Last updated: August 30, 2026
1. Core Rules
- Be relevant. Use community features for their intended purpose and keep submissions reasonably related to UC Merced community information or the specific feature you are using.
- Be respectful. Do not target, harass, threaten, intimidate, or demean other people.
- Be accurate. Do not knowingly submit fabricated reports, misleading locations, impersonations, or intentionally false information.
- Respect privacy. Do not expose private or sensitive information about another person without authorization.
- Respect ownership. Only upload content you have the right to submit.
- Use safety tools appropriately. Do not abuse reporting or blocking features to harass or retaliate against others.
2. Prohibited Content and Behavior
Do not post, upload, or distribute content or behavior that includes threats, encouragement of violence, harassment, hateful or dehumanizing content, sexual exploitation, graphic shock content, illegal activity, doxxing, impersonation, spam, scams, malicious links, copyright violations, or attempts to bypass moderation and safety controls.
3. Wildlife Capture Guidelines
Wildlife posts should help the community understand legitimate wildlife observations without creating unnecessary risk.
- Do not harm, chase, trap, feed, provoke, or intentionally disturb wildlife for a post.
- Do not encourage unsafe or unlawful approaches to wildlife.
- Use accurate locations and descriptions to the best of your knowledge.
- Avoid posting images that expose private individuals or sensitive personal information.
- If there is immediate danger to people or animals, use emergency or campus-safety resources.
4. Privacy and Personal Information
Community posts may be visible to other users. Review images and text before posting, and do not use a wildlife or map post to track, identify, shame, or expose another person. Data handling is described in the Privacy Policy.
5. Reporting and Blocking
If you encounter objectionable content or abusive behavior, use the in-app reporting or blocking controls where available. Use reporting for content or users that may violate these rules, and use blocking when you do not want to see or interact with content from a particular account. Do not submit knowingly false reports or coordinate reports merely to punish users with whom you disagree.
6. Moderation and Enforcement
We may review reported or otherwise identified content and take reasonable action based on the nature and severity of the issue. Actions may include removing or limiting content, warning or restricting an account, suspending or terminating access to community features, or preserving limited records where reasonably necessary for safety, abuse prevention, disputes, or legal compliance.
7. Appeals, Questions, and Updates
If you believe moderation action was taken in error, or if you have a question about these guidelines, contact contact@ucmercedhub.com. These guidelines may be updated as community features change.