HIKEUNITY COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Effective Date: September 27, 2026

Last Updated: September 27, 2026

HikeUnity exists to help people explore the outdoors, discover routes, meet other outdoor enthusiasts, and participate in real-world activities.

A strong outdoor community depends on trust, respect, honesty, personal responsibility, and safety.

These Community Guidelines (“Guidelines”) apply to your use of the HikeUnity mobile application, website, communications, Activities, and community features.

They apply to profiles, photographs, routes, reviews, ratings, messages, chats, Activity listings, comments, and other content or interactions through HikeUnity.

These Guidelines form part of the HikeUnity Terms of Service.

1. TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT

Treat other users respectfully.

Disagreement is allowed. Harassment and abuse are not.

You may not:

• threaten another person;
• bully or intimidate another person;
• repeatedly insult or humiliate another person;
• deliberately shame another private individual;
• make credible threats of physical harm;
• encourage violence against another person;
• repeatedly contact someone after they have clearly asked you to stop;
• use HikeUnity to stalk another person; or
• organize harassment against another user.

A disagreement, negative review, rejected invitation, rejected romantic interest, or decision not to join an Activity does not justify harassment or retaliation.

2. RESPECT PERSONAL BOUNDARIES

HikeUnity brings people together online and offline.

Respect another person's physical, social, romantic, and sexual boundaries.

Do not:

• pressure someone into romantic or sexual interaction;
• send repeated unwanted romantic or sexual messages;
• send unsolicited sexually explicit content;
• engage in unwanted touching;
• pressure someone to share a hotel room, tent, vehicle, or sleeping arrangement;
• pressure someone to disclose personal information;
• pressure someone to consume alcohol or drugs;
• use participation in an Activity as leverage for romantic or sexual attention; or
• retaliate against someone for rejecting an advance.

Consent must be voluntary.

A person may change their mind or withdraw consent.

Joining an Activity, accepting a ride, sharing accommodation, exchanging messages, or being friendly does not imply romantic or sexual consent.

3. HIKEUNITY IS NOT PRIMARILY A DATING OR SEXUAL-SOLICITATION PLATFORM

People may naturally become friends, date, or form relationships after meeting through HikeUnity.

That is permitted.

However, HikeUnity must not be used primarily to:

• solicit sexual services;
• advertise sexual services;
• send unsolicited explicit sexual content;
• target users primarily for sexual encounters;
• repeatedly contact users for romantic or sexual purposes after rejection; or
• disguise sexual solicitation as an outdoor Activity.

4. NO HATE OR DISCRIMINATORY HARASSMENT

HikeUnity does not permit hateful conduct, threats, or targeted harassment based on characteristics such as:

• race;
• ethnicity;
• national origin;
• religion;
• sex;
• sexual orientation;
• gender;
• gender identity;
• disability;
• age; or
• other characteristics protected by applicable law.

Users may express opinions and discuss topics respectfully, but may not use HikeUnity to promote hatred, violence, or dehumanizing attacks against people based on protected characteristics.

5. NO VIOLENCE OR CREDIBLE THREATS

Do not use HikeUnity to:

• threaten violence;
• coordinate unlawful violence;
• encourage physical attacks;
• intentionally place another person in serious danger;
• recruit people for violent activity; or
• publish credible threats against people or locations.

If you believe someone faces immediate danger, contact local emergency services.

HikeUnity is not an emergency-response service.

6. BE HONEST ABOUT WHO YOU ARE

Do not:

• impersonate another person;
• use another person's identity;
• submit another person's identification for verification;
• create materially deceptive profiles;
• falsely claim to have completed identity verification;
• falsely claim professional qualifications;
• falsely claim licenses, certifications, permits, insurance, or experience;
• falsely claim affiliation with HikeUnity or another organization; or
• use manipulated information to deceive other users.

Using AI or image-editing technology to materially misrepresent your identity, credentials, Activity, route conditions, or another person is prohibited.

HikeUnity may require additional verification where fraud or impersonation is suspected.

7. IDENTITY VERIFIED DOES NOT MEAN “SAFE” OR “PROFESSIONALLY QUALIFIED”

An Identity Verified badge indicates only that the applicable identity-verification process was successfully completed.

It does not mean that HikeUnity has verified or guarantees the user's:

• character;
• criminal history;
• professional qualifications;
• outdoor experience;
• guide license;
• certifications;
• insurance;
• physical ability;
• safety record; or
• trustworthiness.

Do not represent an Identity Verified badge as a professional credential or HikeUnity endorsement.

