The following rules apply to all CAKE subreddits. These rules may change over time, so please make sure to check back regularly. Your subreddit may also have its own rules on top of these (in the event of any conflict, the individual subreddit’s rules override these).

General Rules

1. Make sure to use common sense on our subreddits. If you suspect that something could get you in trouble, don’t do it! You can always reach out to the moderators of that subreddit via modmail for clarification on what is and isn’t allowed.
2. Most of our subreddits are English-speaking, so please make sure that all of your posts and comments are also in English. Non-English speakers are still welcome, but their posts and comments must be in English. You can use your browser’s translation features to view content in your native language if English is not your first language.
3. Please read the full rules, both general and subreddit-specific, before posting. Do not attempt to use any loopholes to get around our rules, for example, “I was joking” is not an excuse to break the rules, nor is adding “in Fortnite” on the end of a threatening post. “I didn’t know” is also not an excuse to break the rules either, as our rules are clearly accessible from each subreddit.
4. You must follow Reddit’s TOS at all times when using our subreddits. Similarly, your discussions on our subreddits must not promote or facilitate violating the TOS of a company; for example, you must not instruct others on how to sell their Fortnite accounts.

Posting and commenting

1. Please make sure that posts are on-topic, unless your subreddit allows off-topic discussion.
2. Avoid low-quality and low-effort posts. Low-effort posts can clutter up subreddits and add no real value to any discussion. Make sure that all of your posts contain a body if relevant, as those without one may be considered as low-effort. Crossposting without changing the title is generally also considered low-effort. Remember that titles on Reddit cannot be edited, so make sure your posts use a title that is relevant and meaningful, and not just “a meme I made.”
3. Make sure that a post flair is present on relevant posts, and that the selected flair aligns with the contents of your post. If you are unsure of which flair to use, pick the one that suits your post the most.
4. Please do not spam unwanted content, this includes both posts and comments. Excessive posting in some subreddits will result in your posts being auto-removed. Do not participate in any raids.
5. We do not allow advertising in posts and comments, except for paid promotions in some of our subreddit’s banners using our official advertising program. Advertising is generally defined as promoting something for a personal gain, such as money or followers; it does not extend to simply sharing a helpful resource you found/made.
6. You must not sell anything, facilitate a sale, or promote or host a giveaway on one of our subreddits without permission from its moderators first. This is to protect our users from scams. Similarly, you must not ask others for gifts or offer to buy something from other members.
7. Please refrain from posting malicious links including IP grabbers, scams, rule-breaking content (such as Pornhub links), links to viruses/malware, etc.
8. Do not link to any sites that are blocked in either the UK or US, such as Imgur. This is because some of our moderators are unable to view the linked content, so NSFW images or content could slip through. We will remove all of these links on sight, regardless of what the linked content is.

Being Respectful

1. While we understand that it is not possible to ban profanity and swearing completely, please try to refrain from it in our subreddits where possible. This also includes language that may be offensive to certain groups, such as “OMG.” Posts and comments that are removed for excessive bad language may be resubmitted with the bad language removed. In some cases, our profanity filters may mistakenly remove non-rule-breaking content; if this happens to you, please contact us via modmail.
2. We will not tolerate any hate speech, particularly involving protected characteristics. These are: Age, Gender, Gender-Reassignment, Sexual orientation, Marital status, Religion, Pregnancy/Maternity, Race, and Ethnicity.
3. Please refrain from making toxic or insulting comments towards other members. If you wouldn’t like it, don’t do it to others.
4. Please avoid referring to political events and topics where possible as this content has a tendency to stir up conflict. We also ask that you do not discuss sensitive topics in our subreddits, unless the subreddit’s rules state otherwise; while this content is important, certain topics can be upsetting for some individuals, and posts about certain content may unfortunately attract harmful or hateful responses towards those affected.
5. Please do not spread unverified rumours or disinformation in our subreddits; false rumours can be incredibly damaging to an innocent person’s reputation. This includes accusing others of using generative AI without strong, reliable evidence. Do not edit images or videos in a misleading way; this includes creating deepfakes.
6. Do not attempt to cause drama or mass-panic in our subreddits. Do not bring up drama from outside of our subreddits, or any serious drama from inside our subreddits. You may respond to allegations against you, if relevant, however you cannot use this as an opportunity to start drama against someone else. Do not witch hunt, contact the moderators via modmail instead if you would like to report someone.
7. Do not intentionally trigger or attempt to trigger any phobias, conditions, or sensitivities (eg epilepsy) that a person has. Please provide a clear warning when a video has excessive flashing lights.
8. Do not DM anyone in our subreddit unless you know them or have their prior permission, as unknown DMs can make some members uncomfortable. Do not share any private DMs on our subreddits without the permission of everyone involved in those DMs.
9. You must not impersonate anyone in an attempt to mislead others of your identity. Roleplaying is allowed, however it must be immediately clear, to anyone who sees your messages, that you are roleplaying.

Respecting Our Mods

1. Our moderators are dedicated and work hard to maintain order and peace in our subreddits. That being said, any harassment that is directed towards a CAKE moderator, even if that harassment takes place outside of Reddit, will result in a ban.
2. Please refrain from spamming Modmail; it’s a waste of time and won’t make us respond any faster. If you haven’t received a response within 7 days (or shorter for very urgent matters), you may resend your query or attempt to contact a moderator through an alternative platform, such as Discord or Reddit DMs. Do not contact a moderator through any private chats without going through Modmail first, as some of our moderators are under 18. If you suspect that a raid is taking place, or is about to take place, and there are no moderators who are online and dealing with the raid, please contact our moderators through as many platforms as possible until a response is received or action is taken against the raid (abuse of this will result in a ban).
3. Do not try to undermine a moderator by attempting to contact another moderator for a different opinion. All of our moderators can see any discussions in ModMail, and senior mods will often intervine on their own if they believe that a punishment is unfair. If you think a punishment you received was genuinely unfair and no senior mods have intervened, please scroll down to the Rule Enforcement section.

