Community Standards

4.1 Purpose and Scope

Puentes Yucatán exists to build genuine community among expats, immigrants, and long-term visitors in Mérida, Progreso, and the surrounding region of Yucatán, Mexico. The platform serves people of every background, nationality, religion, language, and life experience. For this community to function as the bridge its name implies, every participant must be able to engage safely, respectfully, and with dignity.

These Community Standards apply to all content posted, shared, or transmitted on the Puentes Yucatán platform, including forum posts, comments, business reviews, event listings, direct messages, profile content, and any other user-generated material. They apply to registered members and to any person accessing the platform.

By creating an account or posting any content on Puentes Yucatán, you agree to abide by these standards in full.

4.2 Non-Discrimination Policy

Puentes Yucatán is committed to maintaining a platform free from discrimination, hatred, and prejudice in all its forms. No member may post, share, or endorse content that discriminates against, degrades, demeans, or denigrates any person, business, or organization on the basis of any protected characteristic.

Protected characteristics under this policy include, but are not limited to:

4.3 Prohibited Conduct

The following conduct is strictly prohibited on the Puentes Yucatán platform. Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent termination, as described in Section 4.6.

4.3.1 Hate Speech and Discriminatory Content

You may not post content that:

• Uses slurs, dehumanizing language, or epithets targeting any person or group based on a protected characteristic.
• Portrays any race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability as inferior, subhuman, dangerous, or unworthy of equal respect.
• Calls for discrimination against individuals or groups in housing, employment, public services, or participation in this community.
• Reinforces harmful stereotypes presented as factual characterizations of any group.
• Mocks, ridicules, or trivializes the lived experiences of people based on a protected characteristic.

4.3.2 Discriminatory Business Reviews

The integrity of the Puentes Yucatán business directory depends on honest, experience-based reviews. You may not post a review of a business or service that:

• Rates or criticizes a business based on the race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability of its owners, operators, or staff rather than the quality of service.
• Targets a business because it serves, employs, or is associated with a particular community or demographic group.
• Contains discriminatory language about the people associated with the business.

4.3.3 Harassment and Targeted Abuse

You may not engage in harassment or targeted abuse of any member or person, including:

• Repeatedly sending unwanted messages, comments, or contact to a person after being asked to stop.
• Coordinating with others to target, pile on, or report a member based on their protected characteristics.
• Threatening, intimidating, or attempting to silence a member because of their identity or background.
• Outing or exposing private information about a person's religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristic without their consent.

4.3.4 Exclusionary Community Conduct

Puentes Yucatán serves a diverse international community living alongside local Mexican communities. You may not:

• Suggest, imply, or explicitly state that any person is unwelcome in this community or in Yucatán based on their nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
• Use forum posts or event listings to organize exclusionary groups or activities that explicitly bar participation based on protected characteristics.
• Post content that denigrates local Mexican culture, indigenous Yucatecan communities, or any national or ethnic group present in the region.

4.3.5 Political Advertising and Partisan Content

Puentes Yucatán is a community platform, not a political forum. The following are prohibited:

• Paid or unpaid political advertisements, campaign promotions, or endorsements of political candidates at any level of government in any country.
• Content that primarily serves to promote, campaign for, or solicit support for a political party, political action committee, or political cause.
• Posting content designed to recruit, organize, or fundraise for political campaigns or political organizations.

Respectful discussion of public policy issues that directly affect the expat and immigrant community in Yucatán (such as immigration policy, residency requirements, or local regulations) is permitted, provided it remains civil and does not devolve into partisan campaigning or personal attacks.

4.3.6 Misuse of Business Listings and Reviews

Puentes Yucatán is a positive community platform designed to connect people with trusted local businesses and services. It is not a complaint bureau, consumer protection agency, or fraud reporting service.

