Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

These ICQ-Chat services are provided to you by private network owners. By entering or using ICQ-Chat and it's services you are consenting to be bound by the ICQ-Chat network services Acceptable Use Policy. Please read and abide by this policy. If you do not agree, do not enter or use ICQ-Chat.

Our goal is to provide a pleasant atmosphere for people to enjoy socializing in an online chat environment. In order to make this possible, we have determined that certain rules and restrictions are necessary to avoid violations of generally accepted laws and codes of conduct, and for the protection of our services and those who use them. When necessary, these rules and restrictions may be enforced across all of the services we offer, including these message forums, our gallery pages, our helpdesk systems and any other services we offer now or in the future.

In order to enforce this policy, violations may be dealt with in a variety of ways ranging from warnings up to and including a ban from the network. We reserve the right to remove disruptive users.

  • Due to the inherent vulnerability of IRC networks, and the increased number of people who seem to find some amusement and challenge in trying to disrupt computer networks and simply annoy the hell out of decent, well-meaning people who just want to actually chat with others.
  • we do run proxy scan on every connection to our NetWork, also the Admins can see and check on real IP's to add to banlist if needed due to user's commitment with our AUP, Please if you not accept this action kindly do not join our ICQ-Chat NetWork, If you go forward and join our NetWork it's mean you agree on our AUP rules.
  • The "tor, VPN and proxies" connections are discouraged, as, not being direct connections, they tend to be abused. If you are banned on such a connection and feel there is an error, you may contact the helpdesk for assistance."
  • we are constantly analyzing and improving out security measures. In order to protect both our network, and you as a user, we implement various security features. Some of these features include RBL, or Realtime Black List checking, port scanning, and various ways to block people who use suspicious IP's from logging in to ICQ-Chat, as well as to enforce those who have been removed for disruption reasons.
  • You can find more information on this here.

    • Important note, we don't allow children under 15 years old to use ICQ-Chat service, It is against the policy of this network. not even with adult supervision, If discovered, they should be reported to the network Ops Team so they immediately removed and their account(s) closed. if you allow your child/children who is +15 then you are agreeing to the ICQ-Chat (AUP) on behalf of your child/Childern as well.

    I. General Behavior

  • No flooding. This disrupts the chat.
  • No Unsolicited Advertising (Spam). This is not your ad space.
  • Please do not use AUTOMATED invite messages of any kind.
  • No Harmful or illegal activity such as pfishing, spreading viruses and trojans, or solicitations.
  • "Recruiting" activities are generally prohibited. In particular (but not restricted to) recruiting or inviting other users to join groups that promote negative or illegal activities/behavior.
  • No Overtly sexual or sexually explicit nicknames or posts, no "slave" nicknames.
  • Do Not use nicknames that would appear to be insulting other chatters or their religions, beliefs or nationality/ethnicity.
  • Some subjects of a sexual nature are severely moderated or disallowed completely on this network, particularly those subjects that are deemed unlawful by most governments.
  • No Threats against the network or personal threats against others.
  • Do not insult/harass/despise the network or the ops in direct or indirect nor in implied ways, If you don't like it here, you don't have to be here, but don't sit there and post insults.
  • Threats about making attacks on this or any other networks are not appropriate.

    • Do not insult/harass/despise the network or the ops in direct or indirect nor in implied ways, If you don't like it here, you don't have to be here, but don't sit there and post insults.

    If you are unsure whether something that you want to post is acceptable or not, please ask the Moderator (ChanOp) on duty, or ask in our #help channel. If you are banned in a channel and repeatedly "jump" such a ban to reconnect, you may be banned from the network. If you repeatedly "jump" a network ban, channel/network operators can take further action, including banning you without any further warnings, following protocols established by this network and it's administrators.

    Please do not argue in the chatrooms about yourself or another chatter being under a ban or on the BanOnSight (BOS) or BanOnBadBehavior (BOBB) lists. This is considered a disruption to the chat. You may ask to discuss the situation with an IrcOp by asking in the #Help room or by ticket on the Support Desk. Admins are the only ones who can assist with G-lines, Z-lines, BOS and BOBB issues. We will generally only discuss the situation with the person who has been banned or put on the ban lists.

    II. Use/Abuse of Services


    Services are set up to support this network and the users here. We have NickServ, ChanServ, HostServ and MemoServ available. Abuse of the services is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to:

    Registering multiple accounts (Nicknames) for the purpose of "collecting" so others cannot use them, or to use them for "squatting" (filling up a channel with idle nicknames) is not allowed. Registering an excessive number of channels that you are unable to properly administrate, or for the primary purpose of preventing others from registering them, or for trying to cover every possible permutation of a subject, place or interest is not allowed. This will be dealt with at the discretion of the network administrators.

    III. Channels


    This network has a variety of "public" channels administered by network operators. We also allow chatters to open their own "private" channels which they are allowed to moderate themselves and which may be run as restricted access channels or may be open to all network users.

