diff --git a/backend/package.json b/backend/package.json
index 88bfcdc..136221f 100644
--- a/backend/package.json
+++ b/backend/package.json
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     "db:studio": "drizzle-kit studio"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "@2toad/profanity": "^3.2.0",
     "@fastify/cookie": "^11.0.2",
     "@fastify/cors": "latest",
     "@fastify/csrf-protection": "^7.1.0",
diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/contentFilter.ts b/backend/src/middleware/contentFilter.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb13de6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/contentFilter.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import { Profanity } from "@2toad/profanity";
+
+// ─── Profanity checker ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// Whole-word mode avoids false positives like "assassin", "classic", "scunthorpe"
+const profanity = new Profanity({ wholeWord: true });
+
+// ─── PII redaction patterns ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Inlined from source inspection of @redactpii/node — pure regex, no dependency needed.
+// Each entry defines what to match and what label to replace it with.
+
+const PII_PATTERNS: Array<{ pattern: RegExp; label: string }> = [
+  {
+    // Standard email addresses
+    label: "[REDACTED_EMAIL]",
+    pattern: /\b[a-z0-9][a-z0-9._-]*@[a-z0-9][\w.-]*\.[a-z]{2,}/gi,
+  },
+  {
+    // Obfuscated emails: "user [at] example [dot] com"
+    label: "[REDACTED_EMAIL]",
+    pattern:
+      /\b[a-z0-9][a-z0-9._-]*\s*(?:@|\[at\]|\(at\))\s*[a-z0-9][\w.-]*\s*(?:\.|\[dot\]|\(dot\))\s*[a-z]{2,}\b/gi,
+  },
+  {
+    // US phone numbers: (555) 555-5555, 555-555-5555, +1 555 555 5555, etc.
+    label: "[REDACTED_PHONE]",
+    pattern: /\b(?:\+?1[.\-\s]?)?(?:\(?\d{3}\)?[.\-\s]?)?\d{3}[.\-\s]?\d{4}\b/g,
+  },
+  {
+    // Credit card numbers: 16-digit groups with optional separators
+    label: "[REDACTED_CARD]",
+    pattern:
+      /\b\d{4}[ -]?\d{4}[ -]?\d{4}[ -]?\d{4}\b|\b\d{4}[ -]?\d{6}[ -]?\d{4,5}\b/g,
+  },
+  {
+    // US Social Security Numbers: 123-45-6789 / 123.45.6789 / 123 45 6789
+    label: "[REDACTED_SSN]",
+    pattern: /\b\d{3}[ -.]\d{2}[ -.]\d{4}\b/g,
+  },
+];
+
+/**
+ * Replaces all recognised PII patterns in text with their label.
+ * Patterns are applied in order — obfuscated email runs after standard email
+ * so partial matches from the first pass don't interfere.
+ */
+function redactPII(text: string): string {
+  return PII_PATTERNS.reduce(
+    (result, { pattern, label }) => result.replace(pattern, label),
+    text,
+  );
+}
+
+// ─── Public API ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export interface ContentFilterResult {
+  ok: true;
+  subject: string;
+  description: string;
+}
+
+export interface ContentFilterRejection {
+  ok: false;
+  reason: "profanity";
+  message: string;
+}
+
+export type ContentFilterOutcome = ContentFilterResult | ContentFilterRejection;
+
+/**
+ * Runs subject and description through the content filter.
+ *
+ * - Profanity in either field  → rejected, ticket is not saved
+ * - PII in description         → silently redacted before saving
+ *
+ * Subject is not PII-redacted because it is short, user-facing in table views,
+ * and unlikely to contain structured PII like card numbers or SSNs.
+ */
+export function filterContent(
+  subject: string,
+  description: string,
+): ContentFilterOutcome {
+  if (profanity.exists(subject)) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: "profanity",
+      message:
+        "Your ticket subject contains language that is not allowed. Please revise it before submitting.",
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (profanity.exists(description)) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: "profanity",
+      message:
+        "Your ticket description contains language that is not allowed. Please revise it before submitting.",
+    };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ok: true,
+    subject,
+    description: description ? redactPII(description) : description,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/tickets.ts b/backend/src/routes/tickets.ts
index 8891571..76311ea 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/tickets.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/tickets.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import type { FastifyPluginAsync, FastifyReply, FastifyRequest } from "fastify";
 import type { Ticket, TicketType } from "../types.ts";
 import { TICKET_LIMIT } from "../types.ts";
+import { filterContent } from "../middleware/contentFilter.ts";
 
-const PAGE_SIZE = 20;
+const PAGE_SIZE = 10;
 
 async function requireAuth(req: FastifyRequest, reply: FastifyReply) {
   if (!req.isAuthenticated) {
@@ -82,9 +83,18 @@ export const ticketsRouter: FastifyPluginAsync = async (app) => {
       }
     }
 
