Mozilla.Social Content Policies

Copyright

How to submit a copyright notice

Mozilla will respond to takedown requests that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe that content shared on the Mozilla.Social server infringes a copyright owned by you, or by someone that you legally represent, you may submit a takedown notice using this form. For more information about our copyright policy and review process, see Mozilla’s copyright page.

What happens next?

Filing a DMCA notice will commence a structured process. Your complaint will be reviewed for accuracy, validity, and completeness. If any of the required DMCA elements are missing, we will be unable to process your takedown request.

If your complaint appears to satisfy the requirements and we remove the material in question, we will notify the affected user, and provide them with a copy of your complaint (which may include your personal information that is contained there). If you do not wish to have your information shared, you may wish to consider having an agent submit the complaint on your behalf. We will also provide the user with information about how to file a counter-notice, if they wish to contest your claims.

If we remove material from Mozilla.social in response to your infringement notice, you will receive confirmation that the material has been removed. If we decide not to act on your infringement report, you also will receive a notification of that decision.

Mozilla has a policy of terminating access for accounts that are repeat infringers.

What can I do if I think my content should not have been removed?

If something you shared was removed due to a mistake or misidentification by the copyright owner, you can file a DMCA counter-notice, using the process described on Mozilla’s copyright page.

Trademark

How to notify us of trademark infringement

A trademark is a word, name, logo, brand, catchphrase, or similar device used to identify the goods or services provided by a specific rightsholder. Users on our platform may not use a third party’s trademark in a way that is likely to confuse or mislead others about their (or a third party’s) affiliation with the trademark owner.

Referencing or discussing a third party’s trademark may not, on its own, violate this policy. Mozilla will not remove posts for using a trademark to accurately identify something, or where an exception to trademark law, such as fair use, applies.

If you are a trademark owner or a trademark owner’s authorized agent, and you believe that content posted on Mozilla.Social infringes one or more of your trademarks, please send us a “Trademark notice” using this form. We handle Trademark Notices similarly to how we handle notices of copyright infringement, and require that they contain each of the following items:

1. A physical or electronic signature from the trademark owner or its authorized representative;
2. Identification of the word, name, logo, brand, catchphrase, or other mark that you claim has been infringed;
3. Sufficient information to allow us to determine the location of the infringement (for example, the URL where the infringing material is located, or the portion of a particular image that contains the infringed mark);
4. Your name, address, telephone number, and an email address where you can be reached;
5. A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the trademark owner; and
6. A statement that the information in your Trademark Notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are the trademark owner or are authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.

What can I do if my post was removed for trademark infringement?

If material that you posted was removed for trademark infringement, and you believe that it did not infringe, you can file a counter-notice to contest the removal of that content. If you wish to file a counter-notice, you can submit one at the following address: [email protected].

Your counter-notice must include:

1. A physical or electronic signature
2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled (the description from the takedown notice, or the URL where the content was previously posted, are acceptable).
3. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled;
4. Your name, physical address, and telephone number;
5. A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located, or if your address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which Mozilla may be found, and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the takedown Notice or an agent of such person; and
6. A brief explanation of the factual or legal basis of your counter-notice (for example, that you believe you are the trademark owner, or that you posted it for nominative or fair use purposes).

Impersonation

Users should be able to trust that the person or organization indicated by another account’s name or profile is authentic, and genuinely represents the account’s owner. You therefore may not impersonate others, and may not post material intended to deceive others about your identity, or about your authority to speak or act on behalf of a third party. However, clear parody or satire accounts are not considered violations of this policy.

While your profile is not required to display your own name or picture, you also may not use it to pose as a third party - whether real or imagined - in order to deceive others.

Violations of this policy may include accounts posing as an authorized representative of a particular business, accounts offering misleading investment, employment, or financial deals, or other accounts displaying counterfeit identities, or offering unauthorized or counterfeit goods or services.

If you discover an account that you believe is impersonating another person, or is purporting to represent a person or entity that it is not entitled to represent, you can report that account to us via the reporting tools available to you on Mozilla.Social. Please identify the specific account in question, as well as the account, individual, or entity that you believe is being impersonated without authorization.

If further information is likely to help clarify your concerns (for example, if the impersonation was done in a specific post), please also share those details. You will also be asked to provide your contact information, so that we can contact you with further questions, and with updates on your complaint. For more information about how we store your information, see the Mozilla.social Privacy Policy.

