Hello Friend — Community Guidelines
ABNEXTGEN WEBMASTERS PRIVATE LIMITED · CIN: U62099MP2025PTC077618 · Last updated: 16 October 2026
Hello Friend is a place to connect with friends, share moments, and build communities. These Community Guidelines explain what is and is not allowed. They apply to everyone and to everything on Hello Friend: profiles, posts, photos, videos, reels, stories, live streams, comments, messages, groups, pages, events, forums, blogs, marketplace listings, jobs, ads and AI-generated content. Breaking these rules can lead to content removal, account restrictions or a permanent ban.
1. Safety
1.1 Violence and threats
Do not threaten, incite or celebrate violence against any person or group, or post content that glorifies attacks, mass killings or victims' suffering. Do not share instructions for making weapons or explosives intended to cause harm. Graphic content shared for news, awareness or documentation must be non-sensational and may be placed behind a warning.
1.2 Dangerous organisations and individuals
Terrorist organisations, organised criminal groups, violent extremist groups and organisations banned under Indian law (including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967) are not allowed on Hello Friend. Do not praise, support, represent, recruit for or fund them.
1.3 Suicide, self-harm and eating disorders
Do not promote, encourage or provide instructions for suicide, self-harm or disordered eating, or share graphic images of self-injury. We allow people to share their experiences and recovery stories in a supportive way. If you are struggling, please reach out: in India call the Tele-MANAS helpline 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 (24x7, free), or contact local emergency services at 112. If you see someone at risk, report the content so we can share support resources.
1.4 Child safety - zero tolerance
We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation. Any content that sexualises minors, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, sextortion or soliciting minors is strictly prohibited and will be removed, the account will be banned, and the matter will be reported to the authorities. See our Child Safety Standards for details.
1.5 Bullying and harassment
Do not bully, harass, intimidate, shame or degrade others, including through repeated unwanted messages, mass-tagging, pile-ons, sexual harassment, mocking someone's appearance, disability or tragedy, or encouraging others to harass someone. Public figures can be criticised, but not threatened or sexually harassed.
1.6 Hate speech
Do not attack people based on caste, religion, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or serious disease. This includes dehumanising language, slurs, harmful stereotypes, calls for exclusion or segregation, and content that promotes enmity between groups. Content that condemns or raises awareness of hate, or reports on it, may be allowed with context.
1.7 Adult nudity and sexual content
Do not post pornography, sexually explicit content, or sexual services. Nudity is not allowed except in limited contexts such as breastfeeding, medical or health education, and artistic works that are not sexual. Sexual solicitation is not allowed anywhere, including in messages.
1.8 Non-consensual intimate imagery
Never share, or threaten to share, intimate images or videos of anyone without their consent, including "revenge porn", hidden-camera content, or morphed/deepfake sexual images. Such reports are acted upon within 24 hours. Victims can report even if they do not have an account by writing to our Grievance Officer.
1.9 Human exploitation
Human trafficking, forced labour, commercial sexual exploitation, illegal organ trade and exploitative "job offers" are prohibited.
1.10 Regulated and illegal goods
Do not buy, sell, trade or promote illegal drugs, prescription drugs without authorisation, weapons, ammunition, explosives, tobacco and vaping products, alcohol, wildlife and endangered species products, counterfeit goods, stolen goods, hacked accounts or personal data, or unlawful gambling and betting, including online money games prohibited by law.
1.11 Dangerous acts and challenges
Do not post or encourage stunts, challenges or acts that could lead to serious injury, especially those that minors might imitate.
2. Authenticity and Integrity
- Impersonation: do not pretend to be another person, brand or organisation. Parody and fan accounts must clearly say so in the name and bio.
- Fake accounts: do not create accounts with false identities or multiple accounts to evade bans or manipulate others.
- Spam and fake engagement: do not post repetitive or unsolicited content, misleading links or clickbait, or buy, sell or use bots for likes, followers, comments or views.
- Scams and fraud: no phishing, fake giveaways, investment or crypto scams, fake loans, job frauds, advance-fee frauds or requests for OTPs and passwords.
- Misinformation: do not share content that is patently false or misleading and likely to cause harm, including false information about elections and voting, public health and medical treatments, or emergencies and disasters.
- Manipulated and AI-generated media: clearly label AI-generated or digitally altered content that looks real. Deepfakes that mislead people, defame someone, or depict real people saying or doing things they never did are not allowed.
3. Privacy
- Do not share other people's private information without consent, such as phone numbers, home addresses, ID documents (Aadhaar, PAN, passport), bank details, medical records or private messages (doxxing).
- Do not post photos or videos of people in private situations, or recordings made without consent where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
- Do not post content that identifies victims of sexual offences or minors in legal proceedings.
- Respect requests from people (or parents of minors) to remove images of them.
4. Intellectual Property
Post only content you created or have permission to use. Do not upload copyrighted movies, music, TV shows, sports broadcasts, games, software or other people's photos and videos without permission, and do not sell counterfeit goods. See our Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy.
5. Live Streaming
All Community Guidelines apply in real time. In addition, do not stream violence, self-harm, sexual activity or dangerous acts; do not stream other people without their consent in private places; do not restream copyrighted broadcasts; and do not use live gifts to pressure viewers, especially minors. Live streams that violate these rules may be ended immediately, and the account may lose live-streaming access.
6. Messages and Calls
Private does not mean anything goes. Do not send harassing, threatening, sexual, spam or scam messages, or unsolicited sexual images. Recipients can block you and report your messages, and we may review reported conversations.
7. Groups, Pages, Events and Forums
Admins and moderators are responsible for the communities they manage. They must remove content that breaks these Guidelines, must not approve violating content, and must accurately describe the purpose of their group, page or event. Communities created to coordinate harm, hate, harassment or illegal activity will be removed, along with the accounts of their admins.
8. Marketplace, Jobs and Fundraising
Listings must be honest and lawful, describe the real item or opportunity, show the actual price, and comply with our Marketplace & Seller Policy. Fake job offers, pyramid or multi-level marketing schemes, and fundraising for fake causes are prohibited.
9. Advertising and Branded Content
Ads and boosted posts must follow our Advertising Policy. If you are paid, receive free products or have any material connection with a brand you promote, clearly disclose it (for example "#ad", "#sponsored" or "Paid partnership"), in line with ASCI guidelines and the Government of India's endorsement guidelines for social media influencers.
10. How We Enforce These Guidelines
| Action | When it happens |
|---|---|
| Warning and education | First-time or minor violations. |
| Content removal or reduced visibility | Any content that violates these Guidelines. |
| Feature limits | Temporary restriction on posting, commenting, messaging, going live, advertising or monetization. |
| Temporary suspension | Repeated violations or more serious violations. |
| Permanent ban | Severe violations (child safety, terrorism, credible threats, trafficking, non-consensual intimate imagery, large-scale fraud), or repeated violations after warnings. Creating new accounts to evade a ban is not allowed. |
| Report to authorities | Where required by law, or where there is a risk to someone's life or safety. |
We use a strike system: each confirmed violation adds a strike to your account, and strikes expire after 90 days. Accumulating strikes leads to stronger restrictions. Severe violations may lead to an immediate ban without prior strikes. We consider context, intent, newsworthiness and public interest when making decisions.
11. Reporting and Appeals
Use the Report option on any post, comment, profile, message, group, page, live stream or listing. Reports are confidential; the reported person is not told who reported them. If your content is removed or your account is restricted, you will be informed and can appeal from the notification or by writing to our Grievance Officer. Appeals are reviewed by a person, and if you are still not satisfied you may appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee as described in our Grievance Redressal & Content Moderation Policy.
