Community Guidelines

Effective: July 30, 2026

About These Guidelines

Hovercast is built for organizations that run events that matter: political campaigns making their case to voters, nonprofits rallying supporters, advocacy groups driving change. The events hosted on Hovercast are often live, often high-stakes, and often public.

These Community Guidelines describe what is and is not acceptable on the Hovercast platform. They apply to everyone who uses Hovercast: Organizations and Operators who host events, Speakers who appear onscreen, and Viewers who attend. They are incorporated by reference into both the Hovercast Platform Terms of Service and the Viewer Terms of Service.

We designed these guidelines to be as permissive as possible for legitimate political speech, charitable fundraising, and issue advocacy, while drawing clear lines around content and conduct that causes real harm. If something is not expressly prohibited here, that does not necessarily mean it is permitted; Hovercast reserves the right to remove content or restrict access that we believe is harmful even if not specifically addressed.

Questions about whether specific content is permitted? Email us at [email protected] before your event.

1. Who These Guidelines Apply To

These Community Guidelines apply to:

Organizations and Operators: the entities and individuals who create, manage, and run events on Hovercast, including all Admins, Managers, Members, and Operators acting under their accounts.

Speakers: invited or promoted participants who enter the Speaker room and may appear onscreen.

Viewers: audience members attending events via the public event page.

Organizations are responsible for ensuring that all users operating under their account, including Operators, Speakers, and Viewers participating in their events, comply with these guidelines. If a Viewer or Speaker violates these guidelines during your event, you as the Operator or Organization may be held responsible.

2. Content Standards

The following categories of content are prohibited on the Hovercast platform. These rules apply to all Event Content: what is streamed on camera, shared onscreen, posted in chat, submitted via Q&A, or otherwise transmitted through the platform.

2.1 Absolute Prohibitions.

The following content is never permitted under any circumstances:

2.2 Hate Speech.

Content that dehumanizes people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or similar protected characteristics is prohibited. This includes:

Prohibited: content that portrays a group as subhuman, calls for discrimination against a group, uses slurs to attack people, or promotes ideologies built on the supremacy of one group over another.

Permitted: discussing hate speech in an educational or advocacy context, criticizing ideologies or belief systems (as distinct from attacking people who hold them), political debate on contested policy questions including immigration, affirmative action, religious freedom, and similar topics, even where those discussions involve protected characteristics.

2.3 Harassment and Threats.

Hovercast prohibits content designed to harass, threaten, intimidate, or stalk a specific individual or group. This includes:

Prohibited: targeted harassment campaigns, doxxing (publishing private contact information to encourage harassment), credible threats of violence or harm against specific people, and content designed to make a person fear for their safety.

Permitted: criticism of public figures, elected officials, and candidates based on their public conduct and positions; satire and parody; political attack content that criticizes ideas, records, and positions rather than threatening the person.

2.4 Graphic and Sexual Content.

Explicit sexual content and gratuitous graphic violence are prohibited. This includes sexually explicit material and content depicting graphic bodily harm in a way that serves no legitimate journalistic, educational, or advocacy purpose. Content that depicts political or civil unrest, historical violence, or current events in a journalistic context is generally permitted.

2.5 Privacy Violations.

Content that unlawfully exposes private information about an individual is prohibited. This includes sharing a person's private address, phone number, financial information, medical information, or other sensitive personal data without their consent. Recording or broadcasting a person without their knowledge in contexts where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy is also prohibited.

2.6 Spam and Platform Manipulation.

Hovercast prohibits: operating multiple accounts to manipulate the platform, automated or bot-driven participation in events, artificially inflating viewership or engagement metrics, and using the platform to send unsolicited commercial communications.

2.7 Deceptive Content.

Content that is deliberately and materially misleading in ways that could cause harm is prohibited. This includes: impersonating Hovercast, another Organization, or a public figure in a way that is deceptive rather than satirical; false claims about events (such as false information about when, where, or how to vote); and fraudulent fundraising representations.

3. Political Events

Political speech is core to the Hovercast platform. Campaigns, committees, PACs, and advocacy organizations may use Hovercast to host rallies, town halls, fundraisers, debate watch parties, and any other lawful political event. Hovercast does not take positions on candidates, parties, or political issues, and does not moderate political content based on viewpoint.