The following are strictly prohibited:

• Submitting a business listing for the sole or primary purpose of posting a negative review, warning, or complaint against that business.
• Using reviews, forum posts, or any other platform content to accuse a business or individual of fraud, scam, theft, or other criminal conduct. Such allegations carry serious legal consequences under applicable law, including Mexico's civil and criminal libel statutes.
• Posting content intended to damage the reputation of a business or individual rather than to share a genuine, balanced customer experience.
• Creating multiple accounts or coordinating with others to post negative content about the same business.

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud or a scam, Puentes Yucatán is not the appropriate venue to report it. Instead, please contact:

• Profeco (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor) — Mexico's federal consumer protection agency: gob.mx/profeco
• Local law enforcement authorities
• Relevant community groups on social media that are set up to address consumer complaints

Penalty: Submitting a business listing solely for the purpose of posting negative content, or posting unsubstantiated fraud or scam allegations, will result in immediate removal of the listing and all associated content, a written warning for the first offense, and permanent account termination without refund for repeated violations. In cases involving clearly defamatory content, the Operator reserves the right to proceed directly to permanent termination and may cooperate with legal authorities if required.

4.4 Context, Good Faith, and Permitted Discussion

These standards are not intended to prohibit honest, respectful discussion of culture, identity, social issues, or community challenges. The following are not violations of this policy:

• Sharing personal experiences of discrimination or prejudice encountered in your own life.
• Discussing cultural differences, language barriers, or the experience of navigating life as a foreigner in Mexico, provided the discussion remains respectful and does not demean any group.
• Posting factual information about laws, policies, or documented social conditions that affect particular communities.
• Recommending or not recommending a business based on the quality of service, pricing, communication, or other legitimate factors unrelated to the identity of its owners or staff.
• Expressing religious beliefs or cultural values in a personal capacity, provided such expression does not attack, demean, or call for discrimination against others.

When evaluating reported content, moderators will consider context, intent, and the overall pattern of a member's conduct. Good-faith mistakes and learning moments are treated differently from deliberate, repeated violations.

4.5 Reporting Violations

Every member of Puentes Yucatán has a role in maintaining a safe and welcoming space. If you encounter content that you believe violates these Community Standards, we ask that you report it rather than responding in kind.

To report a violation:

• Use the "Report" button located on any post, comment, review, or profile.
• Email the moderation team directly at standards@puentesyucatan.com.
• For urgent safety concerns, contact the admin team via the Help page.

All reports are reviewed by a human moderator. We aim to respond to reports within 48 hours. Reports submitted in good faith are kept confidential. Filing false or bad-faith reports is itself a violation of these standards.

4.6 Enforcement

Puentes Yucatán moderators have sole discretion to determine whether content violates these Community Standards. Enforcement actions are applied consistently but are graduated based on the severity and frequency of violations.

Graduated enforcement steps:

1. Content removal: The offending post, comment, or review is removed. The member is notified with an explanation.
2. Written warning: A formal warning is issued and recorded in the member's account history.
3. Temporary suspension: The member's account is suspended for a defined period (typically 7–30 days). Paid membership is paused for the duration.
4. Permanent termination: The account is permanently closed. No refund is issued for any prepaid membership period. The member may be permanently banned from re-registering.

Severe violations — including content that makes explicit threats, constitutes targeted hate speech, or involves the non-consensual disclosure of private information about a protected characteristic — may result in immediate permanent termination without a prior warning.

Members who believe an enforcement action was applied in error may appeal by emailing appeals@puentesyucatan.com within 14 days of the action. Appeals are reviewed by a senior moderator that may or may not be involved in the original decision. The Admin/Operator has final say in their sole discretion regarding violations.

4.7 Amendments

Puentes Yucatán reserves the right to update these Community Standards at any time. Material changes will be announced on the platform with at least 14 days' notice before taking effect. Continued use of the platform following the effective date of any amendment constitutes acceptance of the revised standards.

Questions about these standards may be directed to standards@puentesyucatan.com.

Puentes Yucatán Community Standards · Section 4 of Terms of Service
puentesyucatan.com · standards@puentesyucatan.com