Community Guidelines
Our pledge to create a safe, trustworthy, and professional environment for every member of the HCOM community. By using HCOM, you agree to these guidelines and our Terms of Use.
Be Safe
Our primary commitment is to create a community where all members feel safe, respected, and protected.
No Harassment or Bullying
Abusive, threatening, or intimidating behavior towards any member is strictly prohibited. We do not tolerate personal attacks, insults, or coordinated harassment.
No Hate Speech
Content that promotes violence, incites hatred, promotes discrimination, or disparages on the basis of race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, caste, or any other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization is not allowed.
No Glorification of Self-Injury
Do not post content that encourages or glorifies self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders. We are a supportive community, and we will remove content that promotes these behaviors. We may provide resources for help if we encounter such content.
No Sexual Content Involving Minors or Threats
We have zero tolerance for sharing sexual content involving minors or threatening to post intimate images of others. Such content will be removed, and accounts will be disabled and reported to law enforcement.
Be Trustworthy
Trust is the foundation of our community. We expect all members to be authentic and to engage in good faith.
Authentic Identity
Represent yourself truthfully. Do not impersonate individuals or organizations, or misrepresent your qualifications, credentials, or affiliations. Verified healthcare professionals must maintain their status with accurate information.
No Medical Misinformation
Do not share content that has been proven false by medical experts and could pose a risk to public health. While sharing personal experiences is encouraged, presenting them as proven medical fact is prohibited. Distinguish between general advice and a medical diagnosis.
No Spam or Financial Scams
Help us stay spam-free by not artificially collecting likes, followers, or shares, posting repetitive comments or content, or repeatedly contacting people for commercial purposes without their consent. Do not offer money or giveaways in exchange for engagement.
Be Professional & Respectful
We are a community for meaningful connection. All interactions should be guided by professionalism, empathy, and respect for others.
Respect Privacy
You may not share or post another person’s private information without their express permission. This includes, but is not limited to, private health information, contact details, and personal images.
Respect Intellectual Property
Share only photos and videos that you’ve taken or have the right to share. Respect copyrights, trademarks, and other legal rights. Give credit where it's due. Don't post anything you've copied or collected from the Internet that you don’t have the right to post.
Follow the Law
HCOM is not a place to support or praise terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups. Offering sexual services, buying or selling firearms, alcohol, tobacco products, and non-medical or pharmaceutical drugs are also not allowed.
Nudity Policy
For a variety of reasons, we do not allow most forms of nudity. However, we make exceptions for photos in the context of health-related situations (e.g., post-mastectomy, breast cancer awareness, or gender confirmation surgery), breastfeeding, or acts of protest. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is also permitted.
Newsworthy and Graphic Content
Guidance on sharing important, but sensitive, events.
Be Thoughtful When Posting
We understand that many people use HCOM to share important and newsworthy events, some of which can involve graphic images. Because so many different people and age groups use our platform, we may remove videos of intense, graphic violence to make sure HCOM stays appropriate for everyone. If you share content for these reasons, we encourage you to add a warning to your caption.
Enforcing Our Guidelines
Help us keep the community strong. If you see content that violates our guidelines, please use the reporting tools available on posts and profiles. Our global team reviews these reports and works as quickly as possible to remove content that doesn’t meet our guidelines. Violations may result in content removal, warnings, or account suspension.