Notice and Action Procedure

This page explains how you report content on Meets (meets.social), how we handle reports, how we explain decisions and how you can challenge a decision. It implements in particular Art. 16, 17, 18 and 20 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on digital services (Digital Services Act, DSA) and is part of the terms of service.

1. What you can report

You can report any content that you consider illegal or that breaks our Community Guidelines: posts, comments, images, videos, course content, events, profiles, communities and messages in community rooms.

2. How to report

1. The "Report" function. Content, profiles, communities and events have the "Report" function in their menu.
2. Without an account, report through the point of contact for users under Art. 12 DSA, listed in the imprint.
3. Authorities, the European Commission and the European Board for Digital Services reach us through the single point of contact under Art. 11 DSA, also listed in the imprint. We communicate in German and English.

3. What a report should contain

So that we can review a report quickly and correctly, we need:

1. a sufficiently substantiated explanation of why the content is illegal or breaks the guidelines,
2. the exact electronic location of the content, for example the link (the "Report" function adds it automatically),
3. your name and email address, except for reports of depictions of child sexual abuse, which you can also submit anonymously,
4. a statement that you act in good faith and that your information is correct and complete to the best of your knowledge.

The rules on uploads and copyright add to this for reports about copyright and other protected rights.

4. Confirmation of receipt

If you gave an email address, we confirm receipt of your report by email without delay.

5. Review

1. We review every report in a timely, diligent, non arbitrary and objective manner.
2. The Meets team reviews reports of illegal content. Reports that concern only the rules of a community can also go to the moderation of that community.
3. We prioritize reports by severity. Our internal targets, not statutory deadlines: notices of depictions of child sexual abuse, terrorist content and threats to life or safety at once and within 24 hours, other illegal content within 72 hours, violations of the Community Guidelines within seven days.
4. If we use automated means to handle or decide on reports, we say so in our notice. We currently use none.
5. We handle reports from entities recognized as trusted flaggers with priority.

6. Possible measures

Depending on the result, we can remove, block, mute or restrict the visibility of content, restrict features of an account, exclude an account from a community or ban an account from all of Meets. Measures always apply to the acting account. If we find no violation, the content stays online.

7. Information for the person who reported

We tell you our decision, whether automated means were involved, and how you can challenge it.

8. Statement of reasons for affected people

If we remove, block, mute or demote content, or restrict or ban an account, the affected person receives a clear and understandable statement of reasons at the latest when the measure takes effect. It contains:

1. which measure we took, its scope and, where relevant, its duration,
2. the facts and circumstances the decision is based on, and whether it is based on a report (we name the person who reported only where necessary),
3. whether automated means were used,
4. for illegal content, the legal ground and why the content is illegal under it,
5. for violations of our rules, the rule of the terms or the Community Guidelines concerned and why the content breaks it,
6. the ways to challenge the decision: internal complaint, out of court dispute settlement and courts.

This also applies to measures of the moderation of a community: every Community Ban and every removal by the moderation needs reasons, which we pass on to the affected person.

For business users the rules of Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 (P2B Regulation) apply in addition: we give reasons for restrictions and suspensions at the latest when they take effect, and we announce a complete termination at least 30 days in advance, except in the cases listed there.

9. Complaints against a decision

1. Affected people and people who reported can complain free of charge within six months of the notice. Every notice tells you how. You can also contact the point of contact in the imprint.
2. A person reviews the complaint, where possible someone other than the person who took the first decision.
3. We decide in a timely, diligent, non arbitrary and objective manner. If the complaint is justified, we reverse the measure and restore the content or the account.
4. We tell you the result with reasons and point out further options.

10. Out of court dispute settlement and courts

You can turn to an out of court dispute settlement body certified under Art. 21 DSA. The Bundesnetzagentur, as the Digital Services Coordinator in Germany, publishes a list of certified bodies. Your right to go to court remains unaffected.

11. Misuse

1. We suspend accounts that frequently provide manifestly illegal content for a reasonable period after a prior warning.
2. Whoever frequently submits manifestly unfounded reports or complaints can be excluded from having them handled for a reasonable period after a prior warning.
3. We take into account the number of violations, their share of the total, their severity and the apparent intention.

12. Criminal offences and orders from authorities

1. If we become aware of information giving rise to a suspicion of a criminal offence involving a threat to the life or safety of people, we inform the competent law enforcement authorities without delay (Art. 18 DSA).
2. We handle orders of authorities to act against illegal content and to provide information (Art. 9 and 10 DSA) through the single point of contact. We carry out removal orders for terrorist content under Regulation (EU) 2021/784 within one hour.

13. Transparency

We document every report, every decision and every complaint. As long as Meets is exempt from transparency reports as a micro or small enterprise, we may publish summary figures voluntarily. On request we tell the Digital Services Coordinator the number of our active users.