Community Guidelines
Last Updated: May 2026
Aligned is a community built on consent, honesty, and mutual respect. These Guidelines apply to every member across every part of the Service: profiles, photos, messages, events, forums, reviews, and all other interactions. By using Aligned you agree to follow these Guidelines.
The Basics
These five principles are the foundation of everything else in these Guidelines.
18+ Only. Aligned is strictly for adults. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. Age verification may be required to access certain features. Accounts belonging to minors will be immediately and permanently removed.
Be Real. Represent your identity, relationship status, photos, and intentions truthfully. Couples and multi-person accounts must have the knowledge and active consent of all parties represented on the profile.
Consent First. No means no. So do silence, hesitation, and a lack of response. Consent must be freely given, enthusiastic, and ongoing. It can be withdrawn at any time.
Respect Privacy. Do not screenshot, record, save, or share another member's content, messages, or personal information without their explicit permission.
Respect People. Every member is a real person with boundaries, feelings, and autonomy. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
Severe Violations
The following may result in immediate permanent account termination without warning. We will cooperate fully with law enforcement where applicable.
Content involving minors. Any content that depicts, involves, solicits, sexualizes, or endangers individuals under 18 is strictly prohibited. This includes photographs, videos, written content, and AI-generated content. All detected CSAM will be reported to NCMEC as required by federal law.
Non-consensual content. Sharing intimate images, videos, or recordings of any person without their explicit consent is prohibited. This includes hidden-camera content, content involving incapacitated individuals, and content shared by a former partner without current consent.
Deepfakes and synthetic likenesses. Uploading, posting, sharing, or distributing any image, video, audio, or other media depicting a real person that has been produced or modified using artificial intelligence, machine learning, face-swapping, voice-cloning, or any other synthetic technique without the depicted person's documented, explicit consent is prohibited. This includes deepfakes, AI face-swaps, AI-generated nude or sexual depictions, and any synthetic content that misrepresents a real individual's appearance, voice, words, or actions. The prohibition applies whether or not the depicted person is a member of Aligned, and whether or not the resulting content is sexual. Violations result in immediate removal, account termination, and where applicable, referral to law enforcement.
Aligned does not generate images, video, audio, or synthetic likenesses. The platform's AI features are limited to short text suggestions based on a member's own self-authored profile data. Members may not use third-party AI tools to create prohibited content and then upload it to Aligned.
Threats and violence. Credible threats of harm, incitement to violence, promotion of terrorism or extremism, and content that encourages harm to any person or group are prohibited.
Doxxing and stalking. Sharing, collecting, or attempting to obtain another member's personally identifying information without consent is prohibited. Tracking members across platforms or to physical locations is prohibited.
Illegal activity. Using the Service to facilitate human trafficking, coercion, exploitation, the sale of illegal goods or services, or any other illegal activity is prohibited.
Ban evasion. Creating a new account to circumvent a permanent ban is prohibited and will result in immediate termination of the new account.
Prohibited Behavior
The following may result in a warning, content removal, feature restriction, temporary suspension, or permanent termination depending on frequency and severity.
Impersonation and misrepresentation. Creating fake profiles, using someone else's photos without consent, operating undisclosed shared accounts, or misrepresenting your age, identity, relationship status, or location.
Harassment. Repeated unwanted contact after a member has declined or ignored your outreach. Abusive, threatening, or demeaning language. Pressuring members for content, connections, or interactions they have not agreed to.
Hate speech. Slurs, attacks, dehumanizing content, or targeted harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, or other protected characteristics.
Spam and manipulation. Bulk or automated messaging, link spam, phishing attempts, or efforts to redirect members off-platform for deceptive or exploitative purposes.
Unauthorized commercial activity. Promoting or soliciting commercial sexual services through the platform. Legitimate venue and business listings are permitted through the designated venue partner program only.
Content misuse. Posting images of individuals without consent. Misclassifying content to bypass privacy tier controls. Uploading content that violates the tier standards described below.
Review manipulation. Creating fake accounts to manipulate reviews. Retaliating against reviewers. Submitting reviews that do not reflect genuine experiences.
Consent Architecture: Both Must Yes
Aligned implements a consent mechanic called "Both Must Yes." For couples using the platform:
- Both members of a couple must independently review and vote on any potential connection.
- Neither member can see the other's vote until both have submitted their decision.
- A connection is only established if both members independently vote yes.
- If either member votes no or does not respond, no connection is established and the other member is not notified of the outcome.
This architecture exists to protect both members of every couple from social pressure within their own relationship. No member should feel coerced into a connection by their partner. The platform enforces this at the system level.
Misusing the Both Must Yes system, including creating connections under a partner's account without their knowledge, sharing login credentials to manipulate votes, or any other attempt to circumvent this mechanic, is a violation of these Guidelines.
