Community Guidelines

Chipon Alert
Version 1.0 | Effective March 29, 2026

1. Our Mission

Chipon Alert is a preventive safety intelligence platform. We exist to help people understand safety conditions around them and make informed decisions about where to go and how to get there. Our community—you—are the source of real-time intelligence that powers this mission.

Accurate reporting saves lives. Every incident you report, every verification you make, and every thoughtful discussion you contribute directly impacts the safety decisions of your neighbors, your city, and your country. This is serious work. These guidelines ensure we keep the platform trustworthy, credible, and genuinely useful.

2. Reporting Standards

Be Accurate

Report only what you directly observe or have verified from a reliable firsthand source. Do not speculate, exaggerate, or report unconfirmed rumors as fact.

Good: "Armed robbery in progress at the intersection of Lekki Phase 1 and Admiralty Road. Three armed men, white van. Police arrived 2 minutes ago."
Bad: "I heard there might be robbers near Lekki Phase 1. Probably dangerous."

Be Timely

Report incidents as soon as possible while details are fresh and the situation is still relevant. Backdated reports of events that ended hours ago are less valuable to the community.

Include Appropriate Detail

Provide location precision (street name, intersection, landmark), time, what you observed, and any actions being taken (police arrived, fire department en route, roads closed, etc.). Avoid unnecessary personal commentary or assumptions about intent.

Incident Categories

Choose the category that best describes what you witnessed:

armed_robbery — Armed theft or robbery in progress or recently completed
accident — Vehicle collision, hit-and-run, transportation incident
suspicious_activity — Unusual behavior that may indicate a crime (loitering near ATMs, attempted break-ins, prowling)
fire — Active fire, smoke, structure fire, vehicle fire
protest — Organized gathering, demonstration, march
flooding — Water overflow, waterlogged roads, flash flooding
road_closure — Blocked roads, accidents blocking traffic, construction closures
checkpoint — Military or police checkpoint, search procedures
power_outage — Widespread loss of electricity supply
other — Incident that doesn't fit above categories

Severity Levels

Select the severity that reflects the immediacy and danger level:

Critical — Immediate threat to life; emergency services needed now (active shooting, armed robbery in progress, active fire, serious accident with injuries)
High — Serious danger or disruption; police/fire response recommended (kidnapping report, major accident, suspicious activity suggesting imminent crime)
Medium — Moderate impact; authorities should be aware (checkpoint setup, large protest, flooding affecting traffic)
Low — Informational; minimal immediate danger (road closure for construction, power outage without safety risk, minor incident)

Photo Guidelines

Photos humanize reports and increase credibility—but only when captured responsibly:

Do: Take photos of empty roads, intersection conditions, street infrastructure, vehicle damage, crowd size/behavior, weather impacts
Do: Capture context (street signs, landmarks) to verify location
Do NOT: Photograph unconscious, injured, or visibly distressed people without their consent
Do NOT: Photograph people's faces during sensitive incidents (robbery, assault, kidnapping) unless they explicitly agreed
Do NOT: Include personal identifiers (license plates, house numbers, faces of bystanders) unless relevant to the safety alert
Do NOT: Upload graphic violence or gore beyond what's necessary to convey the danger level

If a photo shows a person who did not consent, blur their face before uploading. If you cannot blur faces, use a description instead.

3. Verification Ethics

Verification is how we build trust. When you verify or dispute a report, you're telling the community "I checked this, and here's what I found." This responsibility comes with high standards.

Verify Honestly

Only verify if you directly observed the incident or have strong firsthand knowledge
Verify the location (is this the right place?), timing (is this current?), and nature (is the category/severity accurate?)
If you dispute a report, briefly explain why: "I was at this intersection at that time and saw nothing unusual" or "The incident was minor—no emergency services called"

Don't Game the System

Do not verify reports to artificially boost your trust score or punish other users
Do not create fake accounts to verify your own reports
Do not coordinate with friends to mass-verify your reports
Do not verify incidents outside your immediate neighborhood if you have no direct knowledge

Build Legitimate Trust

Trust scores reflect accuracy and consistency over time. The only way to build genuine trust is through consistently accurate, thoughtful reporting and verification. Users with high trust scores have proven they understand their community and report reliably.

4. Comment & Discussion Rules

Comments allow community members to share context, ask questions, and support each other. Discussions are limited to 2 levels of threading to keep conversations readable:

Level 1: Top-level comment on an incident report
Level 2: Reply to a Level 1 comment only

Be constructive. Assume good intent. Help each other stay safe.