8. BE HONEST ABOUT ACTIVITIES

Activity listings must reasonably and accurately describe what participants should expect.

Organizers should accurately disclose material information such as:

• Activity type;
• location;
• date and time;
• expected distance;
• expected duration;
• known difficulty;
• significant elevation where relevant;
• expected pace;
• known equipment requirements;
• transportation arrangements;
• meeting location;
• participation fees;
• required shared costs;
• significant known risks;
• cancellation terms; and
• material changes to the Activity.

Do not intentionally conceal information that would reasonably affect another user's decision to participate.

9. DO NOT MISREPRESENT YOUR EXPERIENCE OR QUALIFICATIONS

You may organize a Community Activity without representing yourself as a professional guide.

However, you must not falsely represent yourself as:

• a licensed guide;
• certified instructor;
• medical professional;
• rescue professional;
• wilderness professional;
• insured commercial operator; or
• holder of a permit or certification

unless the representation is truthful.

If an Activity requires a license, permit, insurance, certification, registration, commercial-use authorization, or other legal requirement, responsibility for satisfying that requirement rests with the Organizer as described in the HikeUnity Terms of Service and Organizer Terms.

10. DO NOT INTENTIONALLY PROVIDE DANGEROUS ROUTE INFORMATION

Outdoor information can affect physical safety.

Do not knowingly publish materially false information about:

• route location;
• trail conditions;
• closures;
• hazards;
• difficulty;
• access;
• water availability;
• weather;
• permits;
• private property;
• emergency conditions; or
• other safety-critical information.

Users should distinguish between personal experience, opinion, and information they know to be current.

HikeUnity cannot guarantee the accuracy of user-generated outdoor information.

11. RESPECT TRAILS, LAND AND LOCAL RULES

Users should respect:

• private property;
• park regulations;
• trail closures;
• permit requirements;
• protected areas;
• wildlife restrictions;
• fire restrictions;
• camping regulations; and
• applicable local laws.

Do not use HikeUnity to knowingly organize unlawful trespassing, vandalism, poaching, environmental destruction, or other unlawful activity.

Where appropriate, follow responsible outdoor practices and minimize unnecessary environmental impact.

12. ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

Users must comply with applicable law concerning alcohol, controlled substances, and other regulated substances.

Do not use HikeUnity to buy, sell, distribute, or facilitate unlawful drugs.

Organizers must not pressure participants to consume alcohol or other substances.

Users should understand that intoxication can significantly increase risk during outdoor activities.

An Organizer may establish stricter rules for an Activity, including a prohibition on alcohol or intoxicating substances.

13. WEAPONS

Users must comply with applicable law and location-specific rules concerning weapons.

HikeUnity may prohibit Activities whose primary purpose is the sale, exchange, unlawful use, or promotion of weapons.

A user may not use or display a weapon to threaten, intimidate, or harass another user.

Organizers may establish lawful restrictions concerning weapons for their Activities.

14. PROTECT OTHER PEOPLE'S PRIVACY

Do not publish another person's sensitive private information without lawful authority or permission.

This may include:

• home address;
• precise private location;
• government identification;
• financial information;
• passwords;
• private phone numbers;
• sensitive private correspondence;
• private GPS information; or
• other information that could reasonably create a safety or privacy risk.

Do not use information obtained through HikeUnity to stalk, intimidate, threaten, or harass another person.

15. PROTECT YOUR OWN LOCATION PRIVACY

Think carefully before publishing precise location information.

In particular:

Do not begin or end a publicly shared GPS route at your home, workplace, or another location you wish to keep private.

Review a recorded route before publishing it.

HikeUnity may provide privacy tools, but users remain responsible for reviewing what they choose to make public.

16. PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF OTHER PEOPLE

Respect other people's privacy when uploading photographs or videos.

Do not upload:

• intimate images without consent;
• voyeuristic content;
• content intended to humiliate a private individual;
• images obtained unlawfully; or
• content that creates an unreasonable safety or privacy risk.

Where appropriate, ask before publicly posting identifiable photographs of another participant, particularly in sensitive contexts.

If you believe an image of you violates these Guidelines, report it to HikeUnity.

17. NO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OR NON-CONSENSUAL INTIMATE CONTENT

HikeUnity does not permit:

• sexual exploitation;
• sexual coercion;
• non-consensual intimate imagery;
• threats to distribute intimate imagery;
• sexual extortion; or
• content depicting sexual abuse.

Serious violations may result in immediate account termination and may be reported to appropriate authorities where required or appropriate.

