Terms of Service: The Intent
Each term was created to address a problem that is extremely likely to occur, or has occurred within the community. In any collection of
people, some will naturally try to take advantage of others, or try to
get more than their fair due out of the commons (this is called the
"tragedy of the commons," and in the electronic world often manifests
itself as spam).
If you're here because you're wondering how far you can push it without
getting into trouble, please reconsider. You will improve your life, and the
lives of many others if you act in a constructive fashion, rather than in a
destructive one. Make some great images and put them on the site. If the
images are unpopular, pay attention. Figure out why. Make better ones. You
could become immortal through your works if you take them seriously.
We must try to keep the community vibrant and healthy. Hence, there are rules.
Violating the rules results in the authorities doing everything in their power
to banish the violators from the community. Often we call on the community itself
to help (much like neighbourhood watch programs in meatspace). Do what you can
to keep the community alive. If you see something that violates these terms
of service, flag it!
There is a special page where you can view images that have
been flagged as violating terms of service. If you agree, you can flag the images
as well, and the images will quickly be removed from the site. Alternatively, you
can register your disagreement with the flag to keep it from being removed.
Illegal Images
Any image that is illegal in the United States is illegal on this site. That said, be absolutely certain the image is truly illegal. Following is a list of
image types that are commonly misperceived as illegal:
- Underage nudity. Images of minors in the nude are not illegal if they do not
portray a sexual situation. For example, bathing, playing, sleeping, or reading.
That said, if you wish to submit an image with a nude minor, be extremely careful
to maintain good taste and artistic integrity, as the law in the United States does
still contain ambiguities. One such ambiguity lies in the definition of how the
genitals are portrayed. For legal safety, it may be best to avoid highlighting the
minor's genitals in the image. Here's a helpful hint: show the image to five of your
friends and family. Have them point at the first thing they notice in the image.
The first thing they point to should not be the child's genitals.
- The Swastika. In many European countries, images of the
swastika are illegal. Such an image is not illegal to display in the
United States, nor a vast majority of the world, where it is a symbol of
religious significance.
- Racial Intolerance. An image of a KKK ceremony is not illegal. That said, the image
is bound to be unpopular, so if you are considering uploading the image to this
site, do not be surprised if it is quickly buried with "I do not like this" votes.
Please be sure an image is truly illegal before you flag it as such. We understand sometimes
you really hate an image, and want to do everything in your power to punish the person who
made it. Reconsider. You might find the community dislikes you more than the image creator.
We will do everything in our power to maintain the integrity and health of the community.
Copyrighted Material
Just because an image displays a copyright symbol on the bottom does not mean it is illegally being displayed on this site. If the poster is excercising his or her fair use rights, or is
the owner of the copyright, or has permissions of the copyright holder to display the work, then
there is no infringement. If the copyright owner contacts the site,
and the image doesn't fit any of these criteria, it will be summarily
removed.
Offensive Images
Since the site is intended for an international audience, essentially there is no definition of an offensive image. Specifically, things that are not against the terms
of service, which might be on other sites: swastikas, crosses, images of the KKK,
nudity, violence, or blasphemous material. This site was built for the free expression of
ideas. If you are easily offended, this site is not for you.
Modifications to the Terms of Service
There are a lot of individuals on the internet that attempt to destroy communities largely just for the fun of it. This is a reality of human behaviour on a computer network. We will
need to change these terms of service, perhaps often, to accomodate new types of attacks
against our community.
Hence, these terms of service can and will change. At the moment the terms change, you are
bound by them simply by using the service.
In practice, this means nothing to the vast majority of our community. If you
violate a new term of service, and you are not a habitual offender, you will be
politely notified of the new term that you are violating, and you will know
about it at that point.
If, on the other hand, you are a habitual offender, you will likely be summarily removed from
the community. If you have violated the terms of service before, it behooves you to check
these terms of service often to make sure you're still within the bounds it defines.