Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Mixed Race Community platform at mixedracecommunity.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, our Privacy Policy, and our Community Guidelines. If you do not agree, you may not use our services.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use MRC. By creating an account, you represent that you meet this age requirement. Users under 18 must have parental or guardian consent.

3. Account Registration

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities under your account. You agree to provide accurate information during registration. MRC reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

4. User Conduct

You agree not to post content that is hateful, harassing, threatening, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Violations of our Community Guidelines may result in warnings, content removal, or account termination. After two warnings, a third violation will result in permanent account suspension.

5. Content Ownership

You retain ownership of content you post on MRC. By posting, you grant MRC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content in connection with operating the platform.

6. Prohibited Activities

You may not use MRC for spam, phishing, impersonation, data mining, or any activity that disrupts the platform. Automated access and bots are prohibited without prior authorization. Circumventing content moderation is strictly forbidden.

7. Moderation and Enforcement

MRC employs content moderation to maintain community standards. Posts violating our terms may be flagged or blocked. Users who repeatedly post prohibited content receive warnings, and after two warnings, their account will be permanently banned. Users may report content they believe violates our guidelines.

8. Termination

MRC reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time for violations. You may delete your account at any time. Upon termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

MRC is provided as-is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee the platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

10. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. We will notify you through the platform. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance. Users will be required to review and accept significant changes.

11. Content Moderation Transparency (DSA)

In compliance with the European Union Digital Services Act (DSA) and our commitment to transparent platform governance, we provide the following information about our moderation practices.

Moderation Process

Content moderation on MRC combines automated filters and human review. Automated systems screen for known prohibited content patterns, hate speech signals, and spam. Flagged content is escalated to human moderators for review before any enforcement action (except in cases of clearly illegal material, which may be removed immediately and reported to relevant authorities).

Appeals Mechanism

If your content is removed or your account is restricted, you have the right to appeal the decision within 30 days of the action. To submit an appeal, email community@mixedracecommunity.com with the subject line “Moderation Appeal” and include your username, the content or action in question, and the reason you believe the decision was incorrect. We will review all appeals and respond within 14 days.

Transparency Reporting

MRC commits to publishing an annual transparency report detailing the volume of moderation actions taken, categories of content removed, number of appeals received and outcomes, and any law enforcement requests received. The first report will be published within 12 months of platform launch.

Reporting Illegal Content

If you encounter content you believe is illegal (including child sexual abuse material, terrorist content, or incitement to violence), use the in-platform report function or contact security@mixedracecommunity.com immediately. We will assess and act on such reports within 24 hours and report to appropriate authorities where required by law.

12. Consent & Privacy

Your use of MRC is subject to our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. By creating an account, you acknowledge and consent to the data processing practices described therein.

Heritage Data as Special Category Data

Heritage selections you provide (racial and ethnic origin data) are classified as special category data under GDPR Article 9 and equivalent legislation. We process this data only with your explicit consent, solely for the purpose of generating your heritage blend visualisation and facilitating community matching. You are never required to provide heritage data to use the platform.

Withdrawing Consent

You may withdraw any consent you have given at any time without detriment. To manage your consent preferences, navigate to Account Settings → Privacy & Consent. Withdrawing consent for heritage data processing will disable blend and matching features and result in permanent deletion of your heritage selections within 72 hours. Withdrawing consent for analytics or marketing will take effect within 24 hours.

13. Age-Specific Terms

Under 13: Prohibited

MRC is strictly prohibited for individuals under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we become aware that a user is under 13, we will immediately suspend the account and delete all associated data. If you believe a child under 13 has registered, contact privacy@mixedracecommunity.com.

Ages 13–17: Parental Consent Required

Users between 13 and 17 years of age must obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent prior to registration. By completing registration, a minor user confirms that their parent or guardian has consented to their use of MRC. The following features are restricted for minor accounts: direct messaging (disabled), precise location sharing (disabled), and public profile discoverability (set to restricted by default).

Parental Responsibilities

Parents and legal guardians are responsible for supervising their minor child's use of MRC. Parents may request to view, restrict, or delete their child's account and associated data at any time by contacting privacy@mixedracecommunity.com with proof of parental relationship. We will act on verified parental requests within 5 business days.

14. Payment Terms

MRC operates an optional shop (launching in a future update) for branded merchandise and community products. The following terms apply when the shop is active.

Payment Processing

All purchases are processed by Shopify, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. MRC does not collect, store, process, or transmit payment card data at any point. By completing a purchase, you agree to Shopify's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy in addition to these Terms.

Order Fulfilment

Physical products are fulfilled by Printify, a print-on-demand service. Your shipping address will be shared with Printify solely for the purpose of order fulfilment. Estimated delivery times, shipping costs, and fulfilment timelines are governed by Printify's policies.

Refunds and Returns

Refund and return requests are handled in accordance with Shopify's and Printify's applicable policies. To initiate a refund or report a fulfilment issue, contact us at community@mixedracecommunity.com within 30 days of your order date.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at admin@mixedracecommunity.com.

For moderation appeals: community@mixedracecommunity.com
For privacy and data rights: privacy@mixedracecommunity.com
For security matters: security@mixedracecommunity.com