Transparency
The rules we check.
73 rules: 56 shared across platforms plus platform-specific packs. Each one links to the official policy it is based on. Last review: 2026-10-31.
- TikTok
- X
- YouTubesoon
- Pinterestsoon
- LinkedInsoon
- Redditsoon
Shared core rules
Run for every platform. A platform pack can adjust severity and consequence text, or switch a rule off.
| Rule | Category | Section | Severity | Source | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct threat of violence against a person or group. core.violence.threat | Violence | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Graphic or gory content references that trigger sensitive-content handling. core.violence.graphic | Violence | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Dehumanizing generalisation about a protected group. core.hate.dehumanizing | Hateful conduct | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Telling someone to harm themselves. core.harassment.self-harm-directed | Harassment | Policy risk | High risk | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
Sharing a private person's address, phone number, or similar. core.harassment.doxxing | Harassment | Policy risk | High risk | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
Targeted insults at a named person. core.harassment.insult | Harassment | Distribution risk | Take a look | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Explicit sexual content or solicitation. core.sexual.explicit | Adult content | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Suggestive or adult-adjacent references that limit recommendations. core.sexual.suggestive | Adult content | Distribution risk | Take a look | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
Content that promotes or instructs self-harm or disordered eating. core.selfharm.promotion | Self-harm | Policy risk | High risk | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Mentions of suicide or self-harm that trigger sensitive handling. core.selfharm.mention | Self-harm | Distribution risk | Take a look | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Known dangerous challenges. core.dangerous.challenge | Dangerous behaviour | Policy risk | High risk | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Stunts and risky activities that are allowed but not recommended. core.dangerous.stunt | Dangerous behaviour | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Offering to sell or source regulated goods. core.regulated.sale | Regulated goods | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Mentions of alcohol, cannabis, vaping, or firearms that affect eligibility. core.regulated.mention | Regulated goods | Distribution risk | Take a look | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
Patterns associated with financial scams. core.scam.money | Scam signals | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Classic clickbait and 'secret they don't want you to know' framing. core.deceptive.clickbait | Deceptive framing | Distribution risk | Take a look | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
Follow-for-follow and like-for-like requests. core.spam.follow-trains | Spam signals | Distribution risk | Take a look | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Too many hashtags. core.spam.hashtag-flood | Spam signals | Distribution risk | Take a look | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Mostly upper-case post. core.spam.all-caps | Spam signals | Distribution risk | Good to know | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
Engagement bait: asking for likes, shares, tags, or comments as a condition. core.manipulation.engagement-bait | Engagement bait | Distribution risk | Take a look | about.fb.com | 2026-10-24 |
Advice to stop treatment or claims to cure serious disease. core.health.dangerous-advice | Health claim | Policy risk | High risk | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Guaranteed or sweeping health outcomes. core.health.outcome-claim | Health claim | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Weight-loss promises, fat-burning language, and timed results. core.weightloss.claim | Weight-loss claim | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Income or investment promises. core.financial.promise | Financial claim | Distribution risk | Take a look | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Unverified claims about election outcomes or voting. core.political.election-integrity | Political content | Verification | Take a look | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Political and social topics that are allowed but recommendation-limited. core.political.sensitive-topic | Political content | Distribution risk | Good to know | about.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
'No copyright intended' style disclaimers that signal unlicensed content. core.copyright.disclaimer | Copyright | Policy risk | Take a look | support.google.com | 2026-10-24 |
Commercial signals (discount code, affiliate link) without a disclosure. core.disclosure.commercial | Commercial disclosure | Disclosure | Take a look | ftc.gov | 2026-10-24 |
Brand partnership or gifted product without a paid-partnership disclosure. core.disclosure.sponsored | Brand partnership | Disclosure | Take a look | ftc.gov | 2026-10-24 |
Synthetic media of real people presented as real. core.ai.deepfake | AI disclosure | Policy risk | High risk | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
AI-generated media that needs the platform's AI label. core.ai.label | AI disclosure | Disclosure | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Statistics or study claims with no source. core.verification.statistic | Claim to verify | Verification | Take a look | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
Breaking-news or 'confirmed' framing. core.verification.breaking | Claim to verify | Verification | Take a look | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-24 |
'Wait for it' and 'you won't believe' withholding hooks. core.distribution.withholding | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
Giveaways and contests that need rules and disclosures. core.distribution.giveaway | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Take a look | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Sensitive news events that limit recommendations and ads. core.distribution.tragedy | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
Shortened links are treated as lower trust. core.format.short-link | Format | Distribution risk | Good to know | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
