WorldIRC :: aup

acceptable use policy

Updated: 2004-01-21

The following document outlines rules and regulations that must be followed while using the WorldIRC IRC Network, hereinafter referred to as WorldIRC. Any person(s) connected to any WorldIRC server must abide by the following rules or face the consequences outlined in section III.

I. Guidelines

Servers

By connecting to any WorldIRC server, the user acknowledges that they are in agreement with the following guidelines.

No information within the user or host field (user@host) will be faked.
No user shall partake in Denial of Service (DoS) attacks against WorldIRC or any other user connected to the network.
No user shall partake in the abuse of any WorldIRC resources which includes but is not limited to: flooding, cloning, mass-inviting, or mass-messaging.
No user shall partake in mass-messaging other users or channels of the network, known as spamming. Doing so anyway will have you banned from the WorldIRC network.
Each user is permitted a maximum number of three (3) connections to the WorldIRC network at any one time. Exceeding this limit will result in the removal from the network*.
Each server's administrative team, which includes but is not limited to the Administrator or IRCops, retain the right to deny access of any user to use of it'sresources without prior warning or notification if it has been deemed necessary.
Upon connecting to a WorldIRC server, the user agrees to abide by any guidelines specified in the servers MOTD (Message Of The Day).

* It is understood that in some cases (such as cyber cafés) the number of IPs are limited which results in the need for more then 3 connections per host. If a user finds that this is the case, they may request "trusted host" status by emailing their case to uw-admin@worldirc.org.

Channel Services

Any user connected to WorldIRC is welcome to make use of the channel service (X), which is provided free of charge. The user must agree to comply with the guidelines outlined below or they may face the consequences outlined in section III.

Any registered channel found to contain an abusive topic, determined a the discretion of any Channel Service Administrator, shall have that topic changed by a representative of the Channel Service committee and may face further disciplinary action. Abusive topics may include but are not limited to: Swearing, Slander of other users/network officials, and invitations to other networks/servers.
Any user on WorldIRC may register one (1) channel. Any user who wishes to register an additional channel must submit their request, in writing, to the Channel Services Administrator (cs-admin@worldirc.org) prior to attempting to register the channel.
Each channel shall be owned by the person who has first completed the registration process. This person shall be identified as the only person with 500 access in that particular channel.
Channels may only have one (1) owner, who has level 500 access. Channels found with multiple owners (by sharing passwords, or the addition of overly broad masks) shall be subject to discipline which includes but is not limited to: suspension of the channel, removal of one of the owners or deletion of the channel.
Channels that have been registered must be used on a frequent basis. In order to enforce this policy, any channel in which the owner has not authorized for a period of twenty (20) days shall automatically be purged. At this time other users may register the channel.
Users with a registered channel who will be away from WorldIRC for a prolonged period of time may make a written request to the Channel Service Administrator (cs-admin@worldirc.org) in order to have their channel set not to purge.

Nickname Services

Any user connected to WorldIRC is welcome to make use of the Nickname service (NS), in order to register and maintain their nickname. Users must comply with the rules outlined below or face the consequences outlined in section III.

Any user connected to WorldIRC is permitted to register two (2) nicknames. Any user that wishes to register an addition nickname must submit their request, in writing, to the Nickname Service Administrator (ns-admin@worldirc.org) prior to attempting to register the nickname.
Nicknames on WorldIRC must be kept free of offensive material, which includes but is not limited to, swearing or sexually explicit material are strictly prohibited and will not be registered. In addition any users choosing to use this nicknames will be removed from the network.
Each nickname shall be owned by a single user which ban be identified by a matching hostmask and matching password.
Nicknames that have been registered by users must be utilized on a frequent basis. In order to enforce this policy, nicknames which have not be authorized to in a period of twenty (20) days shall be purged and are then available to be registered by other users on the network.
Users with registered nickname(s) who will be away from WorldIRC for a prolonged period of time may make a written request to the Nickname Service Administrator (ns-admin@worldirc.org) in order to have their nick set not to purge.

II. Disclaimer

When connected to WorldIRC all users must agree to behave in an ethical manner regarding the use of services and resources offereed by WorldIRC. By retaining a connection to any part of WorldIRC, the user states that they are willing to comply and accept these as well as any future terms of service, network policies, and user guidelines.

WorldIRC makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed of implied, for the service(s) it is providing. WorldIRC also disclaims any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

WorldIRC will not be held responsible for any damages suffered by a user. This includes, but is not limited to, loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, mis-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by its own negligence or user errors or omissions. Use of WorldIRC specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its services.

WorldIRC staff reserve the right to deny access to and use of the WorldIRC network and/or any of its other resources, including but not limited to: channel services, nickname services, technical mailing lists, web-based services, telnet services, and ftp sites, to any user, group, site, or domain without the benefit of prior warning or notification.

Although WorldIRC is an unmoderated medium and forum, all WorldIRC administrators and IRCops will cooperate fully with any officially recognized law enforcement body to the best of it's ability as required to do so by law.

III. Consequences of Violation

Any user who chooses to violate, knowingly or unknowingly, any rule or regulation as stated in this document or in the MOTD of any WorldIRC server will place themself in the position to face progressive disciplinary action. This action includes, but is not limited to, denial of access of any WorldIRC server or the network as a whole. Denial of access may be made solely at the discretion of a server administrator or IRCop. In addition, persistent violation of the WorldIRC rules and regulations may result in the contacting of the users Internet Service Provider (ISP).

IV. Appealing a Violation

Any user who has been denied access to a WorldIRC server or the network as a whole, are permitted to appeal their ban. In order to appeal the following procedure must outlined below must be followed. It should be noted that server administrators and/or IRCops are under not obligation to take any further action.

Any user K:lined, banned from a specific server, must contact the administrator of the particular server requesting the elimination of the ban and how future incidents can be avoided. In order to obtain the mailing address of the administrator it is possible to make use of the command /admin Server.Name.WorldIRC.Org
Any user G:line'd, banned from the entire WorldIRC network for a particular amount of time, must contact the abuse response team (abuse@worldirc.org) and request that the ban be lifted along with how future incidents can be avoided.

Certain servers can limit access to their resources based on geographic location. These bans will most likely not be lifted in that they aid in the reduction of the amount of load on WorldIRC itself. If a user finds that an entire site (Internet Service Provider) has been banned from a WorldIRC server or the network as a whole, the user is requested to contact their ISP administrator and ask they approach the WorldIRC network in order to have the issue resolved.