Revised Terms of Service (TOS) Posted

Hello Cuff-Link,

After many months of consideration and revision, we are finally releasing the revised version of the Terms of Service (TOS).

The main difference is that many of the items in the previous version are no longer explicitly stated and are instead covered under more encompassing language.

We’ve chosen to highlight the important differences below instead of going into the whole thing in detail here and have scheduled a Q&A session on May 16, 2021 at 21:00 Central Standard Time. If you have any questions prior to the Q&A session, you can open a support ticket at https://support.cuff-link.me/ if one of the network staff is not available in #help.

The Important Differences:

• It is no longer acceptable to include discriminatory language or practices in the overall theme/rules/administration, etc., of a channel. These things must be decided on an individual level.
• There is a clearly stated expectation that individuals will ensure they are aligned with their partners on the exact nature of their interactions to minimize misunderstandings and abuse.
• We will no longer ban over certain role play scenarios, however it must be explicitly stated by all parties involved that it is strictly role play.
• Opened up role play scenarios include things like abduction; home invasion; and blackmail.
• Whether real or role play, the following are still prohibited: Underage, incest, bestiality, zoophilia, necrophilia, crush, and snuff.
• We no longer require notification that you are using a hosting service (VPN/VPS/etc.) nor issuing exemptions via ticket. Consult https://blog.cuff-link.me/2017/02/21/auth-server-settings/ for more information on how to use your hosting providers.

In general, situations not explicitly addressed by the TOS will be weighed against the whole of it, primarily the consent, privacy, and security factors, but you are not entitled to use the services, and network staff may remove anyone for any reason, without explanation.

We expect that by May 30, 2021, all channels will have adjusted to align with the revised TOS, and we will make visits to those we’ve identified as being affected prior to the May 16 Q&A session.

Timeline:

April 30, 2021: * Revised TOS posted on blog and support site * Matching MOTD deployed to IRC network * Visits to affected channels will begin

May 16, 2021: * Q&A session held in #cuff-link on IRC network * Staff will coordinate via voice on Discord privately, and may open up discussion later in the public voice channel * Q&A scheduled for 2 hours from 21:00 Central Standard Time to 23:00 Central Standard Time

May 30, 2021: * Adjustment period ends; revised TOS enforced without prior/further discussion