Terms of Service

This page is to serve as a temporary alternate location for our instance’s Terms of Service, while we debug a display issue with Mangane. We hope to find a resolution to that soon, but it doesn’t hurt to have a secondary copy up on our site.

Purpose

We Distribute Social aims to create a community that is kind, empathetic, and understanding. Our goal is to provide a relaxed environment where people can come together, share projects and interests, and support one another. We believe that everyone deserves to feel safe and comfortable when using our instance, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or any other personal characteristic.

Guiding Principles

  1. Integrity First – Integrity is one of the most important parts of our organization. The best way to understand the term is the phrase “Doing the hard thing when no one else will.” or “Doing the right thing when nobody is watching.” Don’t be afraid to take the harder route of work, or share a perspective that you worry might be unpopular. Speak your truth, even if it’s a difficult subject.
  2. Dignity for Everyone – We Distribute is a space welcoming towards people from many different walks of life. Regardless of your race, gender identity, orientation, religious beliefs, or philosophy, this place is intended to treat each member of the community with respect and acknowledgement. We have a zero tolerance policy for Hate Speech, harassment, or disingenuous behavior intended to demean a group of people along any of these lines.
  3. Be Patient, Be Humble – Everybody has moments when they’re wrong about something. Every situation has dynamics or elements that aren’t fully accounted for. When you’re called out on something, you typically have one of two choices: double down and retaliate, or listen and try to understand. Sometimes, you actually are in the right, it’s just that anger and confrontation don’t normally work in bringing people around to your point of view.
  4. Don’t Be a Mouthpiece – It is so easy sometimes to fall into the propagandic behaviors that some parts of the Fediverse gets into. Nobody is immune to it, but as a news organization, we have the additional duty of ensuring that we don’t share propaganda or fall victim to it in the process. If anything, we have an obligation to research and fact-check dubious claims, to help set the record straight. With our reputation, we are able to do that.
  5. Deplatform Bigots – our platform and community will not give quarter to bigoted ideology, hate speech, or efforts to undermine intersectionality. We will report hate speech on sight, block harassers, and push unmoderated dens of hate speech into the blocklist where they belong. We reserve the right to make judgement calls in service of our community. However, each situation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Prohibited Behaviors

The following content and behaviours are prohibited on We Distribute’s instance:

