Community Guidelines

Welcome to the Mentis Community!

Mentis is a community of learners from around the world committed to helping each other succeed. These Community Guidelines outline our expectations for behavior when creating, sharing, and interacting with content and other users.

By using Mentis, you agree to follow these guidelines. Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent termination.

Core Principles

1. Be Respectful

• Treat all users with kindness, empathy, and respect
• Respect diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and learning styles
• Disagree constructively; focus on ideas, not personal attacks
• Be patient with learners at different levels

2. Be Honest

• Create original content or properly attribute sources
• Do not plagiarize or infringe copyrights
• Report content that violates these guidelines
• Be truthful in your interactions with others

3. Be Safe

• Do not share personal information (yours or others')
• Do not engage in or promote harmful or dangerous behavior
• Report suspicious, threatening, or inappropriate activity immediately
• Protect your account security (strong password, no sharing credentials)

4. Be Educational

• Focus on learning and helping others learn
• Share accurate, high-quality study materials
• Provide constructive feedback
• Contribute positively to the community

What We Encourage

We love seeing:

• Well-organized, thoughtful flashcard decks
• Helpful study resources shared publicly
• Supportive comments and feedback
• Creative use of features (images, audio, formatting)
• Collaboration in study groups
• Sharing study tips and techniques
• Celebrating learning milestones
• Reporting violations to keep the community safe

Prohibited Content and Behavior

1. Illegal Content

Do NOT create, upload, or share content that:

• Violates any local, state, national, or international laws
• Infringes copyrights, trademarks, or intellectual property rights
• Violates privacy rights or confidentiality agreements
• Contains stolen or leaked materials (exam answers, proprietary content)
• Promotes or facilitates illegal activities (drug use, hacking, fraud)

2. Harmful or Dangerous Content

Do NOT create or share content that:

• Promotes violence, self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders
• Contains graphic violence, gore, or disturbing imagery
• Provides instructions for dangerous activities (bomb-making, weapons)
• Glorifies or encourages criminal behavior
• Promotes dangerous health misinformation

3. Hateful or Discriminatory Content

Do NOT create or share content that:

• Attacks individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics
• Promotes hate speech, white supremacy, or extremism
• Uses slurs, derogatory language, or hate symbols
• Denies well-documented violent events (Holocaust denial, genocide denial)

4. Sexual or Inappropriate Content

Do NOT create or share content that:

• Contains pornography or sexually explicit material
• Sexualizes minors in any way (zero tolerance)
• Contains nudity (except medical/educational contexts with warnings)
• Solicits sexual interactions or relationships

5. Spam and Misleading Content

Do NOT:

• Post spam, advertisements, or unsolicited promotional content
• Use Mentis primarily for commercial gain without authorization
• Create fake accounts or impersonate others
• Manipulate features (fake reviews, artificial engagement)
• Spread misinformation, disinformation, or conspiracy theories

6. Harassment and Bullying

Do NOT:

• Harass, bully, threaten, or intimidate other users
• Send unwanted messages or friend requests repeatedly
• Share personal information about others without consent (doxxing)
• Engage in stalking or unwanted romantic/sexual advances
• Create content targeting specific individuals for ridicule

7. Cheating and Academic Dishonesty

Do NOT:

• Share exam questions or answers during active exams
• Upload instructor materials without permission (lecture slides, assignments)
• Promote cheating services or contract cheating
• Create flashcards explicitly for cheating purposes

Note: Mentis is a study tool for learning, not a cheating tool. Using flashcards to study for exams is encouraged; sharing test answers during an exam is prohibited.

8. Technical Abuse

Do NOT:

• Attempt to hack, compromise, or bypass security measures
• Use bots, scrapers, or automated tools to abuse the Service
• Overload our systems (DDoS attacks, spam requests)
• Reverse engineer or decompile our software
• Exploit bugs or vulnerabilities (report them to security@mentis.app)
• Create multiple accounts to abuse free tiers or trials

Content Moderation

We use a hybrid moderation approach to enforce these guidelines:

1. AI Moderation

• Automated systems scan content for potential violations
• Flags high-risk content for human review
• Blocks egregious violations automatically

2. User Reports

• Users can report content via the "Report" button
• All reports are reviewed by our moderation team
• Reports are confidential; reporters' identities are not shared

