Community Guidelines

Most of what you write in The Refinery is private, or shared with one friend at a time. This page is about the parts that touch other people: chat, the community wall (testimonies and accomplishments), and anyone else's account. It says plainly what gets removed, what doesn't, and who actually makes that call.

• Threats, harassment, or targeted abuse aimed at another person.
• Impersonating a real person, a brand, or The Refinery itself.
• Anything illegal.
• Sexual content involving minors, in any form. Zero tolerance -- reported to the relevant authorities where the law requires it.
• Content that promotes or encourages self-harm or suicide, as distinct from someone genuinely struggling and saying so -- see below.
• Hate speech, or attacking someone for who they are.
• Spam, scams, or unsolicited advertising.
• Doxxing -- sharing someone else's private information without their consent.

Venting, disagreement, an unpopular opinion, imperfect writing, or a testimony that's honest about a hard season -- none of that gets touched. If you write that you're struggling or having a hard time, that's not a violation of anything; if what you write matches crisis language, the app responds to it directly with real resources (see the AI disclosure on Morning/Evening) rather than removing it.

Right now, one person: Thomias, who built and runs The Refinery. There's no separate moderation team -- every report goes to him personally, the same way a report on a much smaller app always has. If that changes as more people use this, this page will say so plainly rather than quietly keep saying "we."

You can report a message or a person directly from chat, or a post on the community wall, and you can block someone so they can't message or friend-request you again -- that takes effect immediately, no review needed. A report itself gets a personal look, typically within a few days -- this is a solo-run app, not a call center, so that's an honest expectation, not a formal SLA. Content in clear violation gets removed; an account in clear or repeated violation can be suspended or removed entirely, per the Terms of Service.

Say so -- use the Feedback form in the app, or email hello@therefineryapp.com. It gets a second, personal look, not a form-letter reply.

This page is about content and conduct. For how your data is handled, see Privacy. For the full terms of using the app, see Terms of Service.