  • Hate speech: Any content or behaviour that is intended to dehumanise, degrade, or incite violence against individuals or groups based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or any other personal characteristic. This includes dead naming.
  • Harassment: Any unwelcome conduct that is intended to annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or intimidate another person. This includes, but is not limited to, stalking, cyberbullying, deadnaming, and sexual harassment. Misgendering, the act of referring to someone using a gender or pronouns that do not correctly reflect their gender identity, is prohibited. Deliberate or targeted misgendering, where there is an intentional refusal to respect an individual’s self-identified gender and pronouns, is considered a form of harassment and discrimination. Deadnaming, which involves referring to a transgender or gender-diverse person by a name they used before their gender transition, is prohibited. This also applies to persons that The promotion or endorsement of so-called “conversion therapy” or any related programs or practices is prohibited. Conversion therapy, which aims to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, is a discredited practice that is harmful and disrespectful to the LGBTQ+ community.
  • Prohibition of Discrimination: Discrimination based on race, colour, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and any other protected characteristics is strictly prohibited.
    • Compliance with Laws: Our policy is in line with the EU’s non-discrimination directives and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) laws, ensuring protection against various forms of discrimination.
    • Inclusivity and Respect: All users must treat others with respect and inclusivity, valuing diversity and fostering an environment where everyone feels safe and respected.
  • Doxxing: Publishing private or identifying information about another person without their consent. Revealing, mocking, or misusing the new identities or aliases of individuals in protective custody or witness protection programs is strictly forbidden and falls under the doxing policy. Respect for the privacy and safety of these individuals is paramount.
  • Threats of violence: Any form of communication that threatens, incites, or expresses a desire for physical harm against individuals or groups or pets is strictly prohibited. Definition of Threats: A threat of violence includes any statement, image, or other forms of communication that suggest physical harm, endangerment, or intimidation towards others. This includes, but is not limited to, direct threats, indirect suggestions of harm, and endorsements of violent acts.
  • Spam: Spam is defined as unsolicited, repetitive, irrelevant, or inappropriate messages sent on the platform. This includes but is not limited to commercial advertisements, repeated unsolicited messages, link spamming, and off-topic and or unwanted posts in high volumes. Prohibition of Spam: Any form of spamming is strictly prohibited. Users must refrain from sending unsolicited bulk messages, repeatedly posting the same content, or engaging in any activity that disrupts the experience of other users.
    • Reporting Spam: Users are encouraged to report spamming activities. Reports should be directed to the instance administrators or designated moderators. Action Against Spammers: Users found to be engaging in spamming activities will face consequences, which may include a warning, temporary suspension, content removal, or permanent banning from the instance, depending on the severity and frequency of the spamming behaviour.
    • Automated Posting: While automated posting tools are allowed, they must be used responsibly. Any automated tool used to spam or disrupt the community will be subject to the same rules and penalties as manual spamming.
    • Commercial Activity: Limited promotional or commercial content is allowed, provided it is relevant and not excessive. Users repeatedly posting commercial content in a manner deemed spammy will be subject to action.
  • Prohibition of Illegal Content: The dissemination of illegal content, including but not limited to hate speech, defamation, copyright infringement, obscenity, and child pornography (CSAM), is strictly prohibited. This also includes any planned or imminent abuse, sex trafficking, coercion, or enticement of a minor(s) and any person(s) for illegal sexual activities.
    • Compliance with Laws: Our platform adheres to the EU’s DSA regulations and relevant U.S. laws. We are committed to preventing the spread of illegal content and protecting the fundamental rights of users. Content Moderation: We employ measures to monitor and manage content, ensuring compliance with legal standards. Automated tools may be used for content moderation, and their use will be transparently reported.
    • User Reporting Mechanism: Users are encouraged to report instances of illegal content. Reports should be directed to the platform administrators or designated moderators. Response to Illegal Content: Upon identification or reporting of illegal content, we will take prompt action to review and, if necessary, remove the content. We will comply with the q.
    • Transparency and Accountability: In line with the DSA, we will disclose the number of removal orders issued and all notices regarding the presence of illegal content. We will provide transparency reports detailing our content moderation practices and their outcomes.
    • Protection of User Rights: We respect the right to freedom of expression and information. Content removal will be conducted judiciously to balance legal compliance with user rights.
    EnforcementIf you see someone violating this Code of Conduct, please report them to our team. We will investigate all reports promptly and take appropriate action, which may include suspending or banning the user.ResponsibilitiesAll users of We Distribute Social are responsible for following this Code of Conduct. We expect users to be respectful of each other and to help create a positive and welcoming community. Additional considerations In addition to the above, we would also like to emphasise the following:
  • We believe in freedom of speech, but we also believe that this freedom is not absolute. There are some forms of speech, such as hate speech and threats of violence, that are not protected under law.
  • We respect the right of individuals to associate with whomever they choose, but we also believe that this right does not extend to the creation of echo chambers where hate speech and other harmful content can flourish.
  • We are committed to protecting children from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate any content on our platform that depicts or exploits children.

We hope that this Code of Conduct will help to create a safe and welcoming environment for all users of the We Distribute social instance.

In Summary

Here at We Distribute, our motivation is to cover the potential future of the Internet, through the lens of decentralized social networking. This technology has the potential to change lives for the better, in a highly transformative sense, through the empowerment of users to take control of their experiences online.

We moderate reluctantly but decisively to foster communities of understanding and wisdom. This living document will evolve responsibly as we learn together. We aim for ethical guidance both universal and practical.

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