Community Guidelines

1. Be real

• Use your real name and a photo that is actually you.
• One person, one account. No fake, duplicate or shared accounts.
• Don't impersonate anyone: a person, a business, an embassy or CrossCulture itself.
• Don't misrepresent your qualifications. If you say you are a lawyer, agent or accountant, be one.

2. Respect every culture, including the ones that aren't yours

Our members come from everywhere. Debate ideas, share opinions, disagree. But not:

• hate speech or slurs targeting anyone's race, ethnicity, tribe, nationality, religion, caste, gender, sexual orientation, disability or immigration status;
• harassment, bullying, threats, or encouraging others to pile on;
• unwanted sexual messages or advances, or sexual content of any kind involving minors;
• sharing someone's private information (address, documents, photos, immigration details) without their consent;
• graphic violence, or praise of violent or terrorist groups.

3. Trade honestly

• Describe items and services accurately, with your own photos where possible, and deliver what you sold.
• Keep payment on the Platform. Asking someone to pay by bank transfer, gift card or crypto outside escrow is the most common sign of a scam, and is not allowed.
• No fake reviews, and no reviewing your own listings.
• Don't sell anything illegal, counterfeit, stolen, or that needs a licence you don't have. That includes weapons, drugs, prescription medicines, alcohol or tobacco where restricted, wildlife products, forged documents, and accounts or verification for sale.

4. Share knowledge responsibly

• Write from what you know and say when something is your own experience rather than official guidance.
• Keep guides up to date, or mark the date they were true.
• Don't sell or promote “guaranteed” visas, jobs, admissions or residency. Nobody can guarantee these, and offers that do are almost always fraud.
• Don't post someone else's work as your own.

5. Keep groups and chats useful

• No spam, chain messages, repeated self-promotion or unsolicited ads in groups or DMs.
• Stay on topic in a group, and follow the group's own rules where they are stricter than ours.
• Group admins: moderate fairly, and report anything that breaks these guidelines rather than handling serious issues alone.

6. Stay safe when you meet

• Meet for the first time in a public place, and tell someone you trust where you are going.
• Organisers: describe your event honestly, keep attendees safe, and refund through the Platform if you cancel.
• Never hand over your passport, residence permit or other ID to someone you met here.
• Leave any situation that feels wrong, and report it.

7. Report it, block it

If something breaks these guidelines, use Report on the profile, message, post, listing or event. Reports are confidential: the person is not told who reported them. You can also block anyone at any time; they will not be able to message you or see your activity.

If someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first. For anything urgent you can also email hello@crossculture.com.

8. What happens when the rules are broken

We look at the context and how serious it is. Depending on that, we may:

• remove the content;
• send a warning;
• limit features such as messaging, selling or hosting events;
• hold funds in escrow while we investigate;
• remove verification;
• suspend or permanently remove the account;
• report it to the police or other authorities.

Scams, threats, child exploitation and selling illegal goods lead to immediate, permanent removal. If you think we got a decision wrong, reply to our notice or email us and a different member of the team will review it.