Live Streaming and Recording Policy

When you go live, you are the broadcaster and you carry the legal responsibility for what you show. This policy is part of the Terms of Service. The Community Guidelines also apply to every stream.

1. Who may go live

You must have an account in good standing. We may require phone or identity verification, a minimum account age or a clean enforcement record, and we may remove streaming access at any time.

2. Before you go live

• Know the venue's rules on filming and streaming. Many concerts, clubs, gyms, stores and stadiums ban it.
• Know the recording-consent law where you are (Section 3).
• Make sure you are not in a restricted place (Section 5).
• Make sure you are not about to broadcast music, a performance or a broadcast you have no rights to (Section 6).
• Remember that your stream appears on the map and viewers can find you in real time.
• Remember that the preview clip you record before going live is saved and shown on your live's card and event page, including after you stop.

3. Recording and consent laws

3.1 You must follow the law where you are. Laws on recording people differ by country and state. We do not give legal advice, and following the law is your responsibility.

3.2 Audio and conversations. Recording a private conversation you are not part of is illegal in most places. Many countries, and some US states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington, generally require the consent of everyone in a private conversation before it is recorded, even if you are part of it. Minnesota generally requires the consent of one party (Minn. Stat. § 626A.02). Do not stream private conversations unless everyone in them has agreed.

3.3 Phone and video calls. Do not put a phone or video call on stream unless everyone on the call has agreed to be broadcast.

3.4 Hidden recording. Never stream or record with a hidden camera or microphone, or in a way designed to stop people from noticing.

4. People in your stream

• Bystanders. Do not make a stranger the focus of your stream without their consent. If someone asks you to stop filming them, point the camera away or end the stream.
• Vulnerable people. Do not stream people having a medical emergency, injured people, victims of crimes or accidents, people in mental health crisis, intoxicated people, or people experiencing homelessness as a spectacle.
• Children. Do not make a child the focus of your stream without their parent's or guardian's consent.
• Guests. Anyone you bring into your stream must follow these rules. You are responsible for them.
• Removal requests. Anyone shown in your stream or preview clip can ask us to remove it. We may remove it without asking you.

5. Places you may not stream

You may not stream, or post photos or videos, from:

• bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, saunas and showers;
• anyone's bedroom or home, without the consent of the people who live there;
• hospitals, clinics, pharmacies' consultation areas, therapy offices and other medical settings;
• schools and childcare facilities, without authorization from the school or facility;
• domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters and addiction treatment facilities;
• courtrooms, polling places, and secure areas of government buildings;
• military installations and airport security checkpoints;
• places of worship during services, without permission;
• private property where the owner prohibits recording, including venues with posted no-recording rules;
• active crime scenes and emergency scenes where police or responders have restricted the area;
• any other place where recording is prohibited by law or posted rules.

6. Music, performances and broadcasts

• Do not stream concerts, DJ sets, comedy shows, theater, dance performances, sporting events, movies, TV or other people's streams unless you own the rights or have permission. Brief or partial capture can still infringe.
• Do not play copyrighted music on stream as a soundtrack.
• Rebroadcasting pay-per-view, subscription or blacked-out broadcasts is never allowed.
• We may remove streams, preview clips and posts that contain unlicensed material, and remove repeat infringers.

7. Emergencies, crime and police

• Call first. If you see an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number before you think about streaming. Do not rely on viewers or Hypefindr to get help.
• Do not chase danger. Do not approach fires, shootings, fights, crashes, crowd crushes or other danger to get footage.
• Filming police. Where the law allows you to film police in public, keep a safe distance, follow lawful orders, and do not interfere with officers or first responders.
• No crime on stream. Do not stream yourself or others committing crimes, and do not encourage viewers to commit crimes.
• We may act. We may take down any stream that shows an emergency, and we may contact emergency services, including by sharing your location.

8. Your own safety

Viewers may come to where you are. Do not stream from home or show your home's exterior, street or route. Vary your routines. Stream with someone you trust. If a viewer shows up uninvited or makes you feel unsafe, end the stream, go somewhere safe, and report it.

9. Chat

You are responsible for moderating your stream chat, and you have these tools:

• Remove. Press and hold any message in your live to remove it for everyone, or to report it.
• Automatic filter. Every message passes through a word filter on our server. A message it catches is shown only to the person who sent it.
• Reports. Viewers can report a message. A message reported by 3 different people is hidden from everyone, and we review every report.
• Blocking. People who have blocked each other, in either direction, never see each other's chat.
• Limits. Messages are limited to 280 characters, and each person can send at most 10 messages every 10 seconds.

Never encourage viewers to harass anyone. Chat is deleted 7 days after your live ends, or 90 days for a message that was reported.

10. Crowds, giveaways and meetups

Do not announce giveaways, meetups, surprise appearances or "pull up" calls at a location unless the place can safely hold the people who may come and you have arranged it with the venue and, where required, the authorities. If a crowd forms because of your stream, you are responsible for it. We may take down any stream that is drawing a dangerous crowd.

11. Driving

Never stream, watch streams or use the app while driving or operating any vehicle. Minnesota and many other places prohibit it. A passenger may stream only if it does not distract the driver.

12. Recordings

Hypefindr does not record live streams. Your video and audio go live to viewers and are not stored. The preview clip you record before going live is stored and stays with the event. Viewers can screen-record a stream, so assume anything you broadcast can be copied and shared.

13. Enforcement

We may take down a stream in progress, remove preview clips and chat messages, suspend your account for 7 or 30 days, ban it, and report illegal activity to law enforcement. A suspension or ban stops you signing in, and any live you are running is taken off every feed and the map. The Enforcement, Moderation and Appeals Policy applies.