Policies

To ensure the well-being of users on CommonBlog ("the platform"), we exercise the following policies on all user-uploaded content ("content"; includes posts and comments).

To ensure all content on CommonBlog is safe, the Review Team responds to all reports of materials that violate our policies.

Safe Content

1. All content uploaded to the platform must be free of offensive, obscene, and/or dangerous material. A common example of offensive material is content that maliciously attacks an individual. A common example of obscene material is content tailored for sexual gratification. A common example of dangerous material is content that displays or links to malicious code.
2. Any content debated to be obscene will be tested with the Miller test. Should it be deemed obscene, it will be immediately and permanently removed. See Miller v. California.
3. Any content that contains offensive words (e.g. slurs), language, meanings, or media will be immediately and permanently removed. Any content that contains so-called "fighting words" is also prohibited and will be treated in the same manner (see Chaplinsky v. State of New Hampshire).
4. These policies may be amended from time to time and put into effect without notice to the users. It remains the responsibility of the user to follow the policies.

Consequences and Sanctions

1. Any user may report content that does not follow the above policies to the Review Team, or members of the Review Team may discover such content individually, which would determine whether the content should be removed from the platform (immediately and permanently) and whether further actions against the user (suspension or banning) are necessary and/or appropriate.
2. The action taken by the Review Team is determined by three factors: the severity of the offense, the effects caused by the offense (including direct, secondary, and subsequent effects), and whether it is the user's first offense.
3. Should the Review Team determine that the severity of the offense is minor and/or its effects are not impactful and/or it is the user's first offense, then the Review Team is likely to be lenient with the consequences and/or sanctions of the violation.
4. The Review Team's consequences and sanctions are directed at an account, not any person or people.
5. Users are notified of applicable consequences and sanctions via their email address (provided upon sign-up).
6. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
7. Appeals can challenge the severity of the sanctions but not the Review Team's decision that a policy violation occurred.

Privacy

For CommonBlog to work as intended, the platform collects, processes, stores, and retrieves a range of information from our users to and from our database.