+    // Run content filter for authenticated users only
+    const filtered = filterContent(subject.trim(), description);
+    if (!filtered.ok) {
+      return reply.status(400).send({
+        error: filtered.reason,
+        message: filtered.message,
+      });
+    }
+
     const ticket = await req.storage.createTicket({
-      subject: subject.trim(),
-      description,
+      subject: filtered.subject,
+      description: filtered.description,
       type,
       userId: req.user?.id,
     });
diff --git a/backend/src/types.ts b/backend/src/types.ts
index a22a100..a287cdd 100644
--- a/backend/src/types.ts
+++ b/backend/src/types.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export interface Ticket {
   createdAt: string
 }
 
-export const TICKET_LIMIT = 3
+export const TICKET_LIMIT = 10
 
 export interface TicketFilters {
   status?: Ticket['status']
diff --git a/bun.lock b/bun.lock
index 98fd114..d0b337a 100644
--- a/bun.lock
+++ b/bun.lock
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
     "backend": {
       "name": "personal-support-ticket-system-backend",
       "dependencies": {
+        "@2toad/profanity": "^3.2.0",
         "@fastify/cookie": "^11.0.2",
         "@fastify/cors": "latest",
         "@fastify/csrf-protection": "^7.1.0",
@@ -59,6 +60,8 @@
     },
   },
   "packages": {
+    "@2toad/profanity": ["@2toad/profanity@3.2.0", "", {}, "sha512-1wF0F9SXBS8zsn74ZyDKhClSH+5Tupycq2F1x34+/1YKhrq49ejs+imH8/YIS/JwXoj2oUY+KTpoyOxJeNA2mQ=="],
+
     "@babel/code-frame": ["@babel/code-frame@7.29.0", "", { "dependencies": { "@babel/helper-validator-identifier": "^7.28.5", "js-tokens": "^4.0.0", "picocolors": "^1.1.1" } }, "sha512-9NhCeYjq9+3uxgdtp20LSiJXJvN0FeCtNGpJxuMFZ1Kv3cWUNb6DOhJwUvcVCzKGR66cw4njwM6hrJLqgOwbcw=="],
 
     "@babel/compat-data": ["@babel/compat-data@7.29.0", "", {}, "sha512-T1NCJqT/j9+cn8fvkt7jtwbLBfLC/1y1c7NtCeXFRgzGTsafi68MRv8yzkYSapBnFA6L3U2VSc02ciDzoAJhJg=="],
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts b/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
index f1a7133..cc5e702 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
@@ -1,85 +1,115 @@
-import type { Ticket, TicketType } from './types'
-import { env } from '../env'
+import type { Ticket, TicketType } from "./types";
+import { env } from "../env";
 
-const API = env.apiUrl
+const API = env.apiUrl;
+
+// ─── API error with structured body ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export class ApiError extends Error {
+  readonly status: number;
+  readonly code: string;
+
+  constructor(status: number, code: string, message: string) {
+    super(message);
+    this.name = "ApiError";
+    this.status = status;
+    this.code = code;
+  }
+}
 
 // ─── Fetch helper ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 async function apiFetch<T>(path: string, init: RequestInit = {}): Promise<T> {
   const res = await fetch(`${API}${path}`, {
     ...init,
-    credentials: 'include',
-    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', ...(init.headers ?? {}) },
-  })
-  if (res.status === 401) throw new Error('unauthenticated')
-  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`API error ${res.status}`)
-  return res.json()
+    credentials: "include",
+    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json", ...(init.headers ?? {}) },
+  });
+  if (!res.ok) {
+    // Try to parse a structured error body; fall back to a generic message
+    let code = `http_${res.status}`;
+    let message = `API error ${res.status}`;
+    try {
+      const body = await res.json();
+      if (body?.error) code = body.error;
+      if (body?.message) message = body.message;
+    } catch {
+      /* non-JSON body — keep defaults */
+    }
+    throw new ApiError(res.status, code, message);
+  }
+  return res.json();
 }
 