Content Tiers and Standards
Aligned uses a three-tier privacy system. You are responsible for selecting the appropriate tier for every piece of content you post.
| Tier | Who Can See It | Content Standards |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Any member who meets your age and profile-type filters | Clothed, swimwear, or tastefully suggestive images. No explicit nudity, genitalia, or sexual acts. Profile avatars and banners must comply with Public tier standards. |
| Connected | Members you have accepted as connections | More suggestive content including partial nudity. No explicit sexual acts or genitalia. All content must involve only consenting adults. |
| Private | Only members you have explicitly granted access | Explicit adult content between consenting adults. No content involving minors under any circumstances. All Private tier content is scanned before access is granted. |
We use automated tools to suggest appropriate content classification. These tools are assistive and not guaranteed to be accurate. You remain responsible for ensuring your content is in the appropriate tier. Misclassified content will be removed and may result in enforcement action.
Messaging Standards
You are solely responsible for what you send, how you communicate, and how you respond to others. The following standards apply to all messaging:
- Do not send unsolicited explicit content. Ask first.
- Do not pressure, manipulate, or repeatedly contact members who have declined or ignored your outreach.
- Do not use messages to solicit commercial sexual services.
- Do not share another member's messages or content outside the platform without their consent.
- Do not use messaging to coordinate illegal activity.
We may scan message content using automated systems to detect CSAM, harassment, spam, and other policy violations as described in our Privacy Policy.
Health and Wellness Content
Health and wellness content on Aligned is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical guidance. Members may share personal experiences but may not provide medical advice to other members. Do not post health information that is demonstrably false, harmful, or designed to discourage professional medical care.
Events and Meetups
Aligned may facilitate event discovery and RSVPs but is not the organizer or host of any event listed on the platform. Event hosts and venue partners are responsible for event conditions, safety, and conduct at their events. You attend events and meet other members at your own risk. Consent standards that apply on the platform apply equally in person. If you feel unsafe, use in-app safety tools, notify venue staff, or contact local authorities.
Venue and Business Listings
Business and venue listings must represent legitimate, legally operating establishments and must be created by authorized representatives. Listings must accurately represent the venue and its offerings. Venue representatives must disclose their affiliation in relevant contexts. Review manipulation, fake accounts for review purposes, and retaliation against reviewers are prohibited.
Safety Tools
Aligned provides the following tools to help you control your experience:
- Block: prevents a member from viewing your profile, sending messages, or interacting with you.
- Silence: limits messaging while maintaining limited visibility.
- Stealth Mode: removes your profile from discovery and search results.
- Discreet Mode: blurs your profile photo for members outside your approved connections.
- Report: flags content or behavior for review. Available on every profile, in every conversation, and on every piece of content.
Enforcement
How We Evaluate Reports
Reports are evaluated using a combination of automated tools, community signals, and human review. Outcomes depend on the severity and frequency of the violation. We aim to apply enforcement consistently and proportionately.
The Strike System
For most violations, we apply a progressive enforcement system:
| Strike | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| First | Written warning | Notice explaining the violation and the specific policy at issue. Content removed where applicable. |
| Second | Feature restriction | One or more features restricted for a defined period (7 to 30 days depending on severity). Written notice provided. |
| Third | Suspension | Account suspended for a defined period (7 to 90 days). Written notice provided. |
| Fourth | Permanent ban | Account permanently terminated. Written notice provided. Severe violations skip directly to this step. |
We reserve the right to skip steps or apply more severe enforcement where the violation is serious, involves a pattern, or poses a risk to member safety.
Written Notices
For every enforcement action, with the exception of automated content removal for CSAM, we will provide a written notice that identifies the specific policy violated and the action taken. We may not always be able to share the identity of the reporter or the specific content flagged, but we will always tell you which rule was at issue.
Moderator Standards
Moderators and staff are bound by conduct standards. Moderation actions are logged and audited. Staff access to private content is limited to safety investigations and legal compliance as described in our Privacy Policy.
Appeals
You have the right to appeal any enforcement action, except actions required by law (such as CSAM reporting and related account termination, which are not appealable).
How to Appeal
Contact hello@alignedsocial.app within 30 days of the enforcement action. Use the subject line: "Appeal — [your username]." Include a description of the action and the reason you believe it was incorrect, along with any supporting evidence or context.
Review and Outcome
We will acknowledge your appeal within 5 business days and provide a decision within 14 business days. Appeals are reviewed by a team member who was not involved in the original decision. Possible outcomes include reversal, modification, or upholding the original action. We will provide a written explanation. Appeal decisions are final unless new information comes to light.
The Spirit of Aligned
Aligned works when its members act with honesty, consent, and genuine respect for each other. When you are unsure whether something is appropriate, ask yourself:
- Did I ask for consent, and did I receive it clearly?
- Am I being honest about who I am and what I want?
- Am I treating this person the way I would want to be treated?
- Would I be comfortable if everyone on the platform could see what I am doing right now?
The community you are part of is built one interaction at a time.