Photo rules Our photo rules are in place to keep OkCupid enjoyable for everyone. At the heart of our Community Guidelines is our golden rule: treat online interactions as you would even if they were offline. OkCupid is a place where you can talk to other humans about things that matter to you both, and remember that the best way to make a meaningful connection with someone is to treat them well and to be respectful. We hope you keep your own safety and privacy in mind while interacting with others online. Please see our safety tips page for more information on how to keep you and your information safe. In all interactions consent is key. Are you unsure how to define consent? Check out the consent guide here. Below are details on each of our photo rules. Photos containing any of the following content may be flagged and deleted, and depending on content may also result in your account being banned. If you see a photo that violates these rules, please report it to us. If a photo is removed you will be emailed and told that this has happened and warned that repeated offenses might get you banned. This warning isn't a fake one, and we will ban your account for multiple infractions. OkCupid Photo Rules at a glance: 1. All photos in the Profile Photos Album must show your face 2. Your Profile Essays do not require your face being shown, but still must follow OkCupid guidelines listed in 3 3. You are not allowed to post the following anywhere on OkCupid: Images posted without permission Photos with contact information on them Hateful, illegal, or violent imagery Nudity and explicit sexual content Photos in your Profile Photos album must be clearly and recognizably of you, and must show your face. OkCupid is a place for making genuine connections, not a place to post anonymously. After all, it’s only fair that both people get to see what the other looks like. Photos of you should accurately visually describe who you are as a person. Just as we expect you to honestly describe your age, location, etc. we also expect photos to accurately describe you. If you upload a fake or blank photo to get around this rule, your account may be banned as a fake account. If you’re especially shy or have privacy concerns, we do have an Incognito option which allows you to hide your profile and photos to everyone on OkCupid unless you have Liked their profile. Photos in your profile Essays must still follow our other rules but do not have to show you so clearly, so feel free to post pictures of your pets, tattoos, shadows, heavily filtered photos, or anything else fun in your Essays. The following types of photos are not allowed in the Profile Photos section (but are allowed in Essays) Does not clearly show your face A closeup of a body part, even if it is part of your face (eyes, mouth, etc). We must see your whole face, or at least the majority of it. Is not recognizable as you (manipulated via filters, snapchat, photoshop, etc.) If so much of your face is obscured or blurred that someone can't tell that it's you, then it should be posted to the Essays section. Sunglasses are generally fine as long as they are not deliberately completely obscuring your face. A note on masks. In this time of Covid-19, many of us are wearing masks in public, and may have photos of this that we want to share. That is fine, as long as there is at least one other photo of your full face in your profile photos, and as long as the mask photo isn't your first/ main photo. Drawings or other artwork that are of you but aren't a photo. For multiple offenses or extreme cases regarding photo rules violations, profiles may also be banned and removed. Images posted without permission Relationships are built on the foundation of trust. One way to break the trust and violate the photo messaging guidelines is to post images without the consent of the owner, person depicted in the image, or words of another. Below are examples of ways you may unknowingly post without the consent of the owner. Chat or message screenshots with another person Group/ couples photos where the other person has complained, or photos of children where a parent/guardian did not give permission. Photos with contact information on them This includes: phone number, email address, Facebook address, etc. Repeated violation of this rule or other suspicious behavior may result in the profile being blocked as well. Photos either where the photographer or other copyright holder complained, or photos where we have reason to believe you are not the copyright holder. Photos of children (alone or posted without permission) We recognize that some parents want to be open about having children on their dating profiles, and we don't outright ban all photos with children in them. However, we will remove: Photos of your kids without you in the photo Photos of your kids if their other parent/guardian tells us they don't give permission to post them Photos you have posted of someone else's kids, even if you are in the photo Photos of you as a kid Hateful, illegal or violent imagery Any photos with hateful imagery, or anything overly violent, offensive, illegal, disturbing, or otherwise inappropriate for a dating site will be removed and may also get you banned. For example: Images, logos, or hand signs/gestures for hate groups Hateful memes Images with gun or other weapons in them Photos of weapons without you in them, or weapons being pointed at the camera are definitely not allowed A photo of you with a weapon at a shooting range or as an officer in uniform may be acceptable, but context is important and any photo that is seen to be threatening or otherwise inappropriate by our community will be removed. Illegal drugs Images that are bloody or violent (including some hunting photos, horror/gore photos, etc) Images of self harm (these can in turn be harmful for others to see, so they are not allowed) Nudity and explicit sexual content Nudity and explicit sexual content is not allowed anywhere on OkCupid and will result in your profile being banned. We may also remove photos that are not fully nude but which are deemed offensive or inappropriate. For example: Photos that do not include your face and are erotic, i.e. crotch grabbing, posing sexually on a bed, close up photos of underwear, etc. Some kink or fetish photos may be removed, depending on context. Extreme photos may result in a profile ban as well. Images where a hand, pastie, blur effect, or sticker/icon is barely covering explicit body parts may count as nudity, depending on context, and may be removed. Photos of erections under clothing will also be removed. Bodily fluids, including semen, urine, blood (fake blood in costumes and special effects makeup is ok) Once again Consent is key when sharing photos especially via photo messaging and when the subject of the photo could potentially be triggering or make someone uncomfortable. Check out the consent guide here. Our photo rules are in place to keep OkCupid enjoyable for everyone.
