Reporting Guidelines

WatchDawg is a community safety platform that allows users to share location-based observations about incidents, suspicious activity, property concerns, and other local safety matters.

These Reporting Guidelines explain what may be submitted, how reports should be written, what content is prohibited, and how WatchDawg moderates reports.

Every WatchDawg report is a community-submitted observation. A report appearing on WatchDawg does not mean that WatchDawg, police, a municipality, or any other authority has verified the report or determined that an offence occurred.

These Guidelines should be read together with our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Data Policy.

1. Purpose of Reporting

WatchDawg is designed to help communities:

• become aware of local safety concerns;
• identify emerging patterns and trends;
• share useful factual observations;
• better understand what community members are seeing and experiencing; and
• provide information that may help individuals and organizations make informed decisions.

WatchDawg is not intended to:

• publicly accuse people of crimes;
• determine guilt or responsibility;
• investigate individuals;
• identify suspects;
• organize confrontations;
• encourage vigilantism;
• shame or harass people; or
• replace official police reporting.

Reports should inform, not accuse.

2. Who May Submit a Report

Registered WatchDawg users in good standing may submit reports.

By submitting a report, you confirm that:

• you are acting honestly and in good faith;
• you have a reasonable factual basis for what you are reporting;
• you are not intentionally providing false or misleading information;
• your report complies with these Guidelines and our Terms & Conditions; and
• you are not submitting the report to harass, intimidate, retaliate against, shame, or target another person.

You are responsible for the information and media you submit.

3. What You Should Report

WatchDawg may be used to report factual observations concerning community safety matters such as:

• suspicious activity;
• theft or attempted theft;
• break-and-enter incidents or attempts;
• vehicle theft;
• theft from vehicles;
• suspicious vehicles;
• property damage;
• vandalism;
• trespassing;
• scams or suspected fraud;
• traffic or roadway safety concerns;
• fire-related incidents;
• suspected arson;
• public-safety concerns;
• recurring suspicious activity in an area; and
• other incidents reasonably connected to community safety.

A report does not have to describe criminal conduct.

For example, you may report an observation that appears unusual or concerning without claiming that the person involved committed a crime.

4. Report What You Observed, Not What You Assume

Reports should focus on observable facts.

Good reporting includes statements such as:

• "A person tried the handles of three parked vehicles."
• "A vehicle stopped beside several driveways for approximately ten minutes."
• "My bicycle was missing when I returned."
• "A person entered the fenced property after the business was closed."
• "A vehicle left the area immediately after the incident."

Avoid turning observations into unsupported conclusions.

For example, instead of:

"This person was casing houses to rob them."

Report:

"The person walked up several driveways and appeared to look through multiple front windows."

Instead of:

"This person is a thief."

Report:

"I observed the person remove the package from my front porch and leave."

Whenever reasonably possible, distinguish between:

• what you personally observed;
• what you were told by someone else;
• what you believe may have happened; and
• what has been confirmed by an official authority.

5. Describing People

You may provide factual physical descriptions when reasonably relevant to the incident.

Relevant descriptions may include:

• approximate height;
• approximate age range;
• clothing;
• footwear;
• hair;
• visible identifying features;
• direction of travel;
• objects being carried;
• behaviour you observed; and
• other physical characteristics reasonably necessary to describe what occurred.

Descriptions must be neutral and factual.

Do not use:

• racial or ethnic slurs;
• derogatory labels;
• insulting descriptions;
• speculation about nationality, immigration status, religion, sexuality, disability, or other protected characteristics;
• stereotypes; or
• descriptions included primarily to demean or provoke hostility.

A protected characteristic should only be referenced where it forms part of a legitimate, factual description relevant to identifying what was observed and is presented neutrally.

6. Naming or Identifying Individuals

As a general rule, do not name private individuals in WatchDawg reports.

Do not publish:

• someone's full name;
• social-media profile;
• workplace;
• phone number;
• personal email address;
• private home address;
• family information; or
• other unnecessary identifying information.

Do not identify an individual as a criminal, offender, thief, scammer, predator, suspect, or similar label unless the wording is based on an official public source and permitted under WatchDawg's policies.

Even where you believe you know who was involved, focus your WatchDawg report on the incident and what you observed rather than publicly accusing the person.

WatchDawg may remove identifying information where we determine it is unnecessary, excessive, unsafe, misleading, or inappropriate.

7. Public Figures and Official Information

Information concerning a public official, public figure, wanted person, police-issued public alert, or other publicly identified individual may be treated differently where the information comes from a legitimate official or publicly available source.

However, users must still:

• accurately represent the source;
• avoid adding unsupported allegations;
• avoid harassment or threats;
• avoid encouraging confrontation; and
• comply with applicable law.

Do not present an old or unrelated police release as though it describes a current event.