    A. Network Channels

  • Please respect other chatters.
  • Do not harass or insult others. Even joking about such things can be mis-interpreted as serious.
  • This also includes making racist type comments - to say or imply that one race is better or worse than another race is generally seen as "racist".
  • This also includes insulting people's nationalities. This is a form of harassment.
  • Do not use excessive repeating. The channel ops or bots may see it as "flooding".
  • No Overtly sexual or sexually explicit nicknames or posts, no "slave" nicknames, and no sexual requests in any form.

    • RULES FOR SWEARING ARE AS FOLLOWS: as long as it is not in anyway abusive [or unnecessarily excessive] but is innocent in use it will be allowed in the rooms, HOWEVER, if deemed abusive to any user in the room you will be warned and possibly kicked and/or banned for the offense...

    "Mimic" scripts or similar behavior is prohibited in the Network-administered channels. ["Mimic" scripts are scripts that repeat the same lines that another chatter posts, and is considered channel disruption.]

    Please do not use automated messages in the main channels to greet or respond to other chatters or to open a private (query) window with another chatter.

    Automated messages that are allowed are:

  • 1. "seen" scripts if they respond via NOTICE or private message and NOT in the main chat.
  • 2. Music announcers, as long as they do not interfere with others' ability to chat.

    • A. Private Channels

  • Channel names that indicate sexual subjects or content are generally disallowed. Please contact an ircop or admin if you have questions about a channel name.
  • "War" Channels are prohibited.
  • Channels promoting "hate" issues are prohibited.
  • Channels found to be promoting illegal activities or involved in the distribution of pornography will be closed.
  • Please do not use channel names that imply that they are network channels --- channel names such as #support, #network_support, #admins, #ops_room, etc, may be closed, because chatters assume they are network-supported rooms, and may be mislead by inaccurate information, and assume the channel ops there are network ops.
  • Channels registered by users become the responsibility of the registered channel owner. If not properly managed, they may be closed.
  • Using the auto-op (access list) service is strongly encouraged. Failure to do so threatens the seurity of the channel in the event ChanServ is not available.
  • The presence of the ChanServ (Guard) bot in a "private" channel is optional.
  • Please do not add "everyone" (*!*@*) to your channel access list.
  • Please do not fill up your "private" channel with bots (see info on our Bot Policy below).

    • Private channel owners can set their own rules for their channels, as long as they do not violate the network rules, including who they choose to allow or not allow into their channels.

    Note: If users report being being subjected to overt racism, or being threatened or abused by Ops in a Private channel, we do look into such complaints and we may question the channel owner.

    Please contact a Network Operator (Join #Help) if you plan to connect a website or service directly to our network or to a "private" channel on our network. There are issues that may need to be addressed with such situations to avoid problems.

    Network ChanOps do not operate/moderate users' channels. It is the channel owner's responsibility to handle issues in their "private" channel. The network operators can answer questions and give advice if needed, and are allowed to volunteer (but not required) to assist "private" channel owners with problem situations if requested.

    While you may use the Invite command to invite your friends to your private room, or you may simply invite them by private text, please do not "mass invite" or send repeated invitations to the same person, and please do not repeatedly post invitations in our Network Channels or other rooms. Please be careful how you use the invite command. Be aware that many chatters connect here using our website, and the invite command can be annoying and interfere with their chatting, which they cannot block from the website. If we start getting multiple complaints from people being annoyed by invitations to private rooms, we do investigate, and you could be in danger of having your private room shut down if there are too many valid complaints. Please be considerate of others. Please do not "advertise" your private channel in other rooms. Sometimes if you ask the moderator, they may allow you to post one announcement in the channel to introduce your room. Or you can say that you have a room, and other chatters can private you for the room name. Just don't keep repeating it or the moderator may consider it as a disruption and step in to stop it.

    IV. Clones/Mulitple connections

    Clones are defined as multiple connections at the same time by the same user. Clones can be on the same ip or a separate ip, but they are "owned" by the same user. Multiple DIFFERENT users sharing an ip due to proximity (being at a cybernet cafe or living in the same household for example) are NOT generally considered to be clones.

    All clones are subject to the rules of this network and will not be accorded any special privledges.

    Clones are generally discouraged, but having a single clone or second connection may be permitted. Nickserv allows up to three connections, in case of a disconnect, but if an ip tries to make more than 3 connections at the same time, the server will network ban all connections on that ip.

    V. Harassment

    What one person may feel is harassment, another may see as only teasing, but the determination is usually up to the channel operator/moderator on duty. Behavior that cannot be dealt with reasonably with the use of ignore commands, behavior that affects multiple chatters in the room, and behavior that is obviously intended to pester, annoy, insult or disrupt the general flow of activity in the room, whether it is directed at another user/chatter or whether it is directed at the operators/moderators is usually dealt with as harassment. This also includes impersonating staff or other chatters, and posting people's contact and private info into the channels.