18. NO EXPLOITATION OF MINORS

HikeUnity accounts are intended for users aged 18 or older under the current Platform rules.

Do not use HikeUnity to:

• sexually exploit a minor;
• groom a minor;
• solicit sexual content from a minor;
• distribute child sexual abuse material; or
• facilitate unlawful conduct involving minors.

HikeUnity may report suspected child exploitation to appropriate authorities where required by law.

19. NO SCAMS OR FRAUD

Do not use HikeUnity to deceive users for financial or personal gain.

Prohibited conduct includes:

• fake Activities;
• fake Organizers;
• fraudulent payment requests;
• identity theft;
• phishing;
• fake fundraising;
• fabricated emergencies;
• false refund claims;
• payment manipulation;
• deceptive links;
• pyramid or Ponzi schemes; and
• attempts to obtain passwords, payment credentials, or identity documents through deception.

HikeUnity may restrict accounts, payments, or payouts while suspected fraud is investigated.

20. KEEP PAYMENTS TRANSPARENT

If an Activity requires payment, the Organizer must accurately disclose the price and applicable terms.

Do not disguise a mandatory fee as a:

• donation;
• tip;
• voluntary contribution;
• gift; or
• cost-sharing payment

for the purpose of avoiding Platform Fees, laws, taxes, licensing requirements, payment rules, or refund obligations.

A voluntary contribution must genuinely be voluntary.

A person who does not contribute must not be excluded from an Activity described as free solely because they declined to make a voluntary contribution.

21. NO PAYMENT CIRCUMVENTION FOR PAID ACTIVITIES

Where HikeUnity requires a Paid Activity to use HikeUnity's payment system, users may not intentionally use HikeUnity to find participants and then require them to pay outside the Platform for the purpose of avoiding HikeUnity Platform Fees or payment protections.

HikeUnity may permit certain legitimate shared expenses or other payment arrangements where expressly allowed.

Specific payment rules are described in the HikeUnity Payment & Refund Policy.

22. NO SPAM

Do not send:

• repetitive unsolicited messages;
• mass promotional messages;
• irrelevant commercial solicitations;
• deceptive invitations;
• repetitive links;
• automated spam; or
• substantially identical unsolicited messages to large numbers of users.

Organizers may communicate with users about relevant Activities, but may not misuse Activity or messaging tools for unrelated mass marketing.

23. NO FAKE REVIEWS OR RATINGS

Reviews should reflect genuine experiences.

Do not:

• create fake reviews;
• purchase reviews;
• exchange payment for deceptive reviews;
• create accounts to manipulate ratings;
• threaten someone over a review;
• retaliate against a user for an honest review; or
• coordinate artificial rating manipulation.

Organizers may respectfully respond to criticism.

A negative review does not violate these Guidelines merely because an Organizer disagrees with it.

24. NO FAKE PARTICIPATION OR POPULARITY

Do not artificially inflate:

• Activity attendance;
• RSVPs;
• follower counts;
• reviews;
• ratings;
• route popularity;
• Organizer reputation; or
• other engagement metrics.

Do not create fake accounts or fake participants to make an Activity appear more popular, safe, established, or successful than it is.

25. RESPECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Only upload content you have the right to use.

Do not knowingly upload or distribute content that infringes another person's:

• copyright;
• trademark;
• publicity rights; or
• other intellectual-property rights.

If you believe your intellectual property has been infringed, follow the HikeUnity Intellectual Property Policy or contact:

info@hikeunity.com

26. REPORTING A USER, ACTIVITY OR CONTENT

If you believe a user, Activity, message, route, photograph, review, or other content violates these Guidelines, use the available Report feature.

Where an in-app reporting option is unavailable, contact:

info@hikeunity.com

When possible, provide:

• the user or Activity involved;
• what happened;
• the relevant content;
• approximate date and time;
• screenshots or other relevant information; and
• whether there is an immediate safety concern.

Do not knowingly submit false or malicious reports.

27. BLOCKING USERS

HikeUnity may allow users to block other users.

Use blocking where you do not want further interaction with another user.

Blocking does not guarantee that two people will never encounter one another offline or through public spaces or public content.

If another person presents an immediate threat, contact appropriate local authorities.

28. EMERGENCIES AND SERIOUS SAFETY INCIDENTS

HikeUnity does not provide emergency dispatch or rescue services.

If someone is injured, missing, threatened, or in immediate danger, contact the appropriate local emergency service first.

A report to HikeUnity is not a substitute for contacting police, emergency medical services, park rangers, search and rescue, or another appropriate authority.