 // ─── Local (localStorage) adapter ────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-const LOCAL_KEY = 'support_tickets'
+const LOCAL_KEY = "support_tickets";
 
 function localGet(): Ticket[] {
   try {
-    return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(LOCAL_KEY) ?? '[]')
+    return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(LOCAL_KEY) ?? "[]");
   } catch {
-    return []
+    return [];
   }
 }
 
 function localSet(tickets: Ticket[]) {
-  localStorage.setItem(LOCAL_KEY, JSON.stringify(tickets))
+  localStorage.setItem(LOCAL_KEY, JSON.stringify(tickets));
 }
 
 export const localAdapter = {
   getTickets: (): Ticket[] => localGet(),
 
-  createTicket: (data: { subject: string; description: string; type: TicketType }): Ticket => {
+  createTicket: (data: {
+    subject: string;
+    description: string;
+    type: TicketType;
+  }): Ticket => {
     const ticket: Ticket = {
       id: crypto.randomUUID(),
       userId: null,
+      username: null,
       subject: data.subject,
       description: data.description,
       type: data.type,
-      status: 'open',
+      status: "open",
       createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
-    }
-    localSet([ticket, ...localGet()])
-    return ticket
+    };
+    localSet([ticket, ...localGet()]);
+    return ticket;
   },
 
   updateTicket: (id: string, patch: Partial<Ticket>): Ticket | null => {
-    const tickets = localGet()
-    const idx = tickets.findIndex(t => t.id === id)
-    if (idx === -1) return null
-    tickets[idx] = { ...tickets[idx], ...patch }
-    localSet(tickets)
-    return tickets[idx]
+    const tickets = localGet();
+    const idx = tickets.findIndex((t) => t.id === id);
+    if (idx === -1) return null;
+    tickets[idx] = { ...tickets[idx], ...patch };
+    localSet(tickets);
+    return tickets[idx];
   },
 
   deleteTicket: (id: string): boolean => {
-    const before = localGet()
-    const after = before.filter(t => t.id !== id)
-    localSet(after)
-    return after.length < before.length
+    const before = localGet();
+    const after = before.filter((t) => t.id !== id);
+    localSet(after);
+    return after.length < before.length;
   },
-}
+};
 
 // ─── Paginated response envelope ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 export interface PaginatedResponse<T> {
-  data: T[]
-  total: number
-  page: number
-  pageSize: number
-  totalPages: number
+  data: T[];
+  total: number;
+  page: number;
+  pageSize: number;
+  totalPages: number;
 }
 
 export interface TicketFilters {
-  status?: Ticket['status']
-  type?: TicketType
-  mine?: boolean  // restrict to the current user's tickets
+  status?: Ticket["status"];
+  type?: TicketType;
+  mine?: boolean; // restrict to the current user's tickets
 }
 
 // ─── Storage API ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -88,9 +118,9 @@ export const storage = {
   // User's own tickets — API when authenticated, localStorage when guest
   async getTickets(): Promise<Ticket[]> {
     try {
-      return await apiFetch<Ticket[]>('/api/tickets')
+      return await apiFetch<Ticket[]>("/api/tickets");
     } catch {
-      return localAdapter.getTickets()
+      return localAdapter.getTickets();
     }
   },
 
@@ -102,67 +132,79 @@ export const storage = {
     filters: TicketFilters = {},
   ): Promise<PaginatedResponse<Ticket>> {
     if (!isAuthenticated) {
-      let all = localAdapter.getTickets()
-      if (filters.status) all = all.filter(t => t.status === filters.status)
-      if (filters.type)   all = all.filter(t => t.type === filters.type)
-      const start = (page - 1) * pageSize
+      let all = localAdapter.getTickets();
+      if (filters.status) all = all.filter((t) => t.status === filters.status);
+      if (filters.type) all = all.filter((t) => t.type === filters.type);
+      const start = (page - 1) * pageSize;
       return {
         data: all.slice(start, start + pageSize),
         total: all.length,
         page,
         pageSize,
         totalPages: Math.max(1, Math.ceil(all.length / pageSize)),
-      }
+      };
     }
 
-    const params = new URLSearchParams({ page: String(page) })
-    if (filters.status) params.set('status', filters.status)
-    if (filters.type)   params.set('type', filters.type)
-    if (filters.mine)   params.set('mine', 'true')
+    const params = new URLSearchParams({ page: String(page) });
+    if (filters.status) params.set("status", filters.status);
+    if (filters.type) params.set("type", filters.type);
+    if (filters.mine) params.set("mine", "true");
 
     try {
-      return await apiFetch<PaginatedResponse<Ticket>>(`/api/tickets/all?${params}`)
+      return await apiFetch<PaginatedResponse<Ticket>>(
+        `/api/tickets/all?${params}`,
+      );
     } catch {
-      const all = localAdapter.getTickets()
-      const start = (page - 1) * pageSize
+      const all = localAdapter.getTickets();
+      const start = (page - 1) * pageSize;
       return {
         data: all.slice(start, start + pageSize),
         total: all.length,
         page,
         pageSize,
         totalPages: Math.max(1, Math.ceil(all.length / pageSize)),
-      }
+      };
     }
   },
 
