Backrow Community Guidelines

Last updated: September 6, 2026

Backrow is a place for students to share honest information, ask questions, and help one another navigate university life. You may use a pseudonym, but pseudonymity is not permission to harm others.

Backrow has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. Content or behavior that violates these Guidelines will be removed, and accounts responsible for it may be restricted or permanently banned. Every user can report objectionable content or block an abusive user directly within the app.

These Guidelines apply to usernames, profiles, posts, comments, messages, attachments, course communities, and all other activity on Backrow.

1. Treat people with respect

Do not harass, bully, threaten, intimidate, shame, or repeatedly target another person.

This includes:

Slurs, hateful content, or attacks based on protected characteristics

Encouraging others to harass or exclude someone

Unwanted sexual comments or advances

Celebrating, encouraging, or wishing serious harm on another person

Creating accounts or posts to evade a block or continue unwanted contact

Disagreement, criticism, and negative experiences may be discussed, but they must not become personal abuse or targeted harassment.

2. Protect privacy

Do not share another person’s private or identifying information without permission.

Prohibited information includes:

Personal phone numbers, home addresses, or private email addresses

Private messages or images shared with a reasonable expectation of privacy

Someone’s precise location or class schedule when sharing it could create a safety risk

Information intended to expose the identity behind a pseudonymous account

Content that enables stalking, intimidation, or unwanted contact

You may discuss public figures and publicly available professional information when it is relevant and not used to facilitate harassment.

3. No threats, violence, or dangerous activity

Do not post credible threats, promote violence, organize dangerous activity, or encourage self-harm.

If we believe someone faces an immediate risk of serious harm, we may contact emergency services or other appropriate authorities and provide information as permitted by law.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. In the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

4. Keep sexual and exploitative content off Backrow

Do not post:

Sexual content involving anyone under 18

Nonconsensual intimate images or recordings

Sexual exploitation, grooming, or sextortion

Explicit pornography or graphic sexual content

Content offering or requesting sexual services

Sexual content used to harass, threaten, or humiliate someone

BackRow prohibits child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, trafficking, and sextortion. Report suspected violations using in-app reporting or email backrowca@gmail.com with the subject “Child safety.” Do not download, forward, or attach suspected CSAM. We remove prohibited content when identified, take action against responsible accounts, and report to the appropriate authorities as required by law. Our child-safety standards are available at /legal/child-safety.

5. Protect academic integrity

Backrow can be used to discuss courses, instructors, assignments, study strategies, and student experiences. It cannot be used to facilitate cheating.

Do not:

Share or request answers to an active exam, quiz, or graded assignment

Distribute stolen, restricted, or unauthorized exam materials

Offer to complete academic work for another person

Arrange payment for essays, tests, attendance, or other academic work

Impersonate another student in a course or assessment

Help someone bypass proctoring, attendance, or academic-security systems

General explanations, study guides, tutoring, and discussion of previously released materials are allowed when the student or instructor is authorized to share them.

Backrow is independent from universities. Content on Backrow should not be treated as an official statement from a university, instructor, or course.

6. Be honest about who and what you represent

Pseudonyms are allowed. Impersonation and deception are not.

Do not:

Pretend to be another person, instructor, university official, or organization

Falsely claim credentials, authority, or university affiliation

Coordinate fake engagement, votes, reviews, or reports

Use misleading links, manipulated evidence, or fabricated claims to deceive others

Operate multiple accounts to evade enforcement or manipulate conversations

Backrow moderators may be able to associate activity with account information even when other users cannot.

7. Do not post illegal or seriously harmful content

Do not use Backrow to facilitate illegal activity or create a serious risk of harm.

This includes:

Selling or distributing illegal drugs, weapons, stolen property, or fraudulent documents

Scams, phishing, malware, or attempts to steal accounts or money

Instructions intended to enable violence, theft, fraud, or unauthorized system access

Human trafficking, exploitation, or coercion

Organizing hazing or other dangerous conduct

Discussion of controversial, illegal, or harmful activity may be allowed when it is educational, preventative, newsworthy, or focused on seeking help and does not meaningfully facilitate harm.

8. Keep marketplace activity safe

Where Backrow permits tickets, tutoring, housing, or other transactions:

Describe what you are offering accurately

Disclose relevant prices, fees, limitations, and conflicts of interest

Do not sell counterfeit, stolen, prohibited, or nonexistent items

Do not manipulate payment confirmations or misrepresent ownership

Do not pressure users to provide unnecessary personal or financial information

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Backrow is not a party to transactions between users and does not guarantee either party’s identity, safety, or performance.

9. No spam or manipulation

Do not:

Post repetitive, irrelevant, or mass-generated content

Send unsolicited promotional messages

Artificially manipulate votes, reputation, reports, or engagement

Use bots or automation without Backrow’s written permission

Create deceptive referral schemes or misleading promotions

Post advertisements outside the features or spaces designated for advertising

Businesses, recruiters, and other commercial users must clearly identify promotional content and follow Backrow’s advertising requirements.

10. Respect intellectual property

Only share content you own or are authorized to use.

Do not upload copyrighted course materials, textbooks, answer banks, images, recordings, or other protected content without permission or a valid legal basis. Brief excerpts used for commentary, criticism, or discussion may be permitted where allowed by law.

11. Use reporting tools responsibly

Report content or users when you reasonably believe these Guidelines have been violated. Do not submit false, coordinated, or retaliatory reports.

You can also block users whose content or contact you do not want to receive. Blocking does not replace reporting when someone may present a danger to others.

For urgent safety concerns or issues that cannot be reported in the app, contact backrowca@gmail.com.

Moderation and enforcement

Backrow may review content, account information, and relevant activity when necessary to investigate reports, protect users, enforce its policies, or comply with law.

Depending on the circumstances, we may:

Reduce the visibility of content

Add a warning or remove content

Restrict messaging, posting, voting, or other features

Remove a user from a course community

Temporarily suspend or permanently terminate an account

Prevent the creation of replacement accounts

Preserve or disclose information when required or permitted by law

Refer apparent criminal or safety matters to appropriate authorities

We consider factors such as severity, context, intent, previous violations, risk of harm, and whether the user attempted to evade enforcement. Severe conduct may result in immediate permanent removal without a prior warning.

Backrow may remove content that creates a meaningful safety, legal, or operational risk even when it is not specifically listed in these Guidelines.

Appeals

If you believe Backrow made an enforcement mistake, you may appeal by emailing backrowca@gmail.com. Include the relevant account, content, or enforcement notice and briefly explain why you believe the decision should be reconsidered.

Submitting an appeal does not guarantee reversal. Abusive or repetitive appeals may be disregarded.

Changes to these Guidelines

Backrow may update these Guidelines as the community, product, and applicable laws change. Material updates will be communicated as required. Continued use of Backrow after an update means the revised Guidelines apply to future activity.

These Guidelines supplement Backrow’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If these Guidelines conflict with the Terms of Service, the Terms of Service control.