Harassment

Mozilla.Social users should be able to express their opinions, and to engage in passionate and open dialogue without becoming subject (or subjecting others) to bullying or harassment. With that in mind, Mozilla will remove posts that appear to be shared for the purpose of diminishing, degrading or shaming others, causing them fear, or otherwise tormenting them. Egregious or repeated violations of this policy may result in permanent suspension of the user’s account.

This does not mean that we will remove posts, or accounts, simply for stating controversial ideas. Mozilla believes that the best discussions occur in an environment where people feel comfortable sharing diverse points of view, and will not label something as harassment simply because it includes unpopular viewpoints. That said, it will remove posts that appear to be targeted at a particular individual or group, that contain personal abuse, or that appear to be shared in order to cause others discomfort.

Mozilla is committed to making Mozilla.Social a space that reflects our values. The line between forcefully expressed opinion and harassment can be hard to judge. If you are not sure whether a behavior would constitute harassment, it’s best to avoid that behavior. We may sometimes make moderation decisions that you feel err on the side of removing content but we will always try to strike a balance that promotes healthy community and constructive debate. If you are looking for a social network that permits all speech, without limitation, Mozilla.Social may not be the right place for you.

Harassment can come in many forms, and is not just at the level of person to person interaction. On Mozilla.Social, we will remove posts or accounts who incite or encourage harassment against other people (e.g. dogpiling), public shaming, doxxing and/or releasing other forms of private and identifying information, and swatting. Mozilla will also disable posts that contain explicit or veiled threats, or that appear to target an individual based on that person’s membership in a particular social, cultural, political, or other class, such as their race, gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, national or regional origin, language, education level, income level, or equivalent.

Messages sent to a single individual may constitute harassment, depending on the wording of the message and the context in which it was sent. While uninvited or controversial private posts may not, on their own, constitute harassment, one that appears intended to belittle or intimidate the receiver, that is sent as part of a coordinated or ongoing campaign, or that is sent after a request to cease contact, is more likely to be a violation. Similarly, persistent and repeated sexual pressure or badgering in private or public posts may also violate our harassment policy.

If you find that someone makes upsetting comments or statements that may not rise to the level of “harassment,” you can choose not to see their posts, and/or to block direct messages from them.

Violent content

Mozilla.Social users may not use the platform to glorify or promote terrorism or violence. We will remove accounts owned by the perpetrators of violent or terrorist acts (explained more in our policy on terrorism and violent organizations), as well as those accounts that coordinate, incite, mock, or celebrate violence against any individuals, groups, entities, or others.

Users may not share content that depicts abuse of humans or animals, or that includes excessively gory or violent imagery that, even if meant to be “informational” (e.g. graphic images of death, visible wounds, mutilation, etc.), can disturb other users. We will remove content that incites or facilitates violence, or appears intended to do so, and will suspend accounts that post or share such content. Users also may not use the platform to advocate for, or to attempt to encourage others to commit violent acts. We will remove, and encourage users to report, content indicating a user or third party’s intent to cause real-world injuries to others. Where we believe there is a serious risk of harm to individuals or to public safety, we may also report such content to law enforcement, and will work with law enforcement agencies as necessary to investigate and address the threat.

When enforcing this policy, we will consider the context in which a post is shared, in determining whether a violation has occurred. For example, media that depicts violence by state actors or other newsworthy violent events will typically be permitted for informational purposes, but not for the purpose of glorifying or promoting the violence in question. While not required, if your posts contain such material, we strongly encourage you to use the Content Warning feature available to you as a Mozilla.Social user so that other users can choose whether or not to view your post.

Self-Harm

Users may not use the platform to glorify or promote self-harm. This includes deliberate self-harm, such as suicide, cutting, ingesting dangerous substances, and similar activities. It also includes promotion of content that is inherently harmful, such as content that encourages, or aims to foster eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

Content that would otherwise be forbidden under this policy may be allowed for news purposes, or when shared to facilitate healthy discussion and education. Content also will not be automatically deemed to violate this policy simply because it discusses nutrition or weight loss, or because it includes images of a particular body type. Rather, such content will be analyzed holistically, based on the content in which it was presented.

Sexualized content

Under the sexualized content policy, Mozilla.Social users may not share pornographic materials; images, posts, and videos depicting sexual violence; advocate or glorify non-consensual sexual acts. Users are also prohibited from “outing” victims of sexual assault, and may not use the platform to advertise for or to solicit sexual acts and/or encounters. Deep fakes and altered images that depict people in sexual acts will be removed, and can fall under some of our other policies (impersonation and harassment, in particular)

Content that involves, encourages, or facilitates the sexualization and sexual abuse of minors is also prohibited (see Child Sexual Abuse policy) and may result in criminal action against you.