3.1 What Is Permitted.

3.2 Compliance Is Your Responsibility.

Organizations hosting political events are solely responsible for compliance with all applicable campaign finance laws, FEC regulations, disclosure and disclaimer requirements, and state election laws. This includes ensuring that required disclaimers appear in broadcast content, that coordinated communications are properly disclosed, and that fundraising activity complies with applicable contribution limits and reporting requirements. Hovercast does not review political event content for legal compliance and is not responsible for an Organization's failure to comply with campaign finance law.

4. Charitable and Nonprofit Events

Nonprofit organizations and charitable entities may use Hovercast to host advocacy events, donor cultivation events, fundraisers, and other mission-driven programming. Hovercast links out to third-party donation platforms and does not itself process donations.

4.1 Fundraising Representations.

Organizations hosting charitable fundraising events through Hovercast must ensure that all representations made during those events about the organization, its programs, its financials, and the use of donated funds are accurate and not misleading. Deceptive fundraising is prohibited, including:

Prohibited: misrepresenting an organization's tax-exempt status or eligibility to receive tax-deductible contributions; making false statements about how funds will be used; impersonating a charitable organization; and soliciting funds for a purpose different from what is disclosed to donors.

Permitted: emotional and persuasive appeals for support; sharing program outcomes and impact; peer-to-peer and matching gift campaigns; advocacy events that include fundraising as one component.

4.2 State Registration.

Organizations are responsible for their own charitable solicitation registration requirements in states where those laws apply. Hovercast is not a co-solicitor and does not share responsibility for an Organization's registration compliance.

5. Operator Responsibilities

Operators are responsible for the events they run on Hovercast. This means:

5.1 Pre-Event.

Know your speakers. You are responsible for the conduct of Speakers you invite to your event. Brief Speakers on these Community Guidelines before the event. You cannot disclaim responsibility for a Speaker's content by saying you did not know what they planned to say.

Recording notice. If you intend to record your event, you must notify Speakers and Viewers prior to or at the start of the event. Do not record participants without notice.

Audience expectations. If your event may include content that is not suitable for all audiences, including graphic or sensitive political content, provide appropriate notice in your event description or at the start of the event.

5.2 During the Event.

Moderation. You are responsible for moderating your event in real time, including managing chat, removing disruptive Viewers, and ensuring that Speakers comply with these guidelines. Hovercast provides moderation tools — including a word and phrase filter, message rate limiting, and a require-approval mode that holds all incoming chat messages for Operator review before they display to the audience — to help you manage conduct. You may also ban individual Viewers from your event. Hovercast is not responsible for moderation decisions made by Operators.

Using moderation tools fairly. When using chat moderation tools, apply them fairly and consistently. Do not use word filters, rate limiting, or message approval to suppress legitimate viewpoints or to prevent substantive criticism of your organization or campaign. These tools are intended to manage abusive language, spam, and disruptive behavior, not to shape debate.

Polls. Operators may run real-time polls during events. Poll questions must be accurate and not designed to mislead, manipulate, or gather information from Viewers under false pretenses.

Featured messages. Operators may highlight specific audience chat messages to display them prominently onscreen. Feature messages only in a way that accurately represents the Viewer's intent. Do not take messages out of context or display them in a way that is deceptive or misleading.

Raise Hand and Backstage. Operators may optionally enable a Raise Hand feature allowing audience members to signal interest in speaking. If you accept a raise-hand request, the Viewer enters the Backstage — a private staging space accessible only to the Operator and current Speakers, not the public audience. Use the Backstage to conduct a tech check and let the participant know what to expect before going live. Before moving anyone from the Backstage to the live broadcast, confirm that they understand they will be visible and audible to the full event audience. Do not move participants to the broadcast without their clear awareness and consent.

Content Tabs. Operators may add embedded web content to event pages using Content Tabs. Content Tabs use browser iframe technology and only function with websites that explicitly permit iframe embedding; most websites do not. Embed only content you are authorized to display. Do not use Content Tabs to embed content that violates these guidelines or that would be prohibited if displayed directly on the event page.

Third-party content. If you display third-party content during your event (video clips, images, music), you are responsible for having the necessary rights or licenses to use that content. Unauthorized use of copyrighted material is prohibited.

Accessibility. We encourage Operators to make their events accessible to participants with disabilities where reasonably practicable, including through captioning and accessible event design.