Constructive Comments Include

Additional eyewitness details ("I saw this 10 minutes ago heading toward...")
Relevant context ("This area has had similar incidents before. Stay alert.")
Helpful resources ("Here's the police non-emergency number to report this")
Questions seeking clarity ("Was this near the market or near the school?")
Safety tips ("If you're in this area, avoid the Main Street route for now")

Prohibited Comment Behavior

Do not use comments to:

Harass, insult, or attack the reporter or other commenters
Doxx anyone (reveal personal information, address, workplace, social media handles without consent)
Gossip about individuals ("I know who did this—it's [Name]")
Make assumptions about someone's identity or background
Spread unrelated rumors or conspiracy theories
Promote commercial products or services
Spam or flood threads with repetitive messages

5. Prohibited Content

We remove content that undermines trust, endangers people, or violates laws. Violations result in warnings, trust score reduction, temporary bans, or permanent removal.

False Reports

Fabricated reports, exaggerated incidents, or false 911-equivalent reports put resources where they're not needed and erode community trust.

Prohibited: "Armed robbery in progress at [Location]" when nothing happened
Prohibited: Reporting a minor incident as Critical to create panic
Prohibited: Reporting the same incident multiple times with slight variations

Hate Speech & Discrimination

Reports or comments that target people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or national origin.

Prohibited: "Stay away from [Neighborhood]—[ethnic group] people are dangerous"
Prohibited: Comments linking crime patterns to ethnic or religious groups
Prohibited: Dehumanizing language toward any group

Personal Attacks & Harassment

Targeting individuals with insults, threats, or sustained hostile behavior.

Prohibited: "You're a liar and a fraud" directed at another user
Prohibited: Repeated hostile comments to the same person across multiple posts
Prohibited: Threatening language ("I'll find you for making this up")

Doxxing

Publishing or requesting someone's personal information without consent.

Prohibited: Sharing someone's address, phone number, workplace, social media handle, or family members' names
Prohibited: Asking others to identify someone in a photo or find their personal details
Prohibited: "This is [Name] from [Company]—they committed this crime"

Graphic Violence Beyond Context

Photos or descriptions of severe violence, gore, or suffering that go beyond what's necessary to communicate the safety risk.

Acceptable: "Serious car accident with injuries at [Location]. Emergency services responding."
Prohibited: Graphic photos of deceased victims, extreme gore, or detailed injury descriptions designed to shock rather than inform

Spam & Commercial Content

Unsolicited advertising, promotional content, or spam clutters the platform and distracts from real safety intelligence.

Prohibited: "Buy safety equipment at [Shop URL] for 50% off"
Prohibited: Promoting your own app, service, or product in comments
Prohibited: Flooding the same location with repetitive low-value updates

Political Propaganda Disguised as Safety Alerts

Using the platform to push political ideology or recruit for causes unrelated to public safety.

Prohibited: "A government checkpoint means tyranny is taking over. Our movement is the only solution."
Prohibited: Reporting protests with framing designed to delegitimize or praise specific political positions
Prohibited: Using incidents as cover to promote ideology, conspiracy theories, or recruitment

Legitimate protest reporting is allowed. ("Large protest gathering at [Location]. Expected delays on [Routes]. No violence observed.") We distinguish between factual incident reporting and political campaigning.

6. Trust Score System

Your trust score reflects the reliability and accuracy of your contributions. Higher-trust users surface first in verification lists and gain subtle indicators that show the community you're credible.

How Trust Scores Work

Initial score: New users start at 0 (neutral). No penalties, no advantages.

Positive actions (increase trust):

Report incidents that are later verified by 3+ independent users
Verify reports accurately (your verification matches later ground truth)
Consistently report in your immediate area (you know your neighborhood)
Maintain a track record of no false reports over time

Negative actions (decrease trust):

Reports disputed by 3+ users as inaccurate
Making false reports or exaggerations
Unethical verification (verifying reports you didn't witness)
Harassment, hate speech, or doxxing (major deductions)

No public score visibility. Your score is private. We don't display numbers or rankings. Instead, trusted users' reports appear slightly higher in feeds, and their verifications are weighted more heavily.

Building Trust Legitimately

Report only what you know. Accuracy is everything. One false report damages trust more than five accurate ones build it.
Verify thoughtfully. Only verify incidents you directly observed. Be honest when you're unsure.
Participate in your neighborhood. Users who consistently report in the same area (where they live or work) earn trust faster than those reporting everywhere.
Engage constructively in comments. Thoughtful, helpful comments without attacks build credibility.
Be patient. Trust takes time. A new user with five accurate reports will see their score climb faster than someone with a mixed history.

7. Content Moderation

We use a combination of automated detection and human review to identify violations.

