Governance
Social media platforms have broken trust. They make promises about free speech and user control, then change the rules when it's convenient. TownSquare exists to prove there's another way. We're built as a nonprofit with structural safeguards that make it impossible for us to become what we're trying to replace. Without these commitments, TownSquare is just another platform. These principles aren't optional. This page explains how we stay different.
Anti-capture governance
TownSquare is a nonprofit. There are no shareholders, and no single person can make unilateral decisions. Our governance structure is built into our bylaws, not just our good intentions.
Governance is representative, not a flat one-person-one-vote system. A group of people whose job is to represent the user base, staying in touch with what users actually want and advocating for it in decision-making, governs TownSquare. Today that means people working within the organization. It's intended to extend to community representatives as the model matures.
You can have direct, tangible input in this process if you choose to, but the system doesn't depend on mass participation to work. It's built to represent user interests whether or not most users ever engage with governance directly.
The exact process for how representatives are chosen is still being formalized. A volunteer, community-moderator style model is one option under consideration. It will be defined in our bylaws, which are currently in progress.
Business model
We don't have a venture capital model forcing us to monetize your data. Our business model is built on donations and optional creator subscriptions. That means your data stays yours.
We run minimal ads: limited, predictable, and never targeted using your personal data. As a nonprofit, ads aren't our growth engine, so we're not pushed to maximize them. We'd rather be honest that they exist than promise zero and quietly change later.
Your information is never brokered to third parties.
Revenue comes from voluntary support and creator subscriptions.
Open books and public audits reflect our nonprofit status.
Free speech and moderation
Our moderation and speech standards are anchored in principles defended by the ACLU and FIRE, two organizations that defend speech cases across the entire political spectrum, not just one side of it. Citing both together is what viewpoint neutrality looks like in practice, not a partisan choice.
The operating principle is simple: a rule applies the same way regardless of who is speaking or what they believe. We don't invent our own definition of free speech, and we don't bend it case by case.
That said, free speech doesn't mean anything goes. The boundaries are harm-based, not offense-based. We prohibit content that causes direct harm, violence, non-consensual sexual content, targeted harassment, and illegal activity, not content that someone simply dislikes. These boundaries apply equally regardless of ideology or viewpoint.
When a post is removed or an account is suspended, that decision is reviewable. Users can appeal, and we intend to publish aggregate moderation statistics so patterns are visible, not just individual outcomes. The full documented appeals process is being formalized in our bylaws.
The same rule applies no matter who's speaking or what they believe. That's the operating principle, not a slogan.
We prohibit violence, non-consensual sexual content, targeted harassment, and illegal activity, not content people simply dislike.
ACLU and FIRE defend speech cases across the entire political spectrum. Anchoring to both is the viewpoint-neutrality commitment made visible.
Transparency
We treat transparency as a requirement, not a feature. That applies to two things: the algorithm that decides what you see, and the money that keeps the platform running.
We believe transparency isn't a feature. It's a requirement. Our algorithm that determines what you see is open source and publicly auditable. You don't have to take our word that we're being fair.
We document how posts move through the Trending and For You feeds. Every decision point is mapped so you can see the logic behind the layout of your digital experience.
Changes to the algorithm are logged and explained publicly. We don't hide updates behind technical jargon or quiet rollouts. Accountability is built into our development cycle.
Unlike venture-backed platforms that answer to investors, we answer to our mission and our users. You deserve to know exactly how we're spending money and what happens to any surplus.
Nonprofits are required to file public tax returns anyway. We go further by making our finances easy to understand, not buried in legal documents. You can verify that we're running efficiently and that money is going where we say it goes.
The point
If we abandon these principles, we become indistinguishable from the platforms we're trying to replace. That defeats the entire purpose. These commitments are the whole point.
