Civilian exists to give residents a real voice in their city. These guidelines keep the platform focused, respectful, and effective. AI automatically checks all posts before they go live.
Civic Issues Only
Posts must relate to real, local civic problems — infrastructure, safety, public services, parks, utilities, or housing. Personal disputes, commercial complaints, or off-topic content will be removed.
No Violence or Threats
Any content that threatens, incites, or glorifies violence against any person, group, or institution is strictly prohibited and will result in an immediate ban.
No Hate Speech or Discrimination
Content targeting individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin is not allowed. Civilian is a platform for everyone.
Respect Privacy
Do not post personal information (addresses, phone numbers, photos) of private individuals without consent. Public officials' contact information shared for civic purposes is permitted.
Be Accurate
Only report issues you have personally witnessed or have reliable knowledge of. Deliberately false reports waste city resources and undermine the community's credibility.
Constructive Tone
Describe problems factually and constructively. Abusive, profane, or inflammatory language — even when directed at officials — reduces the effectiveness of your complaint and may be removed.
No Spam or Duplicates
Before posting, search for existing reports on the same issue. Duplicate posts dilute community voices. Use the Echo button to add your support to an existing issue instead.
AI-Powered Moderation
Every post is reviewed by Claude AI before publishing. The AI checks for policy violations by context — not just keywords — so nuanced violations are caught too. If your post is flagged, you'll see an inline message explaining why before you submit.
Enforcement
Questions about these guidelines? Raise a concern through the platform.
Last updated March 2026.