Community guidelines

itsvegan is a place for honest information and kind conversation. These guidelines apply to everything you post: listings, reviews, photos, recipes, Veganpedia edits, forum posts, comments, messages and your profile.

1. Be kind — no hate, no judging

Disagree with ideas, not people. We’re all at different points on our vegan journey — newcomers and curious non-vegans are welcome here.

• No hate speech or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, body or any other characteristic. This includes slurs, “jokes”, symbols and dog whistles.
• No judging, shaming or gatekeeping. Don’t attack people for their questions, their past, their health needs or for not being “vegan enough”. Correct misinformation politely, with sources.
• No harassment or nastiness: insults, threats, bullying, trolling, pile-ons, stalking someone across the site, or gross, disgusting or sexual content.
• No violence or illegal activism. Don’t call for violence or illegal acts against anyone — people, businesses or farmers included.

2. Reviews must be genuine

• Only review places and people you have actually experienced, and say when (we ask for the month you visited).
• No fake reviews — positive or negative. Never review on behalf of someone else, swap reviews, or post multiple accounts’ worth of opinions.
• No conflicts of interest. Don’t review your own business, your employer, a relative’s or friend’s business, or a competitor. Owners respond with an owner reply instead.
• No paid or incentivised reviews. Businesses may not offer discounts, gifts or anything else in exchange for a review or for changing one.
• Stick to your experience. Food, service, atmosphere, value, how vegan-friendly it really was. Don’t include personal information about staff, and keep allegations of illegal activity for the proper authorities.
• One review per place. You can update it if things change.

3. Keep listings accurate

Add real places with correct addresses. Choose the vegan level honestly: 100% vegan means nothing on the menu contains animal products. Mark places as closed when they close. Don’t create duplicates — improve the existing listing instead. Promotional text belongs in the description of your own claimed listing, not in reviews or forums.

4. Photos

Upload only photos you took or have the right to share. No photos of people without their consent, no graphic content (including slaughterhouse footage outside of clearly labelled advocacy discussions in the forums), no watermarks or ads.

5. Veganpedia

Write neutrally and cite reliable sources, especially for health and nutrition. Don’t give individual medical advice. Don’t copy text you don’t have the right to share. Edits are licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 — see our Terms.

6. No spam, no scams

No unsolicited advertising, affiliate spam, link dropping, chain messages, crypto or “investment” schemes, or attempts to move people to other platforms for commercial purposes. Pros may mention their own services in their listing and when directly asked.

7. Respect privacy and the law

Don’t share anyone’s private information (addresses, phone numbers, private messages) without consent. Don’t post anything illegal, including content that infringes copyright or trademarks.

Reporting and moderation

See something that breaks these rules? Use the Report link next to it and pick what’s wrong. Reports are anonymous — the person is never told who reported them. Our moderators review reports and may remove content, hide listings, or ban accounts. When several members report the same post, it’s hidden automatically until a moderator has looked at it.

• Immediate permanent ban, no warning: hate speech, threats, harassment, sexual content involving anyone without consent, doxxing, scams and fake reviews.
• Judgy, rude or disgusting behaviour: the content is removed and you get one warning. If it happens again, you are banned from the forum and community (no posts, comments or messages), or from itsvegan altogether. Moderators can also mute an account for a day or a week.
• Spam and self-promotion: removed; repeat offenders are banned.
• When an account is banned for abuse, we may remove everything connected to it, including reviews.

To keep things kind, posts with certain words — and links from brand-new members — may wait for a quick check before they appear.

Think we got it wrong? Every warning, mute or ban is listed on your account standing page with the reason, and you can appeal there — a moderator who wasn’t involved will take another look. You can also contact us.