Community Guidelines

Rate-A-Bench is a place to share real benches and the moments people enjoy at them. To keep it that way, we have zero tolerance for the content and behaviour below. Breaking these rules can result in content removal, a temporary suspension, or a permanent ban — with no warning for serious violations.

What is not allowed

Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE). Any content that sexualises or endangers minors is strictly prohibited. We remove this content on sight, terminate the account, preserve evidence, and report it to the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to relevant law enforcement where required by law.

Sexual content and nudity. Pornographic, sexually explicit, or sexually suggestive content of any kind.

Harassment, bullying, and hate. Personal attacks, targeted harassment, threats, doxxing, slurs, or content that promotes hate against people based on protected characteristics.

Violence and graphic content. Glorification or promotion of real-world violence, gore, or self-harm.

Illegal activity. Promotion of illegal acts, illegal goods, drugs, weapons, or attempts to facilitate the same.

Spam and manipulation. Commercial spam, fake engagement, bot activity, ratings manipulation, or repeated low-quality posts.

Misinformation about benches. Submitting fake benches, benches at the wrong location, benches on private property without the owner’s permission, or photos that do not show the bench you are submitting.

Impersonation and identity abuse. Pretending to be another person, or using another person’s photo or likeness without consent.

Intellectual property violations. Posting content you do not have the right to share.

Reporting

Every bench, photo, rating, check-in, comment, thought, and user profile has a report option in its menu. Reports go straight to our moderation team. We commit to reviewing reports and acting within 24 hours of receipt. CSAE reports are escalated immediately.

Blocking

You can block any other user from their profile screen. A block hides both of you from each other across the entire app. You can manage your block list from Settings → Privacy → Blocked users.

How we enforce

Depending on severity and history, enforcement can include a warning, removing the content, suspending features, or permanently terminating the account. For severe or repeated violations we act without warning.

Contact us

For appeals, safety concerns, or anything else moderation-related, email hello@rateabench.com. If someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first.