8. Vehicles

You may include factual vehicle information where relevant, including:

• make;
• model;
• colour;
• approximate year;
• vehicle type;
• distinguishing features;
• licence plate;
• direction of travel; and
• observed behaviour.

A vehicle description or licence plate does not establish that the registered owner committed or participated in an incident.

Do not attempt to identify, contact, confront, or locate a vehicle owner based solely on information appearing on WatchDawg.

9. Locations

Place the report pin at or near the location where the incident occurred.

Do not place the pin at your current location unless that is also where the incident occurred.

Whenever possible, use a location accurate enough to make the report useful while avoiding unnecessary disclosure of private residential information.

For incidents involving a private residence, consider whether identifying the exact property is necessary.

WatchDawg may adjust, generalize, or obscure a location where reasonably appropriate for privacy or safety.

10. Date and Time

Provide the date and time of the incident as accurately as reasonably possible.

If you do not know the exact time, provide your best reasonable estimate.

Do not intentionally assign an incorrect date or time to make an incident appear more recent or more serious.

11. Photos and Videos

Photos and videos may be submitted when they are relevant to the report and were obtained lawfully.

Before uploading media:

• make sure it is relevant;
• avoid unnecessary images of bystanders;
• avoid unnecessarily showing children;
• avoid exposing private information;
• avoid showing unrelated licence plates or addresses;
• do not place yourself in danger to obtain footage; and
• review the entire image or video for identifying information.

WatchDawg does not guarantee automatic blurring of faces, licence plates, addresses, children, or other identifying information.

Do not upload:

• pornography;
• sexual content;
• sexualized images of minors;
• child sexual abuse material;
• gratuitously graphic images;
• images of dead or seriously injured persons unless specifically permitted and necessary;
• private intimate images;
• material obtained unlawfully; or
• media uploaded primarily to humiliate, shame, threaten, or harass someone.

WatchDawg may remove or restrict media even where the underlying written report remains available.

12. Children and Minors

Exercise additional caution when a report involves a child or other minor.

Do not unnecessarily publish:

• a child's name;
• school;
• home address;
• contact information;
• identifying family information;
• clear facial image; or
• information that could reasonably expose the child to harm.

Content involving child exploitation, child sexual abuse, sexualization of minors, or attempts to identify or target a child is strictly prohibited and may be reported to appropriate authorities where required or permitted by law.

13. Personal Information and Doxxing

Do not use WatchDawg to expose personal information about another person.

Prohibited disclosures may include:

• private addresses;
• personal phone numbers;
• personal email addresses;
• account passwords;
• financial information;
• government identification numbers;
• private employment information;
• private medical information;
• private family details;
• school schedules;
• real-time private whereabouts; or
• information intended to enable harassment or retaliation.

Publishing personal information for the purpose of locating, intimidating, confronting, or harming someone is prohibited.

14. Unsupported Accusations

Do not use WatchDawg to publicly declare that an identifiable person:

• committed a crime;
• is a criminal;
• is dangerous;
• is a sex offender;
• is a scammer;
• is a thief;
• is involved in organized crime; or
• engaged in other serious misconduct

unless that statement is accurately based on an appropriate official public source and otherwise complies with these Guidelines.

Instead, describe the conduct you observed.

Reports may be removed or held for review where the wording presents speculation or accusation as established fact.

15. No Vigilantism

Never use WatchDawg to encourage others to:

• locate someone;
• follow someone;
• chase someone;
• confront someone;
• detain someone;
• threaten someone;
• damage property;
• retaliate;
• organize a group response; or
• otherwise take enforcement action.

Do not post messages such as:

• "Someone should teach this guy a lesson."
• "Let's find him."
• "Everyone go to this address."
• "If you see this person, confront them."
• "Someone needs to deal with this."

If an incident requires law-enforcement involvement, contact the appropriate police service.

16. Hate, Harassment and Discrimination

WatchDawg does not permit content that promotes or contains:

• hate speech;
• discriminatory slurs;
• dehumanizing language;
• harassment;
• bullying;
• threats;
• intimidation; or
• attacks directed at individuals or groups based on protected characteristics.

Factual descriptions relevant to an incident are not prohibited merely because they reference a physical characteristic, but they must be neutral and reasonably relevant.

17. Violence and Threats

Do not submit content that:

• threatens violence;
• celebrates violence against an identifiable individual;
• encourages someone to harm another person;
• provides instructions for retaliation;
• encourages mob action;
• promotes terrorism or extremist violence; or
• advocates violent punishment.

Reports describing violence that actually occurred may be permitted when presented factually and without gratuitous imagery or encouragement of further violence.

18. Sexual Content

WatchDawg is not a platform for sexual or pornographic content.

Do not submit:

• pornography;
• explicit sexual content;
• nudity unrelated to a legitimate safety report;
• sexual solicitation;
• sexual exploitation;
• non-consensual intimate imagery; or
• sexual content involving minors.

