primary use is to engage in hateful conduct as defined in this policy.