hi everyone,
today we are bringing you an update to our community guidelines, containing the promised missing stair policy and a new policy around AI-generated content. you can read the full guidelines at https://cohost.org/rc/content/community-guidelines.
both additional policies are below the cut. no changes have been made outside these two new sections.
we also have a new feature launching today, and a financial update coming on monday. keep your eyes out for those. we'll be making a small patch notes post to put in the cohost corner so these these important changes don't get buried or brushed under the rug.
missing stair policy
there is value in being in the same place as everyone, but this value quickly diminishes when assholes crash the party.
in addition to the guidelines above, cohost reserves the right to remove anyone for reasons outside the rules under certain conditions. You may be banned from cohost if you are frequently reported for or found to be shitstirring, getting into arguments, or otherwise being routinely unpleasant to others.
this doesn’t mean you can’t get into an argument, say a snide remark, or get fired up about something. it does mean that if it becomes a habit you may face consequences. at first, we will offer warnings. actions taken will escalate from there if insufficient.
we still encourage you to use first-line responses, such as blocking, if someone is being disruptive. however, if you believe another user is demonstrating a pattern of being a pain in the ass, please send in a report.
it is not our intention to excessively police the tone of users, nor ignore the context in which things are said. when someone speaks out against injustice or wrongdoing, broadly or specifically, it is common for people to retaliate by attacking that person’s tone. as such, any policy seeking to root out assholes can be easily weaponized against marginalized people. applications of this policy will be context-dependent judgment calls with this in mind; we will take both the context of the conversation and the broader dynamics at play into account.
ai-generated content
you are allowed to post content produced by “off the shelf” generative models (”AI-generated” content) to cohost, however, there are additional restrictions you must follow.- if the entirety of your post is AI-generated, the post must be tagged as “AI-generated”;
- if your post only contains some AI-generated content, it must contain a disclaimer before the AI-generated content. the “AI-generated” tag is recommended.
additionally, you may not:
- post AI-generated content intended to mislead someone or spread misinformation;
- e.g., an AI-generated voice clip mimicking an important political figure saying the Navy Seal copypasta would be fine. an AI-generated voice clip of an important political figure discussing a war would not.
- post AI-generated pornography depicting real or living persons;
- create a page solely to post AI-generated content;
- solicit donations or payment for AI-generated content.

