Content Policy

Last updated August 7, 2026

Pulse is about what's happening right now at real venues. These rules keep it useful and safe. They apply to every photo, caption, wait report, handle, and profile on Pulse.

Our starting point is the same one the mainstream social networks use. Pulse is a nightlife app for adults: people are out, dressed for it, and drinking. We are not going to pretend otherwise, and you should not have to second-guess an ordinary photo of your night.

Be where you post

You can only post or report a wait from a venue you're physically at — the app confirms it. Don't try to spoof your location or report on places you aren't.

What's fine here

So there's no doubt, none of the following breaks these rules:

• How people dress on a night out — going-out clothes, short dresses, low necklines, bare shoulders and midriffs, swimwear at a pool or rooftop venue, shirtless at an outdoor venue.
• Drinking — you're in a bar. Drinks, rounds, shots, and toasts are the point.
• Dancing and crowds, including close contact on a packed floor.
• Swearing, blunt captions, and ordinary rude gestures.
• Art, tattoos, murals, and venue decor, including nudity in artwork.

Not allowed

• Harassment or bullying — targeting, threatening, or degrading anyone, including pile-ons and unwanted repeated contact.
• Hate — attacks or slurs based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age, and hate group insignia.
• Nudity and sexual activity — exposed genitals, fully nude buttocks, exposed female nipples, and depictions of sexual acts. Photos of artwork are exempt, as is nudity in a medical, breastfeeding, or protest context.
• Sexual solicitation — offering or asking for sex, or using Pulse for commercial sexual services.
• Violence — threats, glorification of violence, and graphic or gory imagery. Real fights are removed; we don't need footage of them to know a venue got rowdy.
• Self-harm and eating disorders — content that promotes, encourages, or gives instructions for either.
• Drug and regulated-goods sales — buying, selling, or coordinating the sale of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, weapons, or fake IDs. Drinking is fine; dealing is not.
• Other people's private information — addresses, phone numbers, workplaces, or anything else that could be used to find or identify someone who didn't share it themselves.
• Impersonation of a person, venue, or organization.
• Spam, scams, bulk promotion, and manipulation of wait times.
• Minors — Pulse is for adults. Any content that sexualizes or endangers a minor is removed and reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. This is the one line with no context, no appeal, and no second chance.

Context matters

Most of the rules above are about what content does, not what it depicts. A photo of a drink is not drug dealing; a joke between friends is not harassment; a bad night is not self-harm content. We read reports with that in mind, and when the automated check gets an ordinary photo wrong, tell us — the appeal in the app goes to a person.

Ephemeral isn't a loophole

Posts disappear after 24 hours, but the rules apply the whole time they're up. A short lifespan doesn't make harmful content acceptable.

Reporting and blocking

Every post has a report option, and you can block any user — blocking hides you from each other in both directions. Reports go to our moderation queue.

Enforcement

When content violates these rules we take it down — a takedown permanently deletes the media, it doesn't just hide it. Most violations are handled in steps: the post comes down, and repeated or severe violations escalate to a warning, a suspension, and then removal of the account. The exceptions that skip straight to removal are the ones with no innocent reading — content sexualizing a minor, sexual content involving a non-consenting adult, and hate group imagery. We aim to be fair and consistent, and to act faster on content that can cause real harm.