Media uploaded with little or no caption. core.format.media-without-context | Format | Distribution risk | Good to know | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Nudity or sexual activity visible in a sampled frame. visual.nudity | Adult content | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-31 |
Suggestive or adult-adjacent imagery in a sampled frame. visual.suggestive | Adult content | Distribution risk | Take a look | facebook.com | 2026-10-31 |
Graphic violence or gore in a sampled frame. visual.graphic-violence | Violence | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-31 |
Fighting or violent action in a sampled frame. visual.violence | Violence | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Blood or injury visible in a sampled frame. visual.blood-injury | Violence | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Firearms or weapons visible in a sampled frame. visual.weapons | Regulated goods | Distribution risk | Take a look | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-31 |
Alcohol visible in a sampled frame. visual.alcohol | Regulated goods | Distribution risk | Take a look | facebook.com | 2026-10-31 |
Smoking or vaping visible in a sampled frame. visual.tobacco | Regulated goods | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Drugs or drug paraphernalia visible in a sampled frame. visual.drugs | Regulated goods | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-31 |
Gambling or betting visible in a sampled frame. visual.gambling | Regulated goods | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Risky stunt or dangerous activity in a sampled frame. visual.dangerous-stunt | Dangerous behaviour | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Children visible in a sampled frame. visual.minors | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Supplement, medication, or medical product on screen. visual.medical-product | Health claim | Verification | Good to know | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
Cash, prizes, or giveaway props on screen. visual.cash-prizes | Scam signals | Distribution risk | Good to know | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-31 |
Hate symbol visible in a sampled frame. visual.hate-symbol | Hateful conduct | Policy risk | High risk | transparency.meta.com | 2026-10-31 |
Self-harm indicators visible in a sampled frame. visual.self-harm | Self-harm | Distribution risk | Take a look | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-31 |
TV, film, game, or another creator's content filling the frame. visual.copyrighted-screen | Copyright | Distribution risk | Take a look | support.google.com | 2026-10-31 |
Frames that look AI-generated and need the platform's AI label. visual.ai-look | AI disclosure | Disclosure | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-31 |
TikTok
Policy hub5 platform rules, 4 adjustments to core rules. Caption limit 4,000 characters, video up to 10 min, links not clickable.
| Rule | Category | Section | Severity | Source | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Links in TikTok captions are not clickable. tiktok.format.link-not-clickable | Format | Distribution risk | Good to know | support.tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Caption over TikTok's 4,000 character limit. tiktok.format.caption-length | Format | Policy risk | High risk | support.tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Video longer than TikTok's upload limit. tiktok.format.video-length | Format | Policy risk | High risk | support.tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Content TikTok restricts from under-18 feeds (cosmetic surgery, gambling, alcohol). tiktok.distribution.minors-safety | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Take a look | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
Pushing viewers to another platform. tiktok.distribution.off-platform | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | tiktok.com | 2026-10-24 |
4 platform rules, 4 adjustments to core rules. Caption limit 2,200 characters, video up to 3 min, links not clickable.
| Rule | Category | Section | Severity | Source | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caption over Instagram's 2,200 character limit. instagram.format.caption-length | Format | Policy risk | High risk | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
More than 30 hashtags. instagram.format.hashtag-limit | Spam signals | Policy risk | High risk | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Links in Instagram captions are not clickable. instagram.format.link-not-clickable | Format | Distribution risk | Good to know | help.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
Reposted or watermarked content is not recommended. instagram.distribution.low-quality | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | about.instagram.com | 2026-10-24 |
3 platform rules, 3 adjustments to core rules. Caption limit 63,206 characters, links clickable.
| Rule | Category | Section | Severity | Source | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
'Link in comments' workaround. facebook.distribution.link-in-comments | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | about.fb.com | 2026-10-24 |
Sensational health content and miracle-cure framing. facebook.distribution.sensational-health | Health claim | Distribution risk | Take a look | about.fb.com | 2026-10-24 |
Very short video with Reels in mind. facebook.distribution.video-length | Format | Distribution risk | Good to know | facebook.com | 2026-10-24 |
5 platform rules, 4 adjustments to core rules. Caption limit 280 characters, video up to 2 min, links clickable.
| Rule | Category | Section | Severity | Source | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Post over the 280 character limit for standard accounts. x.format.length | Format | Policy risk | High risk | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
More than two hashtags on X. x.distribution.hashtags | Spam signals | Distribution risk | Good to know | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
Post that is mostly a link. x.distribution.link-only | Reach sensitivity | Distribution risk | Good to know | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
Video longer than 2 minutes 20 seconds. x.format.video-length | Format | Policy risk | Take a look | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |
Media that should be marked sensitive. x.distribution.sensitive-media | Adult content | Disclosure | Good to know | help.x.com | 2026-10-24 |