We have several options to control who sees your profile publicly as well as who can post on your profile and send you direct messages. By default, the settings are set so that you can have maximum enjoyment from the site, but we also realize that each individual's experience will be different. Please go to your Privacy Settings page and choose the appropriate settings.

First, you should "Report" any user who is sending you SPAM. We identify spam as unsolicited, automated messages, or messages in volume. Please report such messages. On every profile there is a "Report Abuse" button, simply submit your report. Empire Avenue reviews all reports received as soon as we are able to.

Second, depending on the severity of the abuse, we suggest you immediately Block or Mute the user (see below) so that you can have some peace of mind.

Report them immediately. We will not tolerate harassment of any sort. It is a violation of our Terms of Service and depending on the severity we may opt to report them to the appropriate authorities in the correct jurisdiction.

Blocking is intended as a way to stop another individual on the service from interacting directly with you. Blocking is not meant to avoid that individual or that individual’s content on the service altogether. Think of “Block” as a way to prevent someone from coming up to you and talking to you on the street, in your house or by phone, however, you may still see that person on the street.

Block is therefore not a substitute for reporting someone for abusive behaviour, including SPAM, harassment or any other offense of our Terms of Service. Please also understand that the Internet, as with the world, is filled with people of differing opinions, we only take action against individuals where they break our Terms of Service.

Blocking is intended to stop direct interaction between two individuals/profiles on Empire Avenue. When you block a person:

Stock Market:

• You cannot invest in each other, both parties will get an error.
• If you are invested in a person when you block, both parties will do an automatic sell at the current price of their respective shares. Commissions will be charged.

Profiles:

• Neither party will be able to follow, list or recommend each other. We will automatically remove you from each others lists when a Block event occurs.
• Neither person will be able to send a message or shout out to each other.

Community:

• Neither party will be able to join or be invited to a community Founded by the other.
• You cannot invite nor be invited into any community by each other.
• You cannot respond to a thread started by the other party.
• You will be automatically kicked out of any communities where the other is the Founder.

Missions:

• You will be unable to complete missions of each other.
• You will be unable to like/dislike/comment on missions of each other.

Blocking someone does NOT mean you will never see the blocked person or their content:

• Community: Since a thread or communication between a group of people must be seen in its fullness to appreciate context, posts to a community by one blocked party will be visible to the other blocked party. In the case of a private community both parties must be members of the community.


• Missions: You will still be able to see Missions that the blocked party has created and they will see yours. They will not be able to interact with the Mission.


• Profile: You will be able to see the full profile of an individual you have blocked. However, you will not be able to interact with the profile.


• Third Party Apps: We do not pass along the list of blocks to third party apps on the service. Any interactions done through our API will still be subject to your Block settings (such as buying/selling shares, sending messages, etc). However, you may end up interacting with that blocked person directly on the third party itself (for example a forum hosted on the third-party site).


• Chat and Chatrooms: Our current 3rd party chat system does not implement the ability to use Empire Avenue’s Block list. While this may change in the future, for now please take note.


• Mutual Friends: You will see interactions between the blocked person and mutual friends and may even get notified indirectly about the blocked person.

At this time, blocking on the site and blocking on the chat are different.

We will not send a notification. However, they will likely see the automated sell of shares on the Stock Market and during other interactions may understand that you have blocked them. Please be aware that you will not be able to hide the fact that you have blocked them.

"Muting" means that notifications of interactions by the Muted person will no longer delivered to you, however, the interactions themselves are not blocked. For example, a person can send you a private message, which you will receive, however you will not have an e-mail notification nor a pop-up alert on the site notifying you of the interaction. There is no effect on buying and selling of shares.

Unlike unblocking, you may Mute and Unmute at your leisure. There are no restrictions on unmuting someone. We will not notify the muted party on your muting them. Manage your Blocked Users from your Settings Page

Blocking will automatically mute someone. Unblocking will remove any previous Mute setting.

We cannot and do not police behaviour on sites outside of Empire Avenue including 3rd Parties using our API. However, if any interaction from the 3rd party happens through our API then our API will honour your block settings (such as buying/selling shares, sending messages, etc). For example, we cannot do anything about messages sent to you on Facebook from an Empire Avenue member through Facebook, please contact Facebook or the platform on which the incident happened.