Important December 2021 Orbiter-Forum TOS Update

[dbeachy1]

Hello all,

After extensive discussion among the forum staff, we have updated Clause 2 of Orbiter-Forum's Terms of Service to:

1. Explicitly clarify the rules around posting demonstrably misleading information that may harm others (now labeled "Clause 2a"), and
2. Rewrite the generic "leagalese" original TOS clause 2 that was the Xenforo default (now labeled "Clause 2b").

The changes are also posted below for easier reference:

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2a. MISINFORMATION

You may not use Orbiter-Forum to share false or misleading information about COVID-19 which may lead to harm.

Even as scientific understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, we’ve observed the emergence of persistent conspiracy theories, alarmist rhetoric unfounded in research or credible reporting, and a wide range of unsubstantiated rumors, which left uncontextualized can prevent the public from making informed decisions regarding their health, and puts individuals, families and communities at risk.

Content that is demonstrably false or misleading and may lead to significant risk of harm (such as increased exposure to the virus, or adverse effects on public health systems) may not be shared on Orbiter-Forum. This includes sharing content that may mislead people about:

• The nature of the COVID-19 virus (e.g., posts claiming or implying the virus or its variants are "fake")
• The efficacy and/or safety of approved preventative measures, treatments, or other precautions to mitigate or treat the disease
• Unapproved treatments or drugs claiming to prevent or treat the disease
• Official regulations, restrictions, or exemptions pertaining to health advisories, or
• The prevalence of the virus or risk of infection or death associated with COVID-19

2b. USE OF COMMUNICATION SERVICES

1. The Orbiter Forum website, the Orbit Hangar website, and any such services operated by the Orbiter Forum team including, but not limited to, Discord and IRC (shortened to just "Orbiter-Forum" in the rest of this document) make up interactive online services for communication, which includes bulletin boards, chat areas, social groups, photo galleries, discussion forums, and instant messaging both public and private. By using any of these services, you agree that you will only send and receive messages and material that are proper, lawful, and related to the appropriate area of interest for that service.
2. By using Orbiter-Forum you agree that you will not:
   • Send any form of unlawful, inappropriate or indecent content, including but not limited to pornography;
   • Send any content which seeks to demonstrably misinform the public about any topic that may result in harm to others, including but not limited to the Coronavirus Pandemic as laid out in Clause 2a above;
   • Send any content which demeans, personally attacks or insults another person, or infringes the rights of a person or group of people;
   • Send any content which abuses, harasses, stalks, or threatens another person;
   • Send or cause to be sent any content which, when received, may personally identify the physical identity of another person whose identity is not already publicly known ("doxxing");
   • Send any content whose intent is malicious or harmful, be that in the form of malicious software ("malware") intended to damage another computer, or content designed to instill hatred in others ("hate speech");
   • Send any content without the express consent of the rightful owner to the intellectual property represented by the content;
   • Restrict or in any way impede the ability of any other user to access and enjoy Orbiter-Forum;
   • Advertise any service or product without the express consent and approval of the Forum Staff (defined as those users who are a member of either the Forum Administrator or Forum Moderator groups);
   • Request or seek donations in any form for any purpose without the express consent and approval of the Forum Staff;
   • Conduct or forward "chain letters" (or any such communication whose intent is simply to be re-transmitted);
   • Upload any file or other form of content for the sole purpose of redistribution when that content is not reasonably known to be redistributable;
3. You agree that you will retain and respect any and all author attributions on content of any form sent to Orbiter-Forum.

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TOS Clause 2a regarding the Coronovirus Pandemic is similar to what a number of other social media platforms, including Twitter, have in their TOS as well.

As has always been the case, the forum staff reviews each reported post as a group and reaches a consensus on what action to take, if any.

If you have any questions about the updated TOS, please feel free to DM any forum administrator.

Thanks,
O-F Staff