Ingress Community Guidelines
Last revised: Mar 13, 2014
Updated from Ingress Official Guidelines on Feb 08, 2019
Respect the Community
We want Ingress to be a fun and safe experience for all players, and for everyone out in the real world where the game is played. Following these common-sense guidelines will help to ensure you and other players have a great experience, and that others are not affected by your game play. Remember that certain interactions that seem harmless or fun to you may be perceived completely differently by other players or bystanders.
Treat other players and bystanders with respect and courtesy and conduct yourself in an appropriate manner while playing Ingress. In particular:
- Harassment: Never do anything that would be perceived as harassment, stalking, intimidation or inciting others to do the same (see the Terms of Service). Violations can result in the loss of your account.
- Privacy: Players are identified in the game by screen names that they select. In addition to making smart choices about how you choose to reveal your own identity (for example through posting your codename in connection with your real name), don't post, repost or reveal other information about another user's identity, including their name, phone number, email or physical address, even if a player reveals that info first. Don't reveal that information about bystanders or anyone else, either. Violations can result in the loss of your account.
- Trespass: Don't trespass while playing Ingress (and don't try to lawyer that guideline, just respect it). Do not access any property or location while playing the game if you're not sure you have the right to be there. Use good judgement and take responsibility for your actions.
- Contact with Users and Bystanders: Some bystanders may be interested in what you're doing when you're playing Ingress, and some players may want to interact with other players, others don't. Use good judgement and common sense -- leave bystanders and other players alone if they don't want to talk to you. Unwanted physical contact with anyone while playing the game? Unwanted videotaping or photographing of other players or bystanders? Insults or obscenities directed toward other players or bystanders? Are you kidding? No - don't do it. If someone is being aggressive, trolling, offensive, overly protective of a specific Portal or just plain gets on your nerves; ignore them and don't engage. Temporarily remove yourself from the situation and/or block them in Comm.
- Spam: Everyone hates spam - don’t post any.
- Inappropriate Content: We may review the Content you submit to Ingress (images, text, etc), particularly if another user has flagged it as offensive, and may remove it if we believe it's inappropriate for the game. That may include sexual or pornographic content, obscenity, or hate speech. ("Hate speech" refers to content that promotes hatred against members of a protected group. For instance, racist or sexist content may be considered hate speech). Remember, you come face to face with real people; be respectful to one another and don't say things you wouldn't normally say at work or in front of your mother.
- Cheating: Don't do it. Play fair. Only use official Niantic Labs software and remember Ingress is meant to be played on a mobile device and get you outside to explore your world! Methods of cheating, unfortunately, are limited only by cheaters' imaginations, but include at a minimum the following: using modified or unofficial software, playing with multiple accounts (one account per player, please); sharing accounts; win trading; using tools or techniques to alter or falsify your location; or selling or trading accounts. If you suspect someone of cheating, don't call them out in Comm or demand they show their face, just report it via the Help Center and focus on your mission.
We Enforce These Guidelines
We will review reported or flagged player accounts and content and will determine whether or not they violate these guidelines. Accounts are penalized for Community Guidelines violations - we may issue a warning, suspend you from the game, or (for serious or repeated violations) terminate your account.