As part of Patreon’s Creator Policy Engagement Programme (CPEP), we regularly share proposed updates to our platform guidelines early and gather input directly from creators to help refine and improve them. Today, we’re happy to share the mid-year 2026 CPEP update.
Join the Policy Team for a livestream next week
Join members of Patreon’s Policy Team, including VP of Trust & Safety Eric Han, for a live policy discussion and Q&A on Thursday, 16 July at 9–10 a.m. PT / 12–1 p.m. ET / 4–5 p.m. BST.
RSVP here
This event will take place in English. Can’t make it live? Everyone who RSVPs will receive a link to watch the on-demand recording after the event. At the livestream, the team will walk through each of the below proposed updates in detail.
We’ve heard from creators that you want even more time dedicated to answering your questions, so we’re experimenting with the format this cycle. Rather than opening the floor to live questions asked during the event, we’ll spend that time working through questions submitted in advance via the RSVP form, or by emailing CreatorPolicy@Patreon.com ahead of time, so we can get to as many as possible and address them thoroughly. And to make sure any questions that arise during the event itself also get answered, we’re doubling the duration of our Q&A in our Patreon Creator Community Discord server, keeping it open for two weeks instead of one.
Below is a preview of what we’ll be discussing. We hope you can join!
Proposed guidelines updates for creator feedback
The proposals below reflect our ongoing commitment to keeping Patreon’s Community Guidelines clear, accurate and aligned with how our community and the broader industry think and talk about these issues. Since our last CPEP cycle in December, Patreon announced the launch of its network, so we’re continuing to update our guidelines to address the evolving features and keep pace with the increase in public posts on our platform. These are proposals to be finalised once we’ve previewed them and heard from you.
Hate Speech
We’re proposing updates to the Hate Speech section of Patreon’s Community Guidelines to make our language more precise. That includes expanding our language to better cover the types of hate speech and behaviours we do not permit on Patreon. These updates are not a departure from our existing stance; Patreon has zero tolerance for hate speech, and that is not changing. This is about being clearer and more accurate in how we describe what we prohibit and why. For example, we’re adding language around behaviours, such as using symbols and coded terminology to promote hateful ideologies, and we’re getting our language up to the standard that creators and our peers would expect.
Harassment
The proposed updates to the Harassment section focus on language clean-up and precision – particularly around bullying, sexual harassment and threats. We’re further clarifying that Patreon takes threats and expressions of harm seriously regardless of whether they are credible, and that targeting someone’s physical safety is never acceptable on our platform. We’re also proposing to add clearer language around bullying and sexual harassment, including language that addresses abuse of Patreon’s social and community features to engage in targeted bullying or unwanted sexual contact. The goal is to update policy language to be crisper, more specific and more predictable in how it’s applied.
Inauthentic Behaviour
We’re proposing updates to the Inauthentic Behaviour guidelines section to bring greater precision to this section and better align it with industry best practices. That includes addressing malicious and deceptive behaviour: things like phishing, malware distribution, coordinated scam activity and more. The goal is a section that more accurately captures the behaviours we prohibit and gives creators a clearer picture of what isn’t tolerated on Patreon.
Transparency Report 2026
In April, we published Patreon’s third annual Transparency Report, covering calendar year 2025. It offers a detailed look at how we enforce our policies, respond to legal requests and uphold platform integrity – and it’s an important part of how we hold ourselves accountable to the creators and fans who rely on Patreon. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, we’d encourage you to.
Advocating for creators in public policy conversations
Patreon’s policy work doesn’t stop at our guidelines. This year, our team has been active in external forums where decisions about the creator economy and internet regulation get made.
In March, Patreon attended Internet Works’ annual Hill Day in Washington, D.C., meeting congressional offices on issues that directly affect creators and the platforms they build on. Internet Works is a coalition of 28 mid-sized tech companies working to ensure that platforms of our size have a voice in regulatory discussions.
Also in March, Courtney travelled to Dublin for Middle Tech Europe’s annual fly-in, where Patreon and fellow coalition members engaged directly with EU policymakers on the Digital Services Act and related regulatory developments. The EU regulatory landscape has real implications for how Patreon operates globally, and being in those conversations matters, rather than reacting to the outcomes after the fact.
In June, Patreon took part in the first-ever Creator Economy Showcase on Capitol Hill, hosted by the United States’ Congressional Creators Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX). Patreon has been a founding supporter of the Caucus since its launch in 2025. We invited multiple creators to attend the showcase and had one of the most popular tables in the room. Courtney attended on Patreon’s behalf alongside three Patreon creators – Sara and Lucinda from Color Class and Miguel from mz4250 – who engaged directly with members of Congress and their staff. Patreon was also asked to contribute a quote to the official congressional press release for the event.
How to share your feedback
We’re excited to hear what you think about these proposed updates, creators; your input is what makes this process work. Here’s how to participate:
- Join the livestream on 16 July: RSVP here to attend live and/or receive the link to the on-demand recording afterwards.
- Join the post-event Q&A in the #policy-live-qa channel in Patreon’s Creator Community Discord, open for two weeks following the event.
- Email the Policy Team at CreatorPolicy@Patreon.com.
Thank you for your ongoing feedback and partnership, and we hope to see you on 16 July!
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