Report Illegal Content

Expatify hosts content written by other people: classified ads, job ads, business listings, reviews and events. As a hosting service, we follow the notice-and-action rules of the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, the "DSA"). This page explains how to report content you believe is illegal and what happens next.

In an emergency, or if someone's life or safety is at risk, call the police on 112 first.

1. Who we are and how to reach us

Expatify is operated by Drakestar Ventures Ltd, a company registered in Cyprus under number HE469158. Full details are in our Legal Notice.

Our single point of contact for users, and for authorities of the EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Board for Digital Services, is:

• Email: hello@expatifyguide.com
• Online: our contact form

You can write to us in English or Greek.

2. What you can report

You can report any content on Expatify that you believe is illegal under EU law or the law of an EU Member State, for example:

• scams and fraud, such as fake ads or requests for advance payment;
• items that cannot legally be sold, such as weapons, drugs or protected wildlife;
• job ads that discriminate, charge candidates fees or involve illegal work;
• defamatory statements, harassment, threats or hate speech;
• content that infringes copyright, trade marks or other intellectual property;
• content that reveals someone's personal data without a lawful reason;
• child sexual abuse material or anything that endangers children.

You can also report content that is not illegal but breaks our own rules, such as the Reviews and User Content Policy, the Buy & Sell Terms or the Jobs Board Terms. We handle these reports in the same way.

3. How to send a notice

The quickest way is the "Report" link on the content itself: "Report this ad" on each classified ad, "Report this job" on each job, and the report option on each review. For a directory listing or any other page, use our contact form or email.

For a full notice, please send us an email or use the contact form with:

1. The exact location of the content: the full web address (URL) of the page, and enough detail to find the specific ad, review or text if the page has more than one;
2. Why you believe it is illegal: a clear explanation, mentioning the law or right concerned if you can;
3. Your name and email address, so we can tell you what we decide. You do not need to give your name if your notice is about child sexual abuse material or the sexual exploitation of children;
4. A statement that you believe in good faith that the information and claims in your notice are accurate and complete.

For copyright or trade mark notices, please also tell us what work or mark is affected and whether you are the rights holder or act for them.

A notice that contains this information gives us actual knowledge of the content, which means we must act on it quickly if the content is clearly illegal.

4. What happens next

• We confirm we received your notice by email, if you gave us an email address, without undue delay.
• A person looks at the content and your notice, and decides in a timely, careful and objective way whether the content is illegal or breaks our terms. We may contact you or the person who posted it for more information.
• We may hide the content while we check it, if it appears likely to cause harm.
• We tell you our decision, and the options you have if you disagree with it.

Most reports are looked at within one working day. Complex legal questions, such as defamation or intellectual property disputes, can take longer, and we may ask you to provide a court order or more evidence.

If content gives rise to a suspicion that a criminal offence involving a threat to someone's life or safety has taken place, is taking place or is likely to take place, we inform the Cyprus Police or the relevant authorities and share the information we hold.

5. Statement of reasons

If we remove, hide, demote or restrict content, or suspend or close an account, we send the person who posted it a statement of reasons, unless we do not have their contact details, the content is high-volume deceptive commercial content (spam), or a legal order or a risk to someone's safety prevents us. The statement explains:

• what we did and, where relevant, for how long;
• the facts and circumstances we relied on, including whether we acted after a notice;
• whether we used automated means to detect the content or to take the decision;
• the law we believe was broken, or the term or policy that was broken;
• how to ask us to look at the decision again, and the other options available.

6. Asking us to review a decision (counter-notice)

If you posted content that we removed or restricted, or if you sent a notice and disagree with our decision, you can ask us to review it. Reply to our email or write to us within six months of the decision, explaining why you think we got it wrong and including any evidence.

A person who was not involved in the first decision will look at it again where possible. If we agree that we made a mistake, we will restore the content or reverse the restriction without undue delay, and let you know. Asking us to review a decision is free.

You can also:

• go to the courts of Cyprus or another competent court;
• complain to the Digital Services Coordinator for Cyprus, or the Digital Services Coordinator of the EU country where you live, if you think we have not followed the Digital Services Act;
• for matters involving your personal data, complain to the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection (see our Privacy Policy).

7. Misuse of the reporting system

Please only report content you honestly believe is illegal or breaks our rules. If someone frequently sends notices or complaints that are clearly unfounded, we may, after a warning, stop handling their notices for a reasonable period. Likewise, we may suspend accounts that frequently post clearly illegal content.

8. Orders from authorities

If we receive an order from a competent judicial or administrative authority to act against illegal content or to provide information about a user, we tell the authority what we did and when, and we inform the user concerned as the law requires.

9. We do not monitor everything

We do not, and are not required to, check everything posted on Expatify before it appears, and we do not search actively for illegal content. Our moderation is explained in our Reviews and User Content Policy. Your reports help keep the site safe.

10. Changes

We may update this page when our procedures or the law change. The date at the top shows the latest version. See also our Terms and Conditions.