Posts that contain partial nudity (e.g. bathing suits, lingerie, revealing clothing, breastfeeding, etc.) are not prohibited under this policy. Posts that contain images or video of bare breasts that show nipples - regardless of gender identity - are allowed as long as they are (a) being shared with the consent of, and/or by the person depicted in the images (b) not a part of a post that is depicting an explicit sexual act (e.g. pornography) and (c) is not depicting a minor (since minors cannot give consent, and content involving them generally falls under the Child Sexual Exploitation Policy).

Conversations about sex, sexual acts, reproductive healthcare, childbirth, etc. are also allowed and do not fall under the sexualized content policy. Conversations that glorify or describe violent sexual acts, name victims of sexual assault without their consent, or harass other users for their sexual orientation, reproductive healthcare choices, etc. are prohibited.

Child Sexual Abuse

Mozilla.Social does not permit any content that includes, promotes, depicts, or advocates for any form of child sexual exploitation. Such content may include media, text, illustrations, or links to third party websites that host child sexual exploitation materials. It includes any actual or implied depiction of, or support for children engaging in sexual activity, as well as discussion of a user’s participation in or desire for such activity.

Any attempt to solicit Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), nude or sexualized images of children, or real-world sexual encounters with a child (an individual under age 18) is a violation of this policy. This policy also prohibits any attempts to engage in sexually-explicit conversations with, to exchange sexually-explicit information or media with a child on the platform, or to promote or normalize sexual attraction to minors.

It is also a violation of this policy to name or share images of any alleged victim of child sexual exploitation, except where such information or images is shared by the victim themself. (Explicit photographs of a minor are prohibited, even when shared by the minor subject.) However, this policy does not prohibit discussion of, or advocacy for a minor’s access to birth control or sexual health services, as long as such services are not aimed at facilitating or concealing a sexual relationship between an adult and a minor.

Violation of this policy will result in immediate deactivation of the offending account. Most violations will also be reported to law enforcement and/or to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). When this occurs, violators may not be immediately notified of the action against their account.

Violations of Third Party Privacy

Protection of individual privacy is one of Mozilla’s core values. We do not allow users to post confidential information about others, except in certain cases where that information is a subject of public concern (such as when it has appeared in a major news outlet or public document and is important to the related news coverage or discussion).

We may remove content that provides a third party’s contact information, details about their location or residence, or their medical, familial, sexual or other private background details, as well as content that shares copies of identification, financial, educational or medical documents. We also will not permit content in which a user threatens to expose another’s personal information, whether or not such exposure actually occurs.

We also do not allow users to post their own personal information where sharing that information is likely to cause significant harm to the user who shared it (for example, a Social Security Number or National ID number, address, a bank pin code, or a website or computer password). Relatedly, we do not allow posts or links that seek to obtain other users’ financial, medical or personal information. We will remove such posts when they are brought to our attention.

Misinformation

Misinformation and deliberate falsehoods are dangerous and threaten the fabric of a healthy democratic society. Many of us have seen firsthand the dangers of such falsehoods becoming normalized and mainstreamed within our societies, as well as the violence that it can cause.

On Mozilla.Social, we want to encourage healthy conversations and debates, but want to ensure that this is done without spreading misinformation and disinformation on our platform - misinformation is content that the person sharing may or may not be aware that it is false, whereas disinformation is deliberately false and meant to create chaos, uncertainty, and in many cases, radicalize.

Both misinformation and disinformation are not allowed on Mozilla.Social. Posts containing demonstrably false information and/or conspiracy theories that can cause real-world harm, or that appear likely to radicalize others or encourage violent acts against disenfranchised communities, or to encourage political and social violence, will be removed.

Posts that speculate about mainstream cultural events or public figures (e.g. celebrity gossip or equivalent thereof) are not prohibited under this policy, unless the posts appear to be spreading deliberate falsehoods to impact or influence public opinion, or to encourage harassment or harm of individuals.

Accounts that repeatedly violate this policy will be suspended. Before sharing information, double check its source and practice good digital literacy measures. If you think that anything is in violation of this policy, please report it to the admins.

