Terms of Service

Last updated: October 18, 2026

These Terms govern the community websites and Community: Local News & More applications operated by community-websites.com (“we,” “us”). We are an independent publisher, not a government agency. By using the service, you agree to these Terms. Mandatory rights under applicable law remain unaffected.

Accounts and eligibility

Community accounts are for people age 13 or older. If you are under the age of majority where you live, use the service with a parent or guardian’s permission. Advertising purchases and binding business transactions require an adult with authority to act for the business. Do not provide false information, impersonate another person, share access credentials, or create accounts to evade a restriction. Family-friendly content does not mean the service is directed to children under 13.

Your verified identity can be used across participating communities. Joining a community may create a local membership and subscriber record. You control the communities you join and your messaging preferences. Some features require sign-in. Public article previews and public posts can be read, indexed, copied or shared outside the service.

News, events and recommendations

We provide local news, community discussions, questions and answers, polls, events, directory listings and advertising. We use AI to help research, draft, summarize, verify and organize content and discover events. AI and source materials can be wrong or outdated. Check event dates, availability, prices and important details with the organizer or original source before relying on them. Content is general information, not medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. This service is not monitored for emergencies.

Feeds may be ranked using recency, local relevance, membership, activity and viewing history. They can include public conversations, news, upcoming events and clearly identified paid placements. Agree/disagree counts reflect community votes, not verification of an answer.

Family-friendly community rules

Profanity, deliberately disguised profanity, hateful attacks, harassment, credible threats, sexual exploitation, explicit sexual or graphic content, scams, impersonation, exposed private information and spam are prohibited. Do not post material you lack permission to share. Civil criticism, differing opinions, good-faith reviews and ordinary recommendations are allowed. Do not coordinate false reports or manipulate votes. Buy & Sell is currently unavailable.

Known profanity is blurred in supported web writing fields and blocks submission until corrected. Server-side and AI checks also apply. These safeguards are not infallible and do not guarantee every objectionable word or image will be detected.

Business promotion and advertiser privileges

Current verified sponsors and advertisers may post about their own legitimate businesses only in the communities covered by their active advertising plan. A free directory listing alone does not grant promotional posting privileges. Eligibility is checked against the posting account’s verified email and current advertiser/billing records; a business name typed into a post is not proof of advertiser status. Paid status does not exempt anyone from safety, profanity, truthfulness, intellectual-property or other community rules. Unrelated business promotions do not receive this exception.

Non-advertiser commercial submissions may be held before publication with an invitation to view advertising plans or appeal. For a published commercial post, one independent report can result in an account notice after review; two independent commercial reports plus confirmation can result in removal. A provider outage or inability to verify advertiser status is not proof that a person is a non-advertiser.

In the Recommendations category, AI may match a request with relevant active sponsors and publish a labeled Community-Websites Team reply linking to their listing or website. These replies disclose sponsorship. A match is not an independent endorsement, guarantee of quality, credential check, promise of availability or a complete comparison of all providers. Readers should make their own inquiries.

Reports, automated moderation and appeals

We use automated rules, AI and human review. Verified reporters count once per item. Three independent safety reports can hide a post while it is assessed. Confirmed violations may be removed; severe threats, exposed private information, clear dangerous scams and prohibited profanity may be addressed without waiting for three reports. Ordinary automated removals require two reviews that agree. Uncertain cases are escalated to a human moderator. Reports alone do not establish a violation.

More than five distinct confirmed post removals within a rolling 90-day period results in a permanent participation ban for that community, subject to appeal. Duplicate reports, warnings and reversed decisions do not add strikes. A commercial submission held before publication does not by itself count as a removal. A ban does not unsubscribe you from email. Public information may remain accessible.

We send account notices about commercial reports, removals, bans and appeals. Visit your moderation decisions while signed in to appeal, including while banned. A fresh review may restore the post and reverse the strike; if that reversal reduces the qualifying count below six, the resulting ban is lifted. For further human review, reply to the notice or contact email@community-websites.com with the case reference. Automated review usually runs within minutes; human review may take a few days. Do not include unnecessary sensitive information in an appeal. Reporter identities are not shown to the author.

Your content and sharing

You retain ownership of your content. You grant us a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, reproduce, format and distribute it as needed to operate and promote the service and share its public discussions. Public content may appear in feeds, article previews, search results, notifications and shared links. You are responsible for obtaining permission for text, images and personal information you submit. Other users’ replies and copies or cached versions may remain after your own content is removed. Account deletion is described at Delete your account.

Communications, purchases and third parties

Community signup screens explain when enrollment includes community news, event and sponsor emails. Promotional messages contain unsubscribe options; existing opt-outs are respected. Authentication, security, moderation, appeal and transaction messages are separate account communications. Push notifications depend on your device permissions. Supplying a phone number alone is not consent to promotional texts.

Advertising subscriptions, sponsored articles, directory upgrades and other purchases are governed by the price, renewal, cancellation and refund information shown at checkout and the applicable advertising terms. A free reader account does not create a paid subscription. External organizers, sponsors and websites control their own products, services and privacy practices.

Copyright, privacy and service limits

Respect copyright and other rights. Report claimed infringement through our copyright-notice process. Repeat infringement may result in termination independently of the community-report thresholds. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle information.

The service is provided “as is” and “as available” to the extent permitted by law. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability, complete accuracy, universal moderation coverage or any business outcome. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from use of the service. Nothing excludes liability or consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Florida law governs these Terms except where mandatory law provides otherwise. Subject to those mandatory rights, disputes may be brought in the appropriate courts in Pasco County, Florida. We may update these Terms and will provide notice of material changes when required, including a site notice or account communication. Changes are not a substitute for any consent required by law.

Contact community-websites.com at email@community-websites.com or (813) 437-1676.