After addressing the immediate emergency, users may also report relevant HikeUnity-related conduct to us.

29. OFF-PLATFORM CONDUCT

HikeUnity generally has greater ability to investigate conduct that occurs through the Platform.

However, serious off-platform conduct may also result in Platform action where there is credible information that the conduct creates a material safety risk to HikeUnity users or demonstrates serious misuse of the Platform.

Examples may include:

• violence connected to a HikeUnity Activity;
• sexual assault connected to a HikeUnity Activity;
• serious harassment of another HikeUnity user;
• fraud involving a HikeUnity transaction;
• credible threats against HikeUnity users; or
• unlawful conduct directly connected to an Activity arranged through HikeUnity.

HikeUnity does not promise to investigate every dispute occurring outside the Platform.

30. ORGANIZER RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizers have additional responsibility because their decisions may affect other participants.

Organizers should:

• describe Activities honestly;
• communicate material changes;
• avoid misleading safety claims;
• respect participant boundaries;
• follow applicable laws;
• disclose required costs;
• comply with applicable permits and licensing requirements;
• avoid knowingly exposing participants to undisclosed serious hazards; and
• follow the HikeUnity Organizer Terms.

Being an Organizer does not make a user an employee or representative of HikeUnity.

31. PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITIES

Participants also have responsibilities.

Participants should:

• honestly evaluate their own abilities;
• read Activity information;
• bring appropriate equipment;
• follow lawful land-use rules;
• respect other participants;
• communicate relevant concerns;
• avoid intentionally endangering others; and
• make their own decision about whether to participate.

Joining an Activity does not transfer responsibility for your personal safety to HikeUnity.

32. MODERATION AND ENFORCEMENT

HikeUnity may review reports and take action when content or conduct violates these Guidelines, the Terms of Service, other HikeUnity policies, or applicable law.

Depending on the circumstances, HikeUnity may:

• take no action;
• provide guidance;
• issue a warning;
• remove content;
• restrict messaging;
• restrict Activity creation;
• restrict payment or payout features;
• cancel or remove an Activity;
• remove an Identity Verified badge where appropriate;
• require additional verification;
• temporarily suspend an account;
• permanently terminate an account;
• preserve relevant information;
• cooperate with payment providers;
• issue or facilitate refunds where applicable; or
• contact or cooperate with appropriate authorities where required or reasonably necessary.

HikeUnity does not have to apply every measure in a fixed sequence.

33. SERIOUS VIOLATIONS MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE ACTION

Some conduct may justify immediate suspension or termination without a prior warning.

Examples include:

• credible threats of serious violence;
• sexual assault or exploitation;
• child exploitation;
• serious fraud;
• identity fraud;
• deliberate creation of a dangerously fraudulent Activity;
• serious stalking;
• non-consensual intimate imagery;
• attempts to evade a previous permanent ban; or
• other conduct creating a serious risk to users or the Platform.

34. CONTEXT MATTERS

Not every report establishes a violation.

HikeUnity may consider relevant context, including:

• severity;
• intent;
• actual or potential harm;
• repetition;
• prior violations;
• credibility of available information;
• whether conduct occurred through or in connection with HikeUnity; and
• applicable law.

HikeUnity may request additional information when needed.

35. REPORTING DOES NOT GUARANTEE A PARTICULAR OUTCOME

Submitting a report does not guarantee that HikeUnity will remove content, suspend a user, provide a refund, or take a particular enforcement action.

HikeUnity may be limited in what it can disclose about another user's account or an investigation because of privacy, safety, or legal considerations.

36. APPEALS AND REVIEW

Where HikeUnity provides an appeal or review process, a user who believes an enforcement decision was made in error may request review.

HikeUnity may limit repeated, abusive, or substantially identical appeals.

Nothing in this section limits rights provided by applicable law.

37. RETALIATION

Do not retaliate against another person because they:

• reported you;
• blocked you;
• left an honest review;
• declined an invitation;
• left an Activity;
• requested a refund;
• raised a safety concern; or
• cooperated with a HikeUnity investigation.

Retaliation may itself result in enforcement.

38. THESE GUIDELINES MAY CHANGE

HikeUnity may update these Guidelines as the Platform develops and new safety or community issues emerge.

Material changes may be communicated through the Platform, email, or another appropriate method.

The current version will display its effective or last-updated date.

39. CONTACT

For questions or reports concerning these Community Guidelines:

HikeUnity

Email: info@hikeunity.com

For immediate emergencies, contact the appropriate local emergency service rather than HikeUnity.

END OF COMMUNITY GUIDELINES