Community Guidelines

Why we have guidelines

Manbii exists so that residents across Ghana can share what they see and hold authorities accountable. For the map to stay useful, what appears on it has to be accurate, relevant, and safe for neighbours to read. These guidelines describe what belongs on Manbii and what doesn't.

What belongs on Manbii

Reports that describe a civic issue in a public or shared space, supported by a first-hand photo and an accurate location. Good reports include:

• A pothole, broken drain, or damaged piece of public infrastructure you can photograph.
• A visible utility fault — a downed line, a burst pipe, a street light that has been out for days.
• Sanitation or health issues — illegal dumping, blocked gutters, disease outbreak signs in shared spaces.
• Fire, building collapse, or other emergencies where you can report from a safe distance.
• Public safety hazards — flooding, road obstructions, unsafe structures — where you can report from a safe distance.
• Community notices — neighbourhood events, missing persons, public announcements.
• Public-institution issues — school, clinic, or government-office service problems.

What doesn't belong on Manbii

The following categories will be rejected by moderators and may lead to account suspension after repeated violations.

• False or fabricated reports

  Staged photos, made-up descriptions, or incidents that did not happen. Reports must describe something real that you saw.

• Harassment or attacks on individuals

  Reports that name, shame, or target a specific person — including neighbours, public figures, or employees — do not belong here.

• Hate speech

  Content that attacks people based on ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender, disability, or other protected characteristics.

• Violence or threats

  Graphic depictions of violence, threats against any person, or content glorifying harm.

• Sexual content

  Nudity, sexual imagery, or sexual descriptions — Manbii is a civic reporting tool, not a general-purpose photo platform.

• Misinformation

  Reports that misrepresent the nature, location, or severity of an incident — including recycled or out-of-date photos passed off as new.

• Spam and commercial content

  Advertisements, product promotion, or repeat submissions designed to surface a product, service, or message.

• Private information about others

  Photos that identify third parties who have not consented (faces, licence plates, home interiors), or any personal data about someone else (phone numbers, addresses, ID numbers).

• Circumventing moderation

  Creating multiple accounts, evading rate limits, or re-submitting content that has already been rejected.

How moderation works

Every report goes through the same workflow:

1. Submitted — you upload a photo, pick a category, pin the location, and submit.
2. Under review — a moderator checks the report against these guidelines.
3. Published — the report appears on the public map with its current status. Neighbours nearby who have opted in may receive an alert.
4. Resolved — the reporter or a moderator marks the issue as handled, and the status updates on the map.

Reports that break these guidelines are marked rejected and do not appear on the public map. Rate limits apply to all submissions and flags to prevent abuse.

Your privacy when reporting

You can report anonymously by toggling Report anonymously before submitting. When you do, your name and profile are not shown on the public map, and the reported location is slightly offset so it cannot be used to identify your home or workplace.

Moderators retain the ability to see the original account and exact location. This lets us enforce the rules against misuse — for example, repeat false reports or circumvention of suspensions. We only use that access for moderation; see our Privacy Policy for details.

Red Alerts

Red Alerts are a separate channel from community reports. They are time-limited emergency broadcasts issued only by the Manbii moderation team — typically during floods, fires, health incidents, or other situations that require people in a specific area to know immediately. Categories include emergency, flood, fire, crime, health, and other.

What this means for you:

• Users cannot issue Red Alerts. If you witness an emergency, submit a regular report and, if lives are at risk, contact emergency services directly (191 police, 192 fire).
• Red Alerts you see in the app are verified by moderators. They expire automatically once the situation passes (by default after 24 hours).
• Red Alerts are location-scoped: you only receive them when you are within the broadcast radius set by the moderator.

Flagging a report or comment

If you see content that breaks these guidelines, flag it. Tap the flag icon on the report or comment inside the app and pick a reason:

• Spam
• Harassment
• Hate speech
• Violence
• Sexual content
• Misinformation
• Other (with a short description)

Flags are reviewed by the same moderation team. For anything the in-app flow can't handle — impersonation of someone you know, threats directed at you, doxxing, or a legal takedown request — email trust@manbii.com with the report URL or ID and what's wrong.

Stay safe while reporting

• Never put yourself in harm's way to capture a report. If a scene is dangerous, contact the police or emergency services first.
• Don't photograph people up-close without reason — especially children, victims, or bystanders. Blur faces if necessary.
• Don't obstruct authorities, enter restricted areas, or interfere with active emergency response to take a photo.
• Manbii is a reporting tool, not an emergency service. For immediate threats call the police on 191 or fire service on 192.

Consequences of violations

A first violation usually results in the report being rejected. Repeated or severe violations — including fabrication, targeted harassment, or attempts to evade moderation — can lead to temporary or permanent account suspension. Appeals can be sent to trust@manbii.com.

Changes to these guidelines

We may update these guidelines as the community grows and new issues emerge. The date at the top reflects the last change. Substantial changes will be announced in-app.

Related documents

• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Contact