Legal

Community Guidelines

This English version is the legally binding text. The other language versions are convenience translations; in case of conflict, the English version prevails. Status: v1.0 — last updated 2026-07-07.

BigBro is a social platform for gay, bi and queer men aged 18 and over. The focus is friendship, shared activities and member-organised events (e.g. regular meet-ups, watch-parties, game nights). Dating or relationships may emerge — that’s fine — but the core of the platform is respectful community. We want to create a space where people meet with respect and in safety. These guidelines set out what is and what is not acceptable. Violations lead to actions ranging from warnings to immediate account suspension. Severe violations (in particular CSAM) are reported without warning to the competent authorities and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC, USA).

1. Minimum age — zero tolerance for minors

  • BigBro is for users aged 18 and over only.
  • Minors are not allowed. Full stop.
  • Sexualised content of, by, or to minors (CSAM) is a criminal offence and is deleted and reported without warning.
  • Report suspicions anonymously via the in-app “Report” function or childsafety@bigbro.men. If you suspect a child is in immediate danger, call the police (110) or the German child/youth helpline 116 111 without delay.

2. What is not acceptable

The following content and behaviour is prohibited. Violations result in content removal, strikes, or immediate and permanent suspension:

2.1 Hate and discrimination

  • Hatred against people or groups based on origin, skin colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or similar characteristics
  • Racist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic, Islamophobic or similarly discriminatory statements
  • Public approval, denial or trivialisation of genocide and crimes against humanity (punishable under the Estonian Penal Code — Karistusseadustik — and comparable EU Member State provisions)

2.2 Violence and threats

  • Threats against persons or groups
  • Glorification of or instructions for violence
  • Encouragement of self-harm

2.3 Harassment

  • Repeated unwanted contact after block or clear rejection
  • Stalking, doxxing
  • Insults, personal attacks, bullying

2.4 Sexual abuse and non-consensual content

  • Non-consensual intimate images or videos (NCII / “revenge porn”)
  • Sexual content shared without the depicted person’s consent
  • Demanding sexual content under pressure or extortion

2.5 Identity theft and deception

  • Impersonating someone else (catfishing)
  • False identity or age
  • Doctored photos
  • AI-generated images of real people without their consent

2.6 Commercial use and advertising

  • Advertising your own or third-party products and services

  • Soliciting paid sexual services

  • Linking to paid offerings (OnlyFans, sugarbaby platforms, etc.)

  • Automated scraping, bots, mass-contacting

2.7 Drugs and illegal acts

  • Promoting or arranging illegal substances
  • References to specific drug use in the context of arranging meetings (the HIV / chemsex status field is solely for mutual awareness of risk, not for advertising)
  • Solicitation of crimes

2.8 Spam and manipulation

  • Mass-messaging with identical content
  • Automated profile visits or likes
  • Multiple accounts to evade bans

3. How we moderate

3.1 Four-tier model

  • White — clean. No action.
  • Help — e.g. suicide signals. You receive an automatic message with help resources. No punishment — we want to help.
  • Red — violates the Guidelines. The content is blocked, you get a strike. Three red strikes in 90 days lead to suspension.
  • Black — severely illegal (CSAM, terrorist content, specific violence threats). Immediate suspension, reporting to authorities and/or NCMEC.

3.2 Strikes system

  • 1 red strike: warning
  • 2 red strikes: temporary suspension (24–72 hours)
  • 3 red strikes (within 90 days): permanent suspension
  • 1 black strike: immediate permanent suspension + report

Strikes expire after 90 days.

3.3 Human review

A permanent account suspension is always human-reviewed (Art. 22 GDPR). You may appeal by emailing support@bigbro.men.

3.4 Transparency

We report annually under Art. 24 DSA on:

  • Number of reports received
  • Content removed
  • Accounts suspended
  • Average handling time

4. Conduct toward others

4.1 Respect

  • Treat others as you wish to be treated.
  • “No” means “no”. Accept rejection without arguing.