5.3 Account Security.

You are responsible for the security of your Hovercast account and for all activity that takes place under it. Do not share account credentials. If you suspect unauthorized access to your account, notify Hovercast at [email protected] immediately.

6. Viewer and Speaker Conduct

Viewers and Speakers attending Hovercast events must:

Use the platform lawfully. Do not use event chat, Q&A, or other interactive features to post content that violates these guidelines, applicable law, or the rights of others.

Respect the event. Do not disrupt events through spam, coordinated chat flooding, repeated off-topic interruptions, or other behavior designed to interfere with the event rather than participate in it.

Represent yourself honestly. Do not use display names that impersonate real people, organizations, or public figures in a deceptive way.

Follow Operator rules. Operators may set additional rules for their events. If an Operator restricts chat topics, requires a specific format for Q&A, or asks participants to follow event-specific norms, comply with those instructions.

If you appear onscreen. If you use the raise-hand feature and an Operator invites you into the Speaker room, you will become visible and audible to the full event audience. By accepting the invitation, you consent to being broadcast. You remain subject to these Community Guidelines; the Operator may remove you from the Speaker room at any time if your conduct violates these guidelines or the Operator's event rules.

7. Copyright and Intellectual Property

Do not stream, display, or share content that you do not have the right to use. This includes:

Music: Do not play copyrighted music during your event unless you hold the necessary public performance licenses from the applicable performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, or others). This includes background music, music performed during the event, and music in pre-recorded clips or videos you display. Streaming platforms including YouTube may automatically detect, mute, or issue copyright claims against unlicensed music; Hovercast is not responsible for such actions. If you are unsure whether you have the appropriate licenses, consult an attorney before your event.

Video clips: Do not play third-party video clips during your event without appropriate authorization. Fair use may apply in some educational or commentary contexts, but is not a blanket license to play copyrighted material.

Trademarks: Do not display third-party logos, brand marks, or trademarks in a way that implies endorsement or affiliation that does not exist.

Hovercast will respond to valid copyright takedown notices submitted in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). To submit a copyright claim, contact [email protected] with the information required under 17 U.S.C. Section 512(c)(3).

8. Enforcement

8.1 What Hovercast May Do.

If Hovercast determines, in its reasonable judgment, that content or conduct violates these guidelines or the applicable Terms of Service, Hovercast may take one or more of the following actions, without prior notice and without liability:

Remove content: delete or disable specific Event Content, chat messages, or other material.

Suspend the event: interrupt or terminate a live event.

Suspend or terminate the account: restrict or permanently disable an Organization's account.

Remove a Viewer or Speaker: restrict a specific user's access to one or all Hovercast events.

Report to authorities: report illegal content to law enforcement or the appropriate regulatory authority, including NCMEC for CSAM.

8.2 Context and Intent.

Hovercast will consider context and stated purpose when evaluating potentially violating content. We recognize that the same content may be permissible in one context (a news organization covering extremist rhetoric) and prohibited in another (an account that promotes that rhetoric). We will use reasonable judgment but cannot guarantee that all enforcement decisions will be correct.

8.3 Appeals.

If you believe Hovercast has taken an enforcement action against your account or content in error, you may request a review by emailing [email protected] with "Enforcement Appeal" in the subject line. Describe the content or conduct at issue, why you believe the action was taken in error, and any relevant context. Hovercast will review the appeal and respond within a reasonable time. Appeals do not guarantee reversal of enforcement actions.

9. Reporting Violations

If you observe content or conduct on Hovercast that you believe violates these Community Guidelines, you may report it to us at [email protected]. Please describe the event, the content or conduct at issue, and why you believe it violates these guidelines. Include a link to the event or recording if available.

Hovercast is not obligated to take action on every report and cannot guarantee a specific response time. Reporting a violation does not create any contractual obligation on Hovercast's part.

Do not submit false or bad-faith reports. Deliberately submitting false reports to harm a competitor or suppress legitimate speech may itself violate these guidelines and your Terms of Service.

10. Updates to These Guidelines

Hovercast may update these Community Guidelines from time to time. We will indicate the updated effective date at the top of this document. Material changes will be communicated via email to Organizations' registered accounts or through the platform. Continued use of the platform after updated guidelines take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated guidelines.

If you have questions about these guidelines or are unsure whether planned event content is permitted, contact us at [email protected] before your event.

See also: Platform Terms of Service · Viewer Terms of Service · Privacy Policy