3. Human Review

• Our moderation team reviews flagged content within 24-48 hours
• Context-aware decisions (we understand satire, educational content, etc.)
• Transparent communication about moderation actions

Enforcement and Consequences

Warning (First Violation)

• Content removed
• Email notification explaining the violation
• No impact on account standing

Temporary Suspension (Repeat Violations)

• 7-day suspension: Second violation within 30 days
• 14-day suspension: Third violation within 60 days
• 30-day suspension: Fourth violation within 90 days
• Access to account disabled during suspension
• Study progress preserved

Permanent Termination (Severe Violations)

Immediate termination for:

• Child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
• Credible threats of violence
• Doxxing or blackmail
• Repeated copyright infringement
• Severe harassment campaigns

Account permanently deleted, all content removed, and reported to law enforcement if illegal.

Appeals

If you believe your content was removed in error:

1. Email appeals@mentis.app within 14 days
2. Include your account email, description of the removed content, and reason you believe removal was incorrect
3. We will review your appeal within 5-7 business days
4. You will receive a decision via email
5. Appeal decisions are final

Reporting Violations

How to Report

If you see content or behavior that violates these guidelines:

1. Click the "Report" button on the content, user profile, or message
2. Select the violation type (spam, harassment, hate speech, etc.)
3. Provide additional context (optional but helpful)
4. Submit the report

What happens next:

• Our team reviews the report within 24-48 hours
• We take appropriate action (content removal, account suspension, etc.)
• You receive a notification about the outcome (if applicable)
• Reports are confidential; the reported user will not know who reported them

Urgent Safety Concerns

For immediate threats of violence, self-harm, or child safety issues:

• Email safety@mentis.app immediately
• Include screenshots and account details
• We prioritize urgent reports and respond within 1-2 hours
• We may contact law enforcement if necessary

Educational Content Exceptions

We recognize that educational content may sometimes include sensitive material. The following are generally permitted with appropriate context:

Medical and Scientific Content

• Anatomy and physiology flashcards (clinical, non-sexualized)
• Medical conditions and treatments
• Scientific research on sensitive topics (addiction, mental health)
• Requirement: Clear educational intent, appropriate age rating

Historical Content

• History flashcards about wars, atrocities, and violence (factual, educational)
• Art history including classical nudity (clearly labeled)
• Study of historical hate groups or extremism (academic analysis, not promotion)
• Requirement: Educational context, not glorification

Language Learning

• Profanity or slang for language learning (clearly labeled)
• Cultural idioms that may be sensitive
• Requirement: Educational purpose, not harassment or hate speech

When in doubt, add a content warning or age restriction to your deck.

Protecting Your Privacy

Personal Information

Do NOT share:

• Full name, address, phone number
• Social Security number, ID numbers
• Credit card or bank account details
• School or workplace addresses
• Personal schedules or routines

Tips

• Use a username instead of your real name
• Use profile privacy settings to control who sees your content
• Report users who ask for personal information

Account Security

• Use a strong, unique password
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Never share your account credentials
• Log out on shared devices

Age-Appropriate Content

Mentis is designed for users 13 years and older. Content should be appropriate for a diverse audience of all ages (13+).

Guidelines:

• Avoid excessive profanity or vulgarity
• Mark mature content (e.g., medical anatomy, art history nudity) with content warnings
• Do not create content specifically targeting children under 13

Parents and Educators:

• We encourage parental involvement for users under 18
• Teachers can monitor content in group study spaces
• Contact safety@mentis.app with concerns about minors

Updates to Community Guidelines

We may update these Community Guidelines as our community evolves and new challenges emerge.

We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Email notification
• In-app announcement
• Posting updated guidelines with a new "Last Updated" date

Continued use of Mentis after updates constitutes acceptance of the new guidelines.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about these Community Guidelines or need clarification:

Email: community@mentis.app
Support: support@mentis.app
Safety Issues: safety@mentis.app
Copyright Issues: dmca@mentis.app

Final Note

These Community Guidelines supplement our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. All three documents work together to create a safe, fair, and productive learning environment.

Thank you for being part of the Mentis community! Together, we can build a positive space where everyone can learn and succeed.