Community Guidelines

The Spirit of Vented

Vented exists so you can vent honestly — about your boss, your relationships, your frustrations, your fears — without judgment. Anonymity is a feature, not a bug. It allows raw honesty. The rules below exist only to protect that honesty from being weaponised against specific people.

What You Can Do

• Vent about anyone in your life using descriptions: “my boss”, “my ex”, “my coworker”
• Express strong emotions including anger, frustration, and grief
• Discuss difficult topics: mental health, relationships, trauma, addiction
• Share political opinions, no matter how polarising
• Use profanity and adult language in context

What You Cannot Do

• Name a specific private individual — say “my manager” not “John Smith at Acme Corp”
• Post content designed to harass, intimidate, or target a real person
• Threaten violence against any person or group
• Post hate speech, racial slurs, or content that dehumanises people based on identity
• Share content that sexualises minors
• Post terrorist propaganda or instructions for real-world harm
• Impersonate another user or public figure to deceive
• Spam, advertise, or scrape the platform

Anonymity and Identity Protection

Vented is not a place to call people out by name. Our content filter actively prevents posts from naming specific individuals or companies. This protects you legally and protects others from targeted harassment. When in doubt: describe, don't name.

This protection applies regardless of how you feel about the person. Even if your vent is completely accurate, naming someone publicly without consent can constitute defamation or harassment under law.

Age-Restricted Content

Categories marked with a lock icon (🔒) are restricted to users aged 18 and over. These include Sex & Intimacy and Drugs & Alcohol. Users must provide a date of birth at registration to access age-restricted categories. Date of birth cannot be changed after registration.

Mental Health and Crisis

If your vent contains crisis keywords, Vented will display a support banner. Vented is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you are in crisis:

• Call or text 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US)
• Text HOME to 741741 — Crisis Text Line (US/UK/Canada)
• 116 123 — Samaritans (UK)
• Emergency services (911 / 999 / 112) if you are in immediate danger

Legal Protection (Section 230)

As a platform hosting user-generated content, Vented operates under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230). This means Vented is not legally responsible for content posted by users, so long as we act in good faith to moderate policy violations.

We enforce these guidelines in good faith. We respond to valid legal requests including court orders, subpoenas, and emergency disclosure requests from law enforcement.

Reporting and Enforcement

Use the flag icon on any vent to report content that violates these guidelines. Reports are reviewed by our team. Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent ban. Severe violations including threats and CSAM are reported to relevant authorities.