Safety & Community Guidelines

At Smivo, we believe in fostering a safe, trusted, and respectful environment for all college students. To maintain this standard, we strictly enforce a Zero Tolerance Policy regarding objectionable content and abusive behavior.

🚫 Zero Tolerance Policy

Strictly Prohibited Behavior & Content

We have a zero-tolerance policy for the following types of content and behavior. Engaging in any of these will result in immediate action:

Hate Speech & Harassment: Any content or messaging that attacks, threatens, bullies, or insults individuals based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or disabilities.
Explicit Content: Pornographic material, sexually explicit images, or requests for sexual favors.
Violence & Self-Harm: Content that encourages or depicts physical violence, self-harm, or illegal acts.
Illegal Items & Services: The sale or rental of drugs, alcohol, weapons, stolen goods, counterfeit items, or illegal services (e.g., academic cheating, fake IDs).
Scams & Fraud: Attempting to deceive users for financial gain, phishing, or requesting payments outside of safe, verifiable channels before goods are exchanged.
Spam: Repeatedly posting identical listings, unsolicited commercial messages, or irrelevant content.

Enforcement & Platform Rights

Smivo reserves the right to moderate all user-generated content to ensure community safety. Our enforcement measures include:

Content Removal: We may remove or edit any listing, message, or profile information that violates our guidelines without prior notice.
Account Suspension & Termination: Users found violating the Zero Tolerance Policy will face immediate account suspension. Severe or repeated violations will result in permanent account closure and a ban from the platform.
Reporting to Authorities: In cases involving illegal activities or credible threats of violence, we will cooperate with university administration and local law enforcement.

🛡️ User Moderation Tools

We empower our users to help maintain a safe community. You have the right and the tools to protect yourself from unwanted interactions:

Block Users: If someone makes you uncomfortable or behaves inappropriately, you can block them directly from their listing or the chat room. Once blocked, they will no longer be able to message you, and their listings will be instantly removed from your feed. You can manage your blocked users in the "Privacy & Safety" section of your settings.
Report Content & Users: You can report any listing or user that violates our guidelines. Tap the report button on a listing or in a chat room and provide a reason. Our moderation team reviews all reports within 24 hours and takes appropriate action, including content removal and account ejection.

🤝 Campus & Transaction Safety

Safe Trading Practices

While Smivo verifies users via their .edu email addresses to ensure a campus-only environment, you should always practice caution when making transactions:

Meet in Public, Well-Lit Places: Always arrange exchanges in busy, public campus areas during daylight hours (e.g., student union, campus libraries, or designated campus safe-exchange zones).
Bring a Friend: If you are exchanging high-value items or meeting someone you don't know, it is always a good idea to bring a friend along.
Inspect Items Before Payment: Never send money electronically (via Venmo, Zelle, etc.) before physically inspecting the item and confirming it matches the description.
Use Evidence Photos: Use Smivo's built-in "Evidence Photos" feature during item pickup and return. Taking photos of the item's condition protects both the buyer and the seller in case of a dispute.
Keep Communications In-App: Keep all transaction-related conversations within the Smivo chat. This protects you by maintaining a record of the agreement and makes it easier for our support team to assist you if issues arise.