How We Moderate

Automated flagging — Systems detect patterns of false reports, spam, flagged words associated with hate speech, and images of extreme gore
Community flagging — You can report violations directly using the "Report" button on any post or comment
Human review — Our moderation team reviews flagged content within 24 hours and determines if removal or action is warranted
Context matters — We read reports in full context. A word appearing in a report about an incident is treated differently than the same word used as an insult

Moderation Actions

Warning — You're notified of a violation. First-time minor offenses (spam, off-topic comment, minor exaggeration)
Trust score reduction — Your score decreases. Reserved for pattern violations or moderate offenses (false reports, unethical verification, minor harassment)
Content removal — The post or comment is deleted. Visible only to you and moderators. Reserved for significant violations
Temporary ban (7–30 days) — You can't report, verify, or comment. For serious violations (repeated false reports, hate speech, doxxing, significant harassment)
Permanent ban — Account permanently closed. For extreme violations or repeat offenders (multiple bans, criminal doxxing, severe harassment, coordinated misinformation campaigns)

Appeal Process

If you believe a moderation action is wrong:

Tap "Appeal" in the notification
Provide your explanation (max 500 characters)
Our moderation team reviews within 48 hours
We send you the decision via in-app notification

Appeals are a conversation, not a guarantee of reversal. If we determine the action was correct, the appeal is closed. You cannot appeal the same action twice.

8. Consequences for Violations

Repeated violations compound. A user with multiple warnings may move to a score reduction. A user with a temporary ban who reoffends immediately may face a permanent ban.

Sample Escalation Paths

False reporting pattern:

First false report → Warning
Second false report (within 3 months) → Trust score reduction
Third false report → 7-day temporary ban
Continued pattern → Permanent ban

Harassment or hate speech:

First incident (non-severe) → Warning + trust score reduction
Serious incident (repeated harassment, explicit hate speech) → 14-day temporary ban
Extreme or repeated after ban → Permanent ban

Doxxing:

Any doxxing incident → Immediate permanent ban (no appeal process)

We make exceptions for edge cases, but violations are treated seriously because they damage the platform's credibility and potentially harm real people.

9. Special Considerations

Sensitive Incidents

Some incidents involve trauma, violence, or vulnerable people. Report them factually, but protect dignity:

Accidents with injuries: Report severity and status ("injuries reported," "emergency services on scene"). Don't describe graphic details of victims
Robbery or assault: Report the threat level and location. Don't name or identify alleged perpetrators unless you're sure and it's necessary for safety
Sexual violence: Report presence and location only. Never describe details or identify victims. If you witness this, contact police directly
Missing persons: Don't share identifiers (photos, names, addresses) based on rumors. Verify before reporting
Child safety incidents: Report immediately to police and in-app, but don't speculate publicly about circumstances

Ongoing Emergencies

If a major incident is unfolding (active hostage situation, large fire, major accident), prioritize accuracy over speed:

Report what you directly see
Don't speculate about police actions or outcomes
Update only if material new information emerges (not "still ongoing" every 30 seconds)
Defer to official emergency alerts once they're issued
Comments should be supportive and focused on real-time hazards, not play-by-play commentary

Protecting Victims

Never use Chipon Alert to:

Name victims of robbery, assault, or violence
Share identifiers of vulnerable people (homeless individuals, undocumented people, etc.) in ways that expose them to danger
Target areas with vulnerable populations to amplify bias or fear

If you're reporting to protect people (e.g., "area is dangerous for solo travelers"), do so without stereotyping or dehumanizing language.

10. Reporting Violations

See something that breaks these guidelines? Report it.

How to Report

In-app: Tap the three-dot menu on any post or comment and select "Report"
Choose a category: False report, Hate speech, Harassment, Doxxing, Graphic violence, Spam, Other
Provide context (optional): Briefly explain why you're reporting (max 200 characters)
Submit

Your report is anonymous. We don't share your name with the reported user or the public.

What Happens After You Report

Your report is added to a moderation queue
If multiple users report the same content, it's prioritized
Our team reviews within 24 hours
If the violation is confirmed, we take action (warning, removal, ban, etc.)
You won't be notified of the outcome (for privacy and safety), but the content will be removed or the user sanctioned

11. Contact

Questions About These Guidelines

Email: team@chipon.io

Reporting Safety Emergencies

Do not use Chipon Alert to report emergencies to authorities.

For life-threatening situations:

Nigeria: Call 911 or your local police emergency line
Fire: Call 112 or your local fire department

Chipon Alert is a community intelligence platform, not a emergency dispatch system.

General Support

In-app: Tap Settings → Help & Support → Contact Us

Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these guidelines as the platform grows and community needs evolve. Significant changes will be announced in-app with at least 14 days' notice before they take effect. Continued use of Chipon Alert after updates means you accept the new guidelines.

Last updated: March 29, 2026

Chipon Alert is operated by Jyv Tech LLC (globally) and Tanta Innovative Limited (Nigeria). These Community Guidelines are designed to keep our platform trustworthy, safe, and genuinely useful for everyone who depends on it.

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