Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the rules for using Sociaal — our platform for creators, fans, and brands. It applies to every person and organisation that accesses or uses sociaal.co.za, our mobile experiences, and any related services.

We built Sociaal to be a space where South African creators can earn, connect, and create. That only works if everyone plays fair. This policy exists to protect creators, fans, brands, and the platform itself.

By using Sociaal you agree to this policy in full. If you break these rules, we may remove your content, suspend, or permanently close your account. In serious cases we will refer the matter to law enforcement.

Where this policy refers to "content" we mean anything you post, upload, share, broadcast, or otherwise make available on the platform — including text, images, video, audio, links, and profile information.

1. Prohibited Content

The following content is never allowed on Sociaal, regardless of who posts it or where it appears.

1.1 Illegal Content

You may not post or distribute content that violates South African law, including the Films and Publications Act 65 of 1996; constitutes child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — we have a zero-tolerance policy and will report all such content to the SAPS immediately; promotes terrorism or political violence; facilitates human trafficking or sexual exploitation; or violates POPIA by unlawfully exposing personal information.

1.2 Hate Speech

You may not post content that constitutes hate speech as defined in the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA), including content that propagates hatred, threatens harm, or demeans persons on the basis of race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, culture, language, birth, disability, conscience, belief, or age.

1.3 Copyright Infringement

You may not post content that infringes third-party copyright, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights under the Copyright Act 98 of 1978 or applicable international law.

1.4 Fraud, Scams, and Misleading Claims

You may not post false, deceptive, or misleading content; run pyramid or Ponzi schemes; impersonate another person, brand, or organisation; make false earnings claims; or use Sociaal to obtain money by fraudulent misrepresentation.

1.5 Spam and Unsolicited Messaging

You may not send bulk or unsolicited messages, use automated tools to interact with accounts at scale, or post repetitive or off-topic content. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) prohibits unsolicited commercial communications.

1.6 Malicious Code

You may not upload viruses, malware, ransomware, phishing pages, or any code designed to damage systems or steal data.

1.7 Adult and Sexually Explicit Content

Sociaal does not permit sexually explicit content. Tasteful artistic nudity (fine art, body-positive photography) may be permissible case-by-case and must be marked as sensitive content. When in doubt, contact support@sociaal.co.za before publishing.

1.8 Gambling

You may not promote or operate any gambling service without appropriate licences under the National Gambling Act.

1.9 Weapons, Drugs, and Regulated Goods

You may not sell or advertise firearms (Firearms Control Act), illegal narcotics, prescription-only medicines (Medicines and Related Substances Act), or counterfeit goods.

2. Creator Conduct

2.1 Delivering on Campaign Commitments

If you accept a campaign brief, you must deliver all agreed content within timeframes, meet content specifications, and notify the brand promptly if you are unable to meet a deadline. Repeated failures may result in marketplace access being suspended.

2.2 Authentic Metrics

You must not purchase followers, likes, or views; use bots or click farms; or coordinate artificial engagement schemes. We use automated and manual signals to detect manipulation. Violating accounts will be removed from the marketplace and may be permanently banned.

2.3 Sponsored Content Disclosure

South African law and the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) require honest disclosure of paid relationships. You must clearly disclose sponsored content using #ad, #sponsored, or #paidpartnership, placed prominently — not buried in hashtags. This applies to all paid posts, gifted product reviews, and affiliate promotions.

Disclosures must appear at the start of the caption or in the first 3 seconds of a video.

2.4 Respecting Brand Guidelines

You must adhere to messaging guidelines, brand tone, and exclusivity clauses specified in campaign briefs.

2.5 Honest Monetisation

You may not arrange fraudulent transactions, game platform bonuses, or use multiple accounts to manipulate rankings.

3. Brand Conduct

3.1 Paying as Agreed

Brands must fund campaign budgets into escrow before creators begin work, not request unpaid revisions outside the agreed brief, and not withhold payment through frivolous content rejection claims.

3.2 Scope of Work

Brands must not expand a campaign brief after acceptance without the creator's agreement and revised compensation, pressure creators to produce content inconsistent with community standards, or require creators to make false or misleading claims.

3.3 Timely Feedback

Brands must provide substantive feedback on content submissions within the review window specified in the campaign brief.

3.4 Content Licensing

Unless expressly agreed otherwise: brands receive a limited, non-exclusive licence for the purpose and duration specified in the campaign brief. Brands may not repurpose, resell, or distribute creator content beyond those terms.

4. Fan Conduct

4.1 No Harassment

Fans may not send threatening or abusive messages, dox other users, or abuse the reporting system to target creators. Repeated harassment may result in a permanent ban and law enforcement referral.

4.2 No Friendly Fraud

Fans may not initiate fraudulent chargebacks for legitimately authorised transactions. We will contest fraudulent disputes with full transaction records. Chargeback abuse results in a permanent ban.

4.3 Gated Content

Fans must not share, redistribute, or republish subscription-only or paid content without the creator's permission, or circumvent paywalls or access controls.

5. Intellectual Property

5.1 Creators Retain Ownership

Creators retain full copyright ownership of all original content they post to Sociaal.

5.2 Licence to Sociaal

By posting content you grant Sociaal a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute your content on the platform and in platform communications; and to cache, transcode, and resize your content for delivery. This licence terminates when you delete the content or close your account.

5.3 Licence to Brands

Creator content shared through campaigns is subject to the licensing terms agreed in the campaign brief. Sociaal is not a party to that licence.

5.4 Third-Party IP

You are responsible for ensuring you have the necessary rights to distribute any third-party intellectual property included in your content.

5.5 Takedown / IP Complaints (ECTA-Compliant)

Sociaal complies with the notice-and-takedown provisions of ECTA Chapter XI. To report infringement:

1. Send a written notice to legal@sociaal.co.za with your contact details, a description of the infringed work, identification of the infringing content, and a good faith belief statement.
2. We will acknowledge receipt within 3 business days and take action within 10 business days.
3. The content owner may submit a counter-notice if they believe removal was in error.

Abuse of the takedown process is a violation of this AUP.

6. Advertising Standards

All advertising and promotional content on Sociaal must comply with the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) Code of Advertising Practice. All claims must be truthful, substantiated, and not misleading (CPA). You may not make unverifiable earnings, weight-loss, or health claims, or manufacture fake testimonials.

7. Enforcement

7.1 Progressive Enforcement

We may skip to Level 3 or 4 for severe violations. CSAM results in an immediate permanent ban and law enforcement referral with no appeal.

7.2 Reporting Violations

In-platform: Use the "Report" button on any post, profile, or message.
By email: abuse@sociaal.co.za — include the URL, a description, and any screenshots.

We aim to review all reports within 5 business days and act within 10 business days. Child safety and imminent harm reports are escalated immediately.

7.3 Appeals

Email appeals@sociaal.co.za within 30 days of the action. Include your username, the specific content or action, and your reasons. We will respond within 15 business days. Permanent bans for illegal content (including CSAM) are not appealable.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will publish the updated policy and send email notification at least 14 days before changes take effect.

9. Contact

• General: support@sociaal.co.za
• Abuse reports: abuse@sociaal.co.za
• Legal / IP takedown: legal@sociaal.co.za
• Appeals: appeals@sociaal.co.za