Government & Crisis Communications Rules

1. Purpose & Scope

Vibble serves as a real-time communication channel where governments, public institutions, and emergency responders may share critical information with the public. These rules apply to:

• National, regional, and local government authorities
• Law enforcement and public safety agencies
• Public health institutions and emergency services
• Official crisis response centers and civil protection units

The objective is to support accurate, timely, and trustworthy communications while protecting users from false claims, impersonation, and political manipulation disguised as crisis messaging.

2. Government Account Verification

Governmental and public-sector accounts must complete enhanced verification to receive official status (e.g., government badge) and access to crisis-communication tools. This includes:

• Proof of affiliation with a recognized government authority or public agency
• Official domain-based email verification (e.g., .gov, .gouv, .gov.xx, etc.) where applicable
• Documentation confirming legal mandate or official role
• Designation of authorized administrators for the account

Verified government accounts are subject to heightened expectations for accuracy, integrity, and adherence to local and international law.

3. Acceptable Uses of Government & Crisis Communications

Official government and emergency-service accounts may use Vibble to:

• Share urgent public safety alerts, such as natural disasters, health warnings, or security incidents
• Provide verified guidance on evacuation, shelter, medical services, and emergency assistance
• Communicate factual updates on crises, including response progress and resource availability
• Clarify or correct misinformation that poses direct harm to public safety
• Publish official notices, announcements, and public policy updates

Crisis usage must prioritize public safety and clarity over political campaigning or image management.

4. Prohibited Uses by Government Accounts

Government and public-sector accounts may not use their status or crisis-related messages to:

• Engage in partisan political campaigning under the guise of emergency communication
• Disseminate knowingly false or misleading information about crises or public safety
• Harass, threaten, or target individuals or groups
• Encourage unlawful behavior or vigilante actions
• Discuss confidential or sensitive operational information that endangers people

Abuse of government-standing on Vibble may result in removal of badges, account restrictions, or suspensions in line with the Identity, Verification & Account Authenticity and Election Integrity frameworks.

5. Crisis Communications Priority & Labeling

During major crises, Vibble may:

• Elevate or highlight posts from verified emergency and public health accounts
• Add special labels indicating “Official Emergency Information” or similar signals
• Feature key updates in crisis hubs, Explore sections, or dedicated banners
• Provide contextual labels linking to trusted external resources (e.g., public health agencies)

Labels and prioritization do not imply endorsement but indicate that a message is from a verified public-sector source relevant to an ongoing crisis.

6. Crisis Definitions & Activation Criteria

Vibble may activate crisis-communication protocols for events such as:

• Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires)
• Public health emergencies (pandemics, major outbreaks)
• Mass casualty incidents, terrorist attacks, or large-scale violence
• Critical infrastructure failures (widespread blackouts, major network disruptions)
• Other events where timely, accurate information can prevent harm

Activation decisions are based on credible sources, global and regional alerts, and internal risk assessments by Vibble’s Safety and Risk teams.

7. Misinformation & Conflicting Official Statements

In situations where official accounts disagree or conflicting statements arise:

• Vibble may add context labels indicating there are differing official views
• Fact-checking partners or authoritative sources may be referenced or linked
• Content that is demonstrably false and harmful may be restricted or removed

Vibble does not arbitrate political disputes but may intervene where misinformation poses immediate risk to life, safety, or fundamental rights.

8. Emergency Exceptions & Rate Limits

During verified emergencies, Vibble may:

• Adjust posting or rate limits for verified emergency accounts to ensure their messages are delivered
• Temporarily prioritize delivery of critical alerts in users’ feeds and notifications (where user settings allow)
• Coordinate with telecom and infrastructure partners to improve message reliability

These exceptions are temporary and strictly limited to the duration of the confirmed crisis phase.

9. Use of Automated Systems & Bots by Government Accounts

Government entities may use automation (e.g., posting alerts via APIs) provided they:

• Comply with the API Terms of Use and Bot & Automation Rules
• Clearly identify automated accounts where posts are generated without real-time human input
• Do not mass-message users or engage in spam-like behavior

Covert or deceptive bot networks are prohibited, even if operated by government bodies.

10. Government Communications During Elections

To protect electoral integrity, government accounts must:

• Refrain from using crisis messaging tools to promote candidates, parties, or partisan agendas
• Ensure electoral information (e.g., voting locations, dates) is accurate and verifiable
• Comply with the Election Integrity & Political Content Policy and Political Advertising Policy

Misuse of official accounts for partisan electioneering under a crisis pretext may lead to enforcement actions and loss of special government status.

11. Impersonation & Fake Government Accounts

Impersonating government or emergency authorities is strictly prohibited. Vibble will:

• Remove or clearly label fake or misleading government accounts
• Suspend accounts that misrepresent themselves as public officials or agencies
• Elevate user reports of suspected government impersonation for priority review

See the Impersonation & Account Authenticity and Identity, Verification & Account Authenticity policies for further details.

12. Data Requests & Crisis Cooperation

Government and law enforcement data requests during crises must follow the Law Enforcement Data Request Guide and Government Requests Terms & Process. Emergency disclosure requests are processed via:

• Emergency channel: emergency@vibble.to
• Law enforcement/legal requests: legalrequests@vibble.to

Vibble balances urgent safety needs with privacy and due process obligations.

13. Logging, Audit & Accountability

For crisis communications and official government accounts, Vibble may maintain enhanced logs of:

• Key messages and emergency alerts
• Edits, deletions, and corrections to crisis-related posts
• System-level changes (e.g., special labels, boosts, or distribution adjustments)

These logs support post-incident analysis, regulatory audits, and transparency reporting.

14. Appeals & Dispute Resolution

Government or public-sector accounts may appeal decisions that:

• Restrict or label their crisis communications
• Remove or downgrade specific posts
• Revoke verified or government status

Appeals must be submitted via official channels and may be escalated to specialized policy and legal review teams, especially where public safety or democratic processes are implicated.

15. Changes to These Rules

Vibble may update these Government & Crisis Communications Rules to reflect:

• New legal or regulatory obligations
• Lessons learned from actual crisis deployments
• Feedback from civil society, experts, and regulators

Material updates will be reflected in this document and may be communicated to verified government and emergency accounts directly.

16. Contact Information

Government & Public Sector Support: gov-support@vibble.to
Crisis & Emergency Coordination: crisis@vibble.to
Law Enforcement & Legal Requests: legalrequests@vibble.to
Safety & Integrity Team: safety@vibble.to
General Legal: legal@vibble.to