Illegal/nsfw content

1. We do not allow the posting of any illegal content in our subreddits. This includes (but is not limited to): Sexual content involving minors, content relating to obtaining, supplying, or encouraging the use of illegal drugs, promotion of terrorism, seeking advice on how to commit a crime, threatening communications (including doxxing), encouraging self-harm or suicide, underage gambling/betting, glorifying violence, animal or child abuse, dangerous challenges or stunts.
2. We do not allow NSFW imagery, such as pornography. We consider softcore pornography as NSFW, and therefore do not allow it. In most cases, do not discuss, or joke about, NSFW topics, unless explicitly permitted by your subreddit. We allow exceptions for self-help posts (eg asking for advice on how to quit an addiction) provided that discussion within that post remains mature.
3. Some subreddits may have age ratings that are different to Reddit’s if the topic of discussion is too mature for a younger audience. If this is the case, it will be listed in the subreddit’s rules clearly. If we discover that you are underage, you will be banned until you are old enough to use the subreddit.
4. Please do not post, joke or not, about suicide or self-harm. If we see any content relating to these topics, it will be removed and you will be redirected to a relevant helpline if needed.

Using AI

1. While AI can be a helpful tool while making posts, it can also harm creativity and create spam. For this reason, we discourage the use of AI in posts and comments. Using AI for things such as proofreading and fact-checking is allowed, but your post must be primarily your own work.
2. We do not allow you to post AI-generated images that derive from a text prompt. We do, however, allow the use of AI editing tools (such as background eraser, object mover, upscaling, etc) in an image, provided that no generative AI is used. This rule also applies to other forms of artwork, such as music and games.
3. If you have used AI for research, make sure to fact-check any information or data that it provides, especially in subreddits where accuracy is important such as subreddits about medical conditions.

---

Rule Enforcement

If you break our rules, we may take action against you; the level of action taken will depend on your history and the severity of your offence. Generally, this action will be in the form of one or more of the following:

• Warning – The Moderator will explain what you have done and ask you to not do it again.
• Locked Post – Comments will be disabled on your post.
• Post/Comment Removal – Your Post/Comment will be removed from the subreddit. You will receive a message explaining the reason for removal.
• Temporary Ban – You will be blocked from posting or commenting in the subreddit for the specified number of days. You will receive a message detailing the duration and reason for the ban.
• Mute – You will be blocked from interacting with the mod team via modmail for a specified number of days. Unless urgent, you must not attempt to contact the mod team in any way during the mute.
• Permanent Ban – In rare cases, you may be blocked from posting or commenting on the subreddit permanently. You will receive a message detailing the reason for the ban.

Sometimes, punishments may be issued across multiple subreddits. For example, if you doxx a moderator, you may be banned from every subreddit they moderate.

All CAKE moderators are issued with a guidebook that outlines each offence, based on the rules above, and suggests appropriate punishments. For transparency and appeals reasons, we publish this document. The guidelines are flexible, as moderators can use their own discretion when taking action, so your punishment may not always match the one listed. However, if you believe that a punishment given is unfair and is disproportionate to what is listed in the guidelines, you may appeal their decision.

Punishment Guidelines →

Appeals

Appealing a Decision

Everyone is automatically entitled to appeal a decision made by a moderator if they believe it is unfair. This ability can only be temporarily taken away if the user is submitting excessive appeals and wasting moderator time, or if they are abusing the appeals process to harass the moderators.

If you would like to submit an appeal, the first step is usually to send a modmail requesting that a decision be reviewed by senior mods. We expect that most issues will be resolved here. However, if you remain dissatisfied with the outcome and you believe that you have a genuine reason to appeal (eg the actions of the mod team are corrupt) you may take the appeal further.

In order to take an appeal further, start by sending a modmail to r/CakeMods requesting an appeal of a senior mod’s decision. You may be asked to provide screenshot proof that you have first made attempts to appeal directly to the subreddit’s moderators. After sending the modmail, you should hear back shortly afterwards as to whether your request to appeal was successful or not. If you do not hear back within 14 business days, you may resubmit the appeal or DM some of the moderators of r/CakeMods.

If your request to appeal is successful, you will be invited to the CAKE Mod Hub Discord server where a hearing will take place with several of CAKE’s board members. Both sides will present their case and evidence (which must be shared with the opposing side at least 2 days before to be admissible) and the board members will decide a verdict. If your appeal is rejected or unsuccessful, you cannot submit another appeal on that issue for 1 year.

Appealing a Rule

Through a similar manner to appealing a moderator’s decision, it is also possible to appeal certain subreddit rules if you believe that they fit one of the following criteria:

• The rule (directly or indirectly) unfairly discriminates against a group of people. For example, a rule that prevents people with ginger hair from posting.
• The rule is unnecessary and excessive, restricting posting for no good reason. The moderators must not be able to provide a good reason for having the rule.
• The rule is designed as a loophole to allow moderators to abuse their power. For example, a rule that bans getting more than 5 upvotes that is selectively enforced to ban people the moderators don’t like.

(Note: There may be more reasons not listed in the above criteria as to why a rule is unfair).

Appeals for rules are submitted in the same way as regular appeals. You must have first contacted the moderators of the subreddit via modmail to explain why you think the rule is unfair before you can take further action. If an appeal is successful, the board can order the subreddit to adapt or remove the rule, and potentially reverse any punishments that were given out because of it.