-  async createTicket(data: { subject: string; description: string; type: TicketType }): Promise<Ticket> {
+  async createTicket(data: {
+    subject: string;
+    description: string;
+    type: TicketType;
+  }): Promise<Ticket> {
     try {
-      return await apiFetch<Ticket>('/api/tickets', {
-        method: 'POST',
+      return await apiFetch<Ticket>("/api/tickets", {
+        method: "POST",
         body: JSON.stringify(data),
-      })
-    } catch {
-      return localAdapter.createTicket(data)
+      });
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Re-throw structured API errors (e.g. profanity, ticket limit) — don't silently
+      // fall back to localStorage, as these are intentional rejections from the server.
+      if (err instanceof ApiError) throw err;
+      return localAdapter.createTicket(data);
     }
   },
 
-  async updateTicket(id: string, patch: Partial<Ticket>): Promise<Ticket | null> {
+  async updateTicket(
+    id: string,
+    patch: Partial<Ticket>,
+  ): Promise<Ticket | null> {
     try {
       return await apiFetch<Ticket>(`/api/tickets/${id}`, {
-        method: 'PATCH',
+        method: "PATCH",
         body: JSON.stringify(patch),
-      })
+      });
     } catch {
-      return localAdapter.updateTicket(id, patch)
+      return localAdapter.updateTicket(id, patch);
     }
   },
 
   async deleteTicket(id: string): Promise<boolean> {
     try {
-      await apiFetch(`/api/tickets/${id}`, { method: 'DELETE' })
-      return true
+      await apiFetch(`/api/tickets/${id}`, { method: "DELETE" });
+      return true;
     } catch {
-      return localAdapter.deleteTicket(id)
+      return localAdapter.deleteTicket(id);
     }
   },
-}
+};
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/UserPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/UserPage.tsx
index 9670b83..abd9d31 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/UserPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/UserPage.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { TicketTable } from '../components/tickets/TicketTable.tsx'
 import { TicketDetail } from '../components/tickets/TicketDetail.tsx'
 import { NewTicketForm } from '../components/tickets/NewTicketForm.tsx'
 import { useModal } from '../hooks/useModal.ts'
-import { storage } from '../lib/storage.ts'
+import { storage, ApiError } from '../lib/storage.ts'
 import type { Ticket } from '../lib/types.ts'
 import { PlusIcon } from '../components/icons/plus.tsx'
 
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ function TicketLimitReached({ onClose, fromServer }: { onClose: () => void; from
 export function UserPage({ isAuthenticated }: UserPageProps) {
   const [tickets, setTickets] = useState<Ticket[]>([])
   const [serverLimitHit, setServerLimitHit] = useState(false)
+  const [contentError, setContentError] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const [selectedTicket, setSelectedTicket] = useState<Ticket | null>(null)
 
   const newTicketModal = useModal()
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ export function UserPage({ isAuthenticated }: UserPageProps) {
   const handleNewClose = () => {
     newTicketModal.close()
     setServerLimitHit(false)
+    setContentError(null)
   }
 
   const handleOpen = (ticket: Ticket) => {
@@ -103,14 +105,20 @@ export function UserPage({ isAuthenticated }: UserPageProps) {
 
   const handleCreate = async (form: Pick<Ticket, 'subject' | 'description' | 'type'>) => {
     if (atLimit) return
+    setContentError(null)
     try {
       const ticket = await storage.createTicket(form)
       setTickets(prev => [ticket, ...prev])
       newTicketModal.close()
-    } catch (err: any) {
-      if (err?.code === 'ticket_limit_reached') {
-        setServerLimitHit(true)
-        storage.getTickets().then(setTickets)
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof ApiError) {
+        if (err.code === 'ticket_limit_reached') {
+          setServerLimitHit(true)
+          storage.getTickets().then(setTickets)
+        } else if (err.code === 'profanity') {
+          // Surface the server's message directly — it says which field was flagged
+          setContentError(err.message)
+        }
       }
     }
   }
@@ -150,7 +158,17 @@ export function UserPage({ isAuthenticated }: UserPageProps) {
       >
         {showLimitScreen
           ? <TicketLimitReached onClose={handleNewClose} fromServer={serverLimitHit && !atLimit} />
-          : <NewTicketForm onSubmit={handleCreate} />
+          : (
+            <>
+              {contentError && (
+                <div className="mb-4 flex items-start gap-2.5 rounded-lg border border-red-500/30 bg-red-500/10 px-3.5 py-3">
+                  <span className="mt-0.5 text-sm">🚫</span>
+                  <p className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-red-400">{contentError}</p>
+                </div>
+              )}
+              <NewTicketForm onSubmit={handleCreate} />
+            </>
+          )
         }
       </Modal>