Where sexual misconduct is relevant to a legitimate community safety report, describe the incident factually without unnecessary explicit detail or imagery.

19. Graphic Content

Graphic content should only be submitted where reasonably necessary to document a legitimate safety matter.

WatchDawg may remove, restrict, hide, or decline to publish graphic material that is:

• gratuitous;
• excessively disturbing;
• intended primarily to shock;
• unrelated to the report; or
• inappropriate for the platform.

20. False Reports

Knowingly submitting false, fabricated, staged, manipulated, or intentionally misleading reports is prohibited.

Examples include:

• inventing an incident;
• falsely accusing a neighbour;
• creating a report as a joke;
• altering a photograph to misrepresent what occurred;
• using old footage and claiming it happened recently;
• intentionally reporting the wrong location; or
• repeatedly reporting someone because of a personal dispute.

Serious or repeated false reporting may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

Where appropriate, WatchDawg may preserve relevant records concerning suspected abuse.

21. Personal Disputes

WatchDawg should not be used to escalate private disagreements.

Do not use the platform to publish disputes involving:

• neighbours;
• former partners;
• coworkers;
• landlords or tenants;
• customers;
• family members; or
• other personal relationships

unless there is a legitimate community safety incident that can be reported factually and independently of the personal dispute.

Reports used primarily as retaliation or harassment may be removed.

22. Business Complaints and Reviews

WatchDawg is not a general consumer-review platform.

Do not use WatchDawg solely to complain about:

• poor customer service;
• pricing;
• refunds;
• product quality;
• employment disputes;
• contractual disagreements; or
• dissatisfaction with a business.

A business-related report may be permitted where it concerns a legitimate safety incident, suspected fraud, or other matter within WatchDawg's intended purpose.

23. Spam and Advertising

Do not submit:

• advertisements;
• promotional content;
• referral links;
• repetitive messages;
• political campaigning;
• fundraising solicitations;
• unrelated announcements; or
• content primarily intended to drive traffic to another service.

24. Intellectual Property

Only upload photos, videos, documents, or other content that you have the legal right to submit.

Do not upload copyrighted material simply because you found it online.

Where third-party material is reasonably necessary to report a legitimate incident, ensure your use is lawful.

25. Safe Reporting

Never put yourself or another person at risk to create a WatchDawg report.

Do not:

• follow a suspicious person to gather additional information;
• approach or confront someone;
• enter private property;
• interfere with an active incident;
• interfere with police or emergency responders;
• drive unsafely while recording;
• attempt to detain another person; or
• delay calling emergency services in order to take photographs.

Your safety is more important than obtaining information for WatchDawg.

26. How to Submit a Report

When creating a report:

• Select the category that best describes the incident.
• Choose the location where the incident occurred.
• Enter the date and approximate time.
• Describe what you observed using neutral, factual language.
• Add relevant vehicle, property, or incident details where applicable.
• Upload relevant photos or videos, if appropriate and safely obtained.
• Indicate whether police or another authority was contacted, where the option is available.
• Provide a private police occurrence or reference number if you choose and the field is available.
• Review your report carefully.
• Submit the report.

Do not include information simply because the form provides a field for it. Include only information reasonably relevant to the incident.

27. Police Occurrence Numbers

Where WatchDawg permits you to provide a police occurrence or reference number, that information should only be submitted where accurate.

Occurrence or reference numbers entered into fields designated as private are not intended for public display.

Providing an occurrence number does not mean that:

• police verified every statement contained in your WatchDawg report;
• the matter resulted in charges;
• an offence was established; or
• WatchDawg independently confirmed the incident.

28. AI and Similarity Analysis

WatchDawg may use automated systems and artificial intelligence to analyze reports for moderation, categorization, similarity, or trend identification.

Automated analysis may indicate that two reports appear similar.

This does not mean that:

• the same person was involved;
• the same vehicle was involved;
• the same event was involved;
• the incidents are connected;
• an offence occurred; or
• anyone is guilty of wrongdoing.

AI-generated similarity information should be treated as an analytical indicator only.

29. Automated Moderation

WatchDawg may automatically screen reports for content that may violate these Guidelines.

A report may be:

• published;
• held for review;
• temporarily hidden;
• restricted;
• rejected;
• removed; or
• referred for administrator review.

Automated systems are not perfect.

A report being flagged does not necessarily mean it violated WatchDawg's rules.

Likewise, publication does not mean WatchDawg has verified or endorsed the report.

30. Human Moderation

WatchDawg administrators may review reports and may consider:

• the report text;
• media;
• location;
• context;
• user flags;
• prior reports;
• applicable policies;
• severity of the issue; and
• relevant account history.