4.2 Consent

  • Consent is required for any sexual interaction — online and offline.
  • Do not send sexual content (text, images, video) unsolicited.
  • Ask before raising intimate topics.

4.3 Privacy

  • Do not share information about other users without their consent.
  • Screenshots of profiles or messages may be kept for your own safety but not publicly shared.
  • Share another person’s location only with their explicit authorisation (e.g. via Smart Address Share).

5. Offline safety

5.1 First meetings

  • Meet in public places.
  • Tell a third person where you are.
  • Keep an exit option and transport.

5.2 Substances

  • Do not use any substances. Beyond being illegal in many places, substance use is harmful to your health.
  • BigBro does not recommend the use of substances of any kind. But if you have decided to use, at least do so responsibly.
  • Don’t accept drinks from unknown sources.
  • Emergency: 112 (paramedics) — calling will not put you at criminal risk.
  • You do not have to quit alone. If you want to stop or cut down, reach out for the right support in your country — for example: ◦ USA — SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7) ◦ United Kingdom — FRANK: 0300 123 6600 (24/7), or text 82111 ◦ Germany — Sucht & Drogen Hotline: 01806 313031 (daily 8:00–24:00) ◦ Spain — Teléfono de Información sobre Drogas y Adicciones: 900 845 040 (free) ◦ Estonia — narko.ee support line: +372 641 4110 (daily 9:00–21:00), or tugiliin@narko.ee

5.3 STIs and HIV

BigBro believes that, in 2026, being HIV-positive is no different from living with a condition such as diabetes: both are chronic conditions managed with daily medical care. And since PrEP became part of our lives, the difference between being HIV-positive and HIV-negative — in terms of transmission risk — has effectively disappeared. In both cases, it can come down to taking one pill a day. What remains is not a medical difference, but stigma.

We believe this is the time to stop judging others by their chronic-illness or HIV status.

  • People on successful HIV therapy (U=U) cannot transmit.
  • Don’t discriminate based on sero-status.

5.4 PEP

  • After a risk exposure, PEP counselling within 72 hours — in Berlin e.g. Charité Auguste-Viktoria or Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria.

6. How to report

  • In-app: “Report” button on every profile and chat
  • Email: report@bigbro.men (content/violations) · childsafety@bigbro.men (child protection)
  • Acute emergencies — contact the police or ambulance: 112 (EU) or 911 (USA)
  • Suspected child sexual abuse: contact the police immediately — 112 (EU) or 911 (USA)

7. How we evolve

This document is living and updated based on report data, community feedback, legal changes (DSA, GDPR, Estonian and EU law) and research. Material changes are announced at least 30 days in advance.

8. Help and resources

8.1 Crisis and mental health

  • USA — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (free, 24/7)
  • United Kingdom — Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)
  • Germany — Telefonseelsorge: 0800 111 0 111 (free, 24/7)
  • Spain — Línea 024 de atención a la conducta suicida: 024 (free, 24/7)
  • Estonia — Emotional Support Helpline: 116 123

8.2 LGBTQ+ counselling

  • USA — LGBT National Hotline: 1-888-843-4564 (lgbthotline.org)
  • United Kingdom — Switchboard LGBTQIA+ support line: 0800 0119 100 (switchboard.lgbt)
  • Germany — LSVD: lsvd.de
  • Spain — FELGTBI+: felgtbi.org
  • Estonia — Eesti LGBT Ühing: lgbt.ee

8.3 HIV, STIs and sexual health

  • USA — HIV.gov: hiv.gov (find testing, PrEP and care)
  • United Kingdom — Terrence Higgins Trust: tht.org.uk (THT Direct: 0808 802 1221)
  • Germany — Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe: aidshilfe.de
  • Spain — CESIDA (Coordinadora estatal de VIH y sida): cesida.org
  • Estonia — EHPV (Estonian Network of People Living with HIV): ehpv.ee