devRant Community Rules

Last Updated: September 17, 2017

At devRant we want to make sure everyone can express themselves and their frustrations with technology, programming languages, software, code, startup people and similar tech topics. In expressing frustration, there's going to be some negativity, but it doesn't serve anyone if it spirals into the dark depths of trolling and flaming and generally being a dick. So in order to protect the experience and safety of people who use devRant (including you), there are some limitations on the type of content and behavior that we allow. All users must adhere to the policies set forth in the devRant Rules. Failure to do so may result in the temporary locking and/or permanent suspension of account(s).

Please note that we may need to change these rules from time to time and reserve the right to do so. The most current version will always be available at devrant.io/rules.

Content Boundaries and Use of devRant

In order to provide the devRant service and the ability to communicate and stay connected with others, there are some limitations on the type of content that can be published with devRant.

• Graphic content: You may not post pornographic content, nudity (tasteful or otherwise), or excessively violent media in your Rants.
• Politics: You may not post rants regarding politics unless they are directly related to a current event directly impacting development/tech. We've gathered lots of user feedback on this rule, and it is widely appreciated as devRant is a platform to have fun and somewhat of an escape for developers, who want to keep real-world issues and controversies off the app. This announcement rant has more details and discussion about this rule.
• Unlawful use: You may not use our service for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities. International users agree to comply with all local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content.
• Copyright: We will respond to clear and complete notices of alleged copyright infringement. Our copyright procedures are set forth in the Terms of Service.
• Trademark: We reserve the right to reclaim usernames on behalf of businesses or individuals that hold legal claim or trademark on those usernames. Accounts using business names and/or logos to mislead others may be permanently suspended.

Abusive Behavior

We believe in freedom of expression and in speaking truth to power, but that means little as an underlying philosophy if voices are silenced because people are afraid to speak up. In order to ensure that people feel safe expressing diverse opinions and beliefs, we do not tolerate behavior that crosses the line into abuse, including behavior that harasses, intimidates, or uses fear to silence another user’s voice.

On that same note, please do not try to police other members or moderate content beyond the use of voting and the "report" button. We want to make sure everyone has a voice in the community and we don't want the louder voices to discourage others and dictate what content is allowed. You are more than welcome to vote on content you disagree with or think shouldn't be posted, but please do not comment on rants telling the poster not to post that content and please do not post rants that police content in general. If you think some content is inappropriate or should be dealt with, you can downvote it, report it, or even send us an email to explain (support@devrant.io).

Any accounts and related accounts engaging in the activities specified below may be temporarily locked and/or subject to permanent suspension.

• Violent threats (direct or indirect): You may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism.
• Harassment: You may not incite or engage in the targeted abuse or harassment of others. Some of the factors that we may consider when evaluating abusive behavior include:
  • if a primary purpose of the reported account is to harass or send abusive messages to others;
  • if the reported behavior is one-sided or includes threats;
  • if the reported account is inciting others to harass another account; and
  • if the reported account is sending harassing messages to an account from multiple accounts.
• Hateful conduct: You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease. We also do not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories.
• Multiple account abuse: Creating multiple accounts with overlapping uses or in order to evade the temporary or permanent suspension of a separate account is not allowed.
• Private information: You may not publish or post other people's private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, street address, or Social Security/National Identity numbers, without their express authorization and permission. In addition, you may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject's consent.
• Impersonation: You may not impersonate others through the devRant service in a manner that is intended to or does mislead, confuse, or deceive others.
• Self-harm: You may encounter someone considering suicide or self harm on devRant. When we receive reports that a person is threatening suicide or self harm, we may take a number of steps to assist them, such as reaching out to that person expressing our concern and the concern of other users on devRant or providing resources such as contact information for our mental health partners.

Spam

We strive to protect people on devRant from technical abuse and spam. Any accounts engaging in the activities specified below may be temporarily locked or subject to permanent suspension.

• Username squatting: You may not engage in username squatting. Accounts that are inactive for more than six months may also be removed without further notice. Some of the factors we take into consideration when determining what conduct is considered to be username squatting are:
  • the number of accounts created;
  • creating accounts for the purpose of preventing others from using those account names;
  • creating accounts for the purpose of selling those accounts; and
  • using feeds of third-party content to update and maintain accounts under the names of those third parties.
• Selling usernames: You may not buy or sell devRant usernames.
• Malware/Phishing: You may not publish or link to malicious content intended to damage or disrupt another person’s browser or computer or to compromise a person’s privacy.
• Spam: You may not use the devRant service for the purpose of spamming anyone. What constitutes “spamming” will evolve as we respond to new tricks and tactics by spammers. Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be spamming are:
  • if your Rants and comments consist mainly of links, and not personal updates;
  • if a large number of people are blocking you;
  • if a large number of spam complaints have been filed against you;
  • if you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account;
  • if you post multiple unrelated updates to a topic using tags;
  • if you post a large numbers of random comments;
  • if you repeatedly create false or misleading content;
  • if you are randomly or aggressively commenting or voting on Rants;
  • if you repeatedly post other people’s account information as your own (bio, Rants, comments, etc.);
  • if you post misleading links (e.g. affiliate links, links to malware/clickjacking pages, etc.);
  • if you are creating misleading accounts or account interactions;
  • if you are selling or purchasing account interactions (such as selling or purchasing votes, comments, etc.); and
  • if you are using or promoting third-party services or apps that claim to get you more votes (such as voter trains, sites promising "more voters fast", or any other site that offers to automatically add votes to your Rants).

Accounts created to replace suspended accounts will be permanently suspended. Accounts under investigation may be removed from search for quality. devRant reserves the right to immediately terminate your account without further notice in the event that, in its judgment, you violate these Rules or the Terms of Service.