Gems Community Guidelines

Effective date: 11 October 2026

Gems is a map of St Vincent and the Grenadines built by the people who know it. These Community Guidelines set out the standards that apply to everything shared on Gems, including places, events, crews, posts, comments, photos, check-ins, profiles and messages. They form part of the Gems Terms of Service, and breaching them is a breach of those Terms.

These Guidelines apply to everyone, including Businesses, public bodies and our own team. How we enforce them, and how to ask for a decision to be reviewed, is explained in the Moderation, Appeals and Transparency Policy.

1. Our principles

1.1 Accuracy. The map is only useful if it is true. Share places, events and information that you know to be real.

1.2 Safety and privacy. No one should be put at risk because of something posted on Gems.

1.3 Respect. Disagreement is welcome; abuse is not.

1.4 Freedom of expression. We do not remove Content because it is critical, unpopular, political or unflattering to a Business, public figure or government. Honest, first-hand reviews and fair comment on matters of public interest are welcome. Content that breaks the law or these Guidelines is not protected by this principle.

2. Accurate and authentic contributions

You must not:

• add a place or event that does not exist, or that you know to be closed, or deliberately give a wrong location or details;
• confirm or check in at a place you have not personally visited, or use any method to make your device appear to be somewhere it is not;
• create fake or duplicate Accounts, or co-ordinate with others to manipulate confirmations, levels, founding-mapper status, leaderboards, likes or visibility;
• offer, request or accept money, goods, services or any other benefit in exchange for confirmations, check-ins, posts, likes or reviews;
• post about your own Business, or a Business you are connected with, while presenting yourself as an independent customer, or post reviews of a competitor; or
• impersonate any person, Business, public authority or SVG Gems.

3. Privacy and personal safety

You must not:

• add any private home or residence to the public map, whether your own or anyone else's. Homes may only be added as private places;
• post anyone's home address, precise whereabouts, travel plans, workplace, telephone number, vehicle registration, identity documents, financial details or other personal information without their clear consent;
• post photographs or videos of identifiable people without their consent, or any image of a person in a private setting, such as a home, changing area or bathroom;
• post images or information that identify a child, other than with the consent of the child's parent or guardian and where the child is not the focus of the post; or
• use Gems to locate, follow, monitor, track, stalk or contact anyone who does not want to be contacted.

4. Hateful conduct

You must not attack, demean, dehumanise, exclude or incite hatred or violence against any person or group on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity, national origin (including people from Haiti, Guyana and elsewhere in the region), religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, serious illness, or immigration status. This includes slurs, harmful stereotypes, and hateful symbols, whether or not presented as a joke.

5. Violence, threats and dangerous organisations

You must not:

• threaten, incite, glorify or celebrate violence against any person or group, or praise a violent attack;
• post Content that promotes, supports or represents terrorist organisations, violent extremist groups, organised criminal groups or gangs;
• post instructions for making weapons or explosives, or for committing violent crimes; or
• post graphic violence or gore, including images of seriously injured or dead people, other than limited, non-sensational content in the public interest, such as a news report.

6. Harassment and bullying

You must not:

• target any person with repeated unwanted contact, insults, mockery or humiliation, or encourage others to do so;
• tell anyone to harm or kill themselves;
• make sexual comments or advances towards any person who has not welcomed them;
• share private messages or information to embarrass or intimidate someone; or
• engage in any conduct that may amount to cyber-harassment or cyber-bullying under the law of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

7. Defamation and false statements about people

You must not post statements of fact about an identifiable person or Business that you know, or ought reasonably to know, are false and that could damage their reputation, including false accusations of crime, dishonesty, disease or misconduct. Share only first-hand experiences and honest opinions, and make clear when something is your opinion. Online defamation can be a criminal offence in St Vincent and the Grenadines as well as a civil wrong, and you are personally responsible for what you post.

8. Sexual content and the protection of children

8.1 Gems is not a place for sexual content. You must not post nudity, sexually explicit material, sexual services, or sexually suggestive content.

8.2 We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation. Any Content or conduct that sexualises, grooms, exploits or endangers a child, including child sexual abuse material of any kind, real or generated, will be removed, the Account will be permanently banned, and the matter will be reported to the appropriate authorities. See our Child Safety Standards.

9. Illegal, regulated and dangerous activity

You must not use Gems to:

• buy, sell, promote or facilitate the trade in illegal drugs, firearms, ammunition, explosives, stolen goods, wildlife or protected marine life, or counterfeit goods;
• promote the sale of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis or gambling to anyone under the legal age, or in breach of the law;
• promote or facilitate fraud, scams, pyramid schemes, money laundering or theft;
• encourage dangerous activities that are likely to cause serious injury, including unsafe swimming, diving or hiking practices, entering restricted volcanic zones, or damaging coral reefs and protected areas;
• encourage trespass on private land or entry to closed or restricted areas; or
• commit, plan or encourage any other offence.

10. Self-harm and suicide

You must not post Content that promotes, encourages or provides instructions for suicide, self-harm or eating disorders. If you are struggling, please reach out to someone you trust or contact emergency services on 999 or 911.

11. Spam, scams and misleading content

You must not:

• post repetitive, irrelevant or unsolicited commercial Content, or links designed to mislead or to collect personal information;
• post advertising or sponsored Content without clearly disclosing it, except through Paid Features we provide;
• post misleading information about emergencies, weather, storms, volcanic activity, public health, road or ferry conditions that could cause harm; or
• post manipulated images or AI-generated media presented as real in a way that could mislead others about a place, event or person.

12. Intellectual property

You must only post Content that you created or have the right to share. Do not post other people's photographs, logos, music, text or other protected works without permission. See our Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy.

13. Respecting places and people

When visiting places found on Gems, respect landowners, communities, places of worship, cultural and heritage sites, marine parks and the environment. Leave no trace, follow posted rules and the instructions of officials, and never enter private property without permission.

14. Reporting

If you see Content or behaviour that breaks these Guidelines, please report it using the report option in the app, or write to hello@svggems.com. The person you report is not told who reported them. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or 911 first. A report to Gems is not a substitute for contacting the police.

15. Consequences

Breaching these Guidelines may lead to removal of Content, restriction of features, warnings, temporary suspension or permanent termination of an Account, and, where appropriate, referral to the authorities. Serious breaches, including threats of violence, child exploitation and doxxing, may lead to immediate permanent termination without warning. Attempts to evade an enforcement action, for example by opening a new Account, will lead to further action. Details are set out in the Moderation, Appeals and Transparency Policy.

16. Changes

We may update these Guidelines as Gems and the community grow. The current version is always published at svggems.com/guidelines.