Strikes, tiers, and appeals
Chatter uses a tiered enforcement system. This article explains what a strike is, what each tier does, how to see your own record, and how to appeal. The full rules are in the Community Guidelines.
What a strike is
When a rule is broken, the violation is recorded on your account as a strike. Every strike has a tier from 1 to 5, and you are told about it in the app, by push notification, and by email. The notice says what the strike is for, the rule it was taken under, how long any restriction lasts, and how to appeal.
- A strike stops counting toward escalation ninety days after it is issued.
- A strike that is reversed on appeal is removed from your record and counts toward nothing.
- One incident is one strike, no matter how many people reported it.
The five tiers
| Tier | What it is | What it means for you | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Warning | A record of the violation and a notice explaining it. Nothing else changes. | Expires after 90 days |
| Tier 2 | Restriction | You can listen in rooms and take part in chat and groups, but you cannot take the stage to speak or host a room. | Days, set at the time of the strike |
| Tier 3 | Payout hold | Payouts from your account are paused; your balance is kept. Rockets and subscriptions still arrive, and you can still use Chatter. | Days to weeks, set at the time of the strike |
| Tier 4 | Suspension | You cannot use Chatter at all until the suspension ends. It ends automatically. | Days to weeks, set at the time of the strike |
| Tier 5 | Permanent ban | Your account is closed. The ban also applies to your device. | Permanent |
Restrictions, payout holds, and suspensions end automatically when their time is up. You do not need to ask.
How the tier is decided
The tier of a new strike is whichever is higher: the starting tier for that kind of violation, or one tier above your current standing. Your standing is the number of live strikes on your record that a moderator has confirmed. Heated conduct starts at Tier 1. A slur in a name, title, or description, and targeted harassment, start at Tier 3. Doxxing, sexual content involving minors, non-consensual intimate content, and credible threats start at Tier 5.
Some enforcement is automatic because it is low-stakes and easy to undo: masking a word, blocking a slur from a title, or a Tier 1 or short Tier 2 action after repeated masked profanity. Automated actions never go above Tier 2 and never count toward your standing. Everything at Tier 3 or above is decided by a person.
See your record
Open Settings, then Privacy, then Enforcement record. Every strike is listed with its tier, the rule, the reason, when it was issued, whether any restriction is still in effect, and whether it has expired or been reversed. If you are suspended or banned, the same record is shown on the screen you see when you open the app.
Appeal a decision
You can appeal any action, including a permanent ban.
1. From the app: open your Enforcement record and tap Appeal on the strike. If you are locked out, the Appeal button is on the screen you see when you open the app.
2. From the email: every enforcement notice includes an Appeal link. It works without signing in.
3. By email: write to support@chattersocial.io with your username and the strike you are appealing.
Tell us why the decision was wrong. A different member of the moderation team than the one who made the decision reviews it. We aim to decide every appeal within 72 hours and email you the outcome.
- If the action was applied automatically (Tier 1 or 2), it is lifted while your appeal is reviewed. If the reviewer finds it was correct, it is reinstated and the clock resumes where it stopped.
- If the action was decided by a person (Tier 3, 4, or 5), it stays in place during the review.
- If the appeal succeeds, the action is reversed or reduced and the strike is removed or lowered on your record.
- A decision on an appeal is final for that action. A later action can be appealed on its own.
- An appeal does not pause a Zero Tolerance ban while it is reviewed.