Where appropriate, administrators may:

• approve a report;
• remove a report;
• restrict visibility;
• redact information;
• request changes;
• warn a user;
• restrict account functionality;
• temporarily suspend an account; or
• permanently terminate an account.

31. Reporting or Flagging Content

If you believe a report violates these Guidelines, use the Report or Flagfunction available within WatchDawg.

Flagging is private.

Appropriate reasons for flagging may include:

• false or misleading information;
• harassment;
• threats;
• hate speech;
• personal information;
• unsupported accusations;
• graphic content;
• sexual content;
• spam;
• vigilantism;
• irrelevant content; or
• another violation of WatchDawg policy.

Do not flag reports simply because:

• you disagree with an opinion;
• the report concerns your neighbourhood;
• the report is inconvenient;
• you dislike the reporting user; or
• you want legitimate information removed.

Abuse of the reporting system may result in account restrictions.

32. Blocking

Where available, users may block other users through WatchDawg.

Blocking may limit your ability to view content associated with another user or otherwise interact with that user's content.

Blocking does not automatically mean that the blocked user's reports violated these Guidelines.

You should use blocking functionality where another user is engaging in behaviour that you do not wish to encounter through the Service, and use the reporting function where you believe a policy violation has occurred.

33. Moderation Response

WatchDawg reviews flagged or potentially objectionable content and takes action where appropriate.

The seriousness and urgency of a review may depend on factors including:

• threats to safety;
• illegal content;
• child-safety concerns;
• harassment;
• disclosure of sensitive personal information;
• credible threats;
• repeated violations; and
• other potential harm.

WatchDawg may act immediately where necessary to protect users or the Service.

34. Serious or Illegal Content

WatchDawg may preserve, restrict, remove, or disclose content to appropriate authorities where permitted or required by law.

This may include circumstances involving:

• credible threats of serious harm;
• child sexual abuse material;
• exploitation of minors;
• terrorism;
• serious criminal activity;
• immediate threats to public safety;
• court orders; or
• other lawful requests.

Submitting content to WatchDawg does not guarantee that WatchDawg will report it to an authority.

If you believe police or emergency intervention is required, contact the appropriate authority directly.

35. Warnings, Suspension and Termination

Violations may result in:

• education or warning;
• content removal;
• temporary publishing restrictions;
• temporary account suspension;
• permanent account termination; or
• other measures reasonably necessary to protect WatchDawg and its users.

Serious misconduct may result in immediate suspension or termination without a prior warning.

Examples of potentially serious violations include:

• credible threats;
• stalking;
• doxxing;
• child sexual exploitation;
• repeated harassment;
• deliberate false accusations;
• organized vigilantism; or
• repeated attempts to evade moderation.

36. Editing and Correcting Reports

If you discover that information in your report is inaccurate, you should correct or delete the report where the Service permits.

Do not leave materially inaccurate information publicly available after you become aware that it is incorrect.

WatchDawg may also remove or restrict content where material inaccuracies become apparent.

37. Deletion of Reports

Users may have the ability to delete reports they submitted.

Deletion may not immediately remove all associated information from backups, security records, moderation records, or systems where retention is permitted or required by law.

Aggregated or de-identified information derived from a report may continue to be retained as described in our Privacy Policy and Data Policy.

38. Emergencies

WatchDawg is not an emergency service.

Do not submit a WatchDawg report instead of contacting emergency services.

If:

• someone is in immediate danger;
• a crime is actively occurring;
• there is a fire;
• urgent medical assistance is required; or
• there is an immediate threat to public safety,

call 911 or the appropriate emergency service.

Do not assume anyone monitoring WatchDawg will see or respond to your report.

39. Official Police Reports

Submitting information through WatchDawg does not create an official police report.

If you need:

• an official occurrence number;
• police attendance;
• an investigation;
• evidence formally submitted;
• insurance documentation; or
• another official response,

contact the appropriate police service or government authority directly.

40. Community Responsibility

WatchDawg is most useful when users report responsibly.

Before submitting, ask:

• Did I observe this?
• Is it relevant to community safety?
• Is my wording factual?
• Am I separating fact from assumption?
• Is this identifying information actually necessary?
• Would I be comfortable explaining the factual basis for this report?
• Could this report unnecessarily expose or endanger someone?
• Am I reporting to inform others rather than retaliate against someone?

When in doubt, use neutral factual language and include less identifying information.

41. Changes to These Guidelines

WatchDawg may update these Reporting Guidelines as the Service, moderation practices, legal requirements, or application marketplace requirements change.

Material changes will be communicated where reasonably appropriate.

The "Last Updated" date above identifies the most recent revision.

42. Contact

Questions, moderation concerns, or complaints concerning these Reporting Guidelines may be directed to:

WatchDawg

Email: support@watchdawg.ca

Website: www.watchdawg.ca

Users may also use the support, reporting, and flagging functionality available within the WatchDawg Service.