Recognizing and Reporting Abuse
What is abuse?
How do I report abuse?
Will reported content always be removed?
What if someone tries to misuse the system?
What kinds of content should I report?
Couchsurfing is a self-moderating community, which means that we rely on members like you to keep our network safe and true to our mission and vision. One important way that you can help is by reporting website abuse.
What is abuse?
Content that violates Couchsurfing's Terms of Use
is considered an abuse of our website and our community. We do not allow
people to use our system to make money, to sexually harass or threaten our
members, or to otherwise violate our community guidelines. For more information,
please see our examples below.
Throughout the website, you'll see this icon.
It appears on messages, groups, group posts, events, and profiles.
Click it, and you'll be asked to indicate specifically why you think the content is abusive.
Then, confirm to record your report in our system.
And that's it! Our system automatically tracks reports of abuse, and our team will remove content when necessary. With a few clicks, you help us keep abuse off of the Couchsurfing website.
Will reported content always be removed?
We may remove the content, if it is explicitly against our Terms of Use. More frequently we will send the member who created it a warning explaining that they should avoid creating similar content in the future. We err on the side of leaving the content visible because it is important to respect our members' freedom of expression when possible.
What if someone tries to misuse the system?
Our team monitors all reported abuse. If we suspect that a member is intentionally over-reporting or falsely reporting abuse, we will take action.
What kinds of content should I report?
We've compiled a list of examples to help you understand the situations in which a profile, message, group post, group or event may be considered abusive.
Use this list for guidance, but please remember that each individual case is different. Your own judgment is the best measure. It's important to take context, cultural norms, personal communication style, language barriers, and other factors into consideration when choosing whether to report a specific piece of content.
Profiles
Especially in the case of profiles, Couchsurfing is careful to protect members' freedom of expression. This is a community value, and it's also a matter of safety. The more honest members are about themselves, the more educated other members are when making decisions.
| Abusive | Not Abusive |
Members who charge for their couch or otherwise
ask for money in exchange for hospitality |
Members who put restrictions on their profile for
financial reasons but do not ask for money |
Members who own or operate a business and require that
Couchsurfers use their service. |
Members who own or operate a business and disclose
this in their profile in a purely informative way. |
Members that advertise their business, product,
service, or other for-profit venture. |
Profiles that mention a business or for-profit
venture in a purely informative way. |
Dating spam profiles. |
Profiles that indicate sexual interest (we wouldn't
want to meet them, either -- but we'd much rather know that before
we arrive at their house!) |
False profiles, such as for a celebrity, a pet, or
a fictional character. |
Official CS profiles, such as Couchsurfing Communications. |
Messages
Couchsurfing tracks reports of abusive messages so that we can identify spammers and others who habitually misuse the messaging system. If you receive an inappropriate message from someone you know, or as part of an ongoing issue, do not report it as abuse. Instead, please contact us with a link to the profile of the other member and a brief explanation of the issue. That way, our team can understand the specifics of your situation and take appropriate action.
| Abusive | Not Abusive |
A response to a CouchRequest that asks for money. |
A response to a CouchRequest that has restrictions
for financial reasons, but doesn't ask for money. |
Information about a business or a request for money
from a member you don't know and haven't contacted. |
Information about a business from someone you have
contacted. |
Dating spam or sexual harassment. |
Miscommunication due to a language barrier. |
Offensive or threatening messages from someone you
don't know. |
Offensive or threatening messages from someone you
know. Instead, please contact us
with a link to the profile of the other member and a brief
explanation of the issue. |
Group Posts
It's important to remember that groups are often the online representation of local Couchsurfing communities. When deciding whether a group post is abusive, please consider the intentions of the member who created it, as well as their relationship to the community. Is this a real Couchsurfer trying to share legitimate information? Or is it someone who joined only to post advertisements?If you think a member may have posted something abusive only because they misunderstood the group's guidelines, it's not always necessary to report it as abuse. A gentle response post explaining their mistake will help them learn for the next time.
| Abusive | Not Abusive |
|
A post where a member chooses to share their own
private contact information (note: we do not recommend doing
this, but we don't consider it to be abuse). |
An unsolicited post advertising a member's
business, product, service, or other for-profit venture. |
A post recommending a business or for-profit venture
in response to a request for information. |
A post inviting members to an event from which
the poster will make money. |
A post inviting members to an event at a for-profit
venture. |
A post that advertises an apartment being rented
for profit. |
Posts from Couchsurfers looking for an apartment
or roommates (if it's allowed in the group's guidelines). |
An advertisement that is out of context and clearly for-profit only. For example, in the scuba diving group: |
A Couchsurfer who would like to sell something of
theirs which is clearly of interest to the group (if this is
allowed in the group's guidelines). |
|
A Couchsurfer who is looking for a product or
service (if this is allowed in the group's guidelines). |
Groups
Groups are an important place for members to express themselves, and we are very careful to avoid censoring them. In some rare instances, we may choose to remove a group.| Abusive | Not Abusive |
A group that negatively targets a specific group
of people based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. |
A group that supports a controversial belief. |
A group that is associated with planning an event
that has been removed. |
|
A group that is meant to promote a business. |
|
Events
As with groups, Couchsurfing is careful to protect members' right to gather in the ways that they choose to. In some rare instances, we may choose to remove an event.| Abusive | Not Abusive |
An event organized to make a profit, such as:
|
An event that involves payment, such as:
|
An event listing that is not actually an event |
|