Promotion of illegal goods

Users may not use Mozilla’s platform to traffic in, purchase, sell, or trade illegal or goods and services that are legally restricted, under applicable law. A non-exhaustive list of such goods includes

1. Weapons, firearms, ammunitions, explosives, or instructions on how to create or build these items
2. Medications, drugs, and controlled substances, including cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol
3. Sexual services
4. Products made from endangered animals
5. Human blood, organs, body parts, or skeletal remains
6. Gambling (with real money)
7. Services that involve trafficking in, trading, or or enslaving human beings

Users may discuss the use or trade of such items, or debate the merits of legally restricting such items, without running afoul of this policy. However, users may not instruct other users on where such items can be obtained or sold, nor can they attempt to facilitate or advertise their own involvement in related transactions.

Fraud/Counterfeit goods

Mozilla does not permit any activity that appears intended to deceive or defraud others, or to misrepresent the source and authenticity of goods, in order to obtain money, property, or other material gains. It also does not permit any activity in which a user seeks to pass off a third party’s goods or services (including digital goods and services), as their own, or misleadingly purports to be trading on behalf of someone else. This policy prohibits (among other things) the offer or promotion of fraudulent or misleading investments, loans, jobs, or business opportunities, as well as the solicitation of charitable donations for any purpose other than that for which they are advertised.

Similarly, we do not allow users to coordinate with each other for the purpose of defrauding or deceiving third parties. This includes any attempts to trade in fake identity, financial, business, educational, or other documents and records; unauthorized exchanges of third party property or personal information; and efforts to mislead third party businesses or individuals.

Violators of this rule will be suspended from Mozilla.Social.

This rule does not prohibit discussion of fraudulent activity, nor does it prohibit individuals from discussing or promoting legitimate businesses, charities, or investments.

Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content

Mozilla.Social prohibits content and/or accounts posted by or belonging to terrorist organizations and individuals, as defined by applicable law. This also includes the promotion and glorification of terrorist individuals, organizations, and acts. Content that is meant to spread extremist ideology is also prohibited. Violent organizations that may or may not be classified formally as terrorist groups also will be banned from the platform.

Any accounts that are being maintained by perpetrators of violent extremist, terrorist, or mass violent attacks will be removed, regardless of the account owner’s membership in recognized terrorist or violent organizations.

Since we want Mozilla.Social to be a safe space, we will also prohibit the sharing of hateful or violent manifestos or similar content produced by perpetrators of violent and/or terrorist attacks. Although manifestos are often shared following these kinds of tragedies, even by news organizations, this continues to indirectly assist in the spread of these violent and extremist ideologies and centers the perpetrators of these attacks rather than the victims of such violence.

Because of this, posts containing manifestos in any form (including outside links, excerpts, full-length manifestos, videos, screenshots and images) or other content created by perpetrators of terrorist and violent attacks will be removed. Even if the intention of the post is not meant to glorify the ideology or the perpetrator, we will aim to ensure that hateful ideologies are not being promoted or shared on our platform.

Hate Speech

To ensure an inclusive and safe environment, hate speech and derogatory language is not permitted on Mozilla.Social. Aligned with Mozilla’s values as well as Mastodon’s Server Covenant to actively moderate against hateful speech, posts (this includes text, audio, video, and images) that contain derogatory and/or hateful language about the following will be removed:

• Family status
• Gender
• Gender identity or expression
• Marital status
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Native language
• Age
• Ability
• Race and/or ethnicity
• Caste
• National origin
• Socioeconomic status
• Religion
• Geographic location
• Other physical, social or cultural attributes or classifications

Posts that target and/or attack other users containing hateful language focusing on the above are not acceptable. This includes deliberately referring to someone by a gender that they do not identify with, and/or questioning the legitimacy of an individual’s gender identity. Although more considered along the lines of potential bullying and harassment, posts that engage in outing an LGBTQIA+ person without their consent will also be removed.

Simply put, if you’re unsure if a word is derogatory, don’t use it. Under this policy, phrases, words, images, memes, videos, and/or emojis that are dog whistles meant to encourage hatred toward a certain group or individual based on the above characteristics will also be removed.

Angry posts, or posts that criticize a specific group based on that group’s opinions or similar characteristics, will not be forbidden under this policy. Similarly, certain things that might be considered hate speech may not be removed if the context in which they were shared, indicates that the post itself was not intended to attack or inspire enmity against another group (for example, a news photograph of a hateful symbol painted on a building might be permitted, even if the same hateful symbol was forbidden in other contexts). Similarly, posts may be permitted where the writer refers to themself in a way that might seem hateful when used to refer to others (as long as the post does not violate one of our other policies, such as the policy against Self-Harm). Words with multiple meanings may be removed in one context, but permitted in another.

People who violate this policy repeatedly, or who violate it in an egregious manner, will be removed from the platform.