    This is our Acceptable Use Policy. It is our set of GENERAL guidelines for acceptable use of these services. The particular Rules may change from time to time as the network evolves and as circumstances change, and some channels may be under different particular rules than other channels, depending on whether they are Network-administered channels or Privately-administered channels, whether they are channels geared towards teenagers or our older adult users, etc. The Moderators (ChanOps, IrcOps) usually give warnings if you are in danger of violation a channel or network rule, or if you have violated a rule, unless it is of some nature that it is deemed necessary to immediately remove you, OR IF YOU HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY WARNED IN THE PAST FOR THE SAME OR SIMILAR BEHAVIOR. Please pay attention to Moderators' warnings, whether they just ask you nicely or whether they give you an "official" warning.

    While we have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor and moderate the chat rooms and other services here, this is an open network. ICQ-Chat is not responsible for the content that passes through it's servers. This includes, but is not limited to, content and links posted by the users of these services.

    VI. Quit Messages

    Most Quit messages are generally allowed on this network. However, if used to post comments that would otherwise violate the AUP if posted in a normal chat situation, any active Ops Team Member can take action, which may include setting an extended ban on the abusive chatter, or blocking all Quit messages for a time. Please do not use Quit messages to harass, insult or post disgusting or rude messages to the network.


    Conclusion

    This is our Acceptable Use Policy. It is our set of GENERAL guidelines for acceptable use of these services. The particular Rules may change from time to time as the network evolves and as circumstances change, and some channels may be under different particular rules than other channels, depending on whether they are Network-administered channels or Privately-administered channels, whether they are channels geared towards teenagers or our older adult users, etc. The Moderators (ChanOps, BotOps or IrcOps/Admins) usually give warnings if you are in danger of violating a channel or network rule, or if you have violated a rule, unless it is of some nature that it is deemed necessary to immediately remove you, OR IF YOU HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY WARNED IN THE PAST FOR THE SAME OR SIMILAR BEHAVIOR. Please pay attention to Moderators' warnings, whether they just ask you nicely or whether they give you an "official" warning.

    From time to time chatters may be warned for various behaviors not specified in the AUP. Issues that tend to be dealt with on a regular basis, and some other particular issues, may be more specifically detailed in the "Other Issues" Area below the Network Bot Policy. Please review those Guidelines also, if you are seeking further information on our Policies here at ICQ-Chat.

    While we have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor and moderate the chat rooms and other services here, this is an open network. ICQ-Chat is not responsible for the content that passes through it's servers. This includes, but is not limited to, content and links posted by the users of these services.

    We keep updating the ICQ-Chat Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) to clarify our AUP and provide transparency to our users, as it may be updated at any time. The changes of updating shouldn't significantly alter your access or use of the ICQ-Chat service. Please make sure you read the updates of the (AUP) carefully and regularly for any changes, Lack of knowledge about our current AUP does not relieve you of responsibility for your own actions.


    ICQ-Chat and it's services are provided to the general public by private network owners. ICQ-Chat is not subsidized in any way by any funds outside of the administration staff. As such, we reserve the right to refuse or restrict service/access to anyone for any reason.

    This notice has been approved by ICQ-Chat Network owners/admins/opers.


    latest update: 22 Aug 2023


    Network Bot policy

    ICQ-Chat does allow bots on the network, as long as they and their owners comply with our Bot Policy. Bots and owners who do not abide by this policy are subject to removal from the network. You are responsible to read and understand the network policies, and failure to read them does not exempt you from being required to abide by them.

    Every Bot must:

    • Act in accordance with the Acceptable Use Policy, the same as any other user.
    • Bots must have a registered NickServ account, independent of any user. It must be registered with a valid email address to contact the owner if necessary. The only exception to this rule are IRC Search crawler bots.
    • If the bot is online in a public network channel, the owner must be present in the channel also, and the owner must be registered with NickServ.
    • It must be obvious who the owner of the bot is. This may be by the owner's primary nick being in the real name field, and/or the owner's name in the associated metadata for the bot's NickServ account (Metadata is viewed with the command /msg NickServ info See /msg NickServ set property for details on how to set the information. The command must be run from the bot.)
    • The bot owner must be able to be contacted and must respond promptly to any requests for information from network admins.
    • very bot must serve a purpose. Bots may be used in private rooms for channel protection, statistics, informational or even entertainment. A bot that has no function is considered a filler and is prohibited in the Acceptable Use Policy.
    • It is encouraged for bots to have user mode +B set, which identifies it as a bot if someone performs a /whois nickname on the bot nick.
    • Bots programmed to answer any type of inquiry should respond via private message, as auto messages are generally not appropriate in the public chatrooms. (This would include bots that run a "seen" script, news bots, google response bots, and the like. It is up to private channel owners whether to allow such bots to post into their private channels.
    • Please do not post more than ONE bot in PUBLIC NETWORK channels.
    • There is a limit of no more than 5 bots in a private channel, except for Approved channel bots channels. (see Channel Bots Channels)
    • Bots are also subject to the same rules as any chatter and can be warned, kicked, and banned if they violate any of the network's rules.
    • Under some circumstances such BOS/BOBB set on Bot's owner are also applied on Bots until the ban expired.

    This network does not provide bots for private channels, however some chatters may offer this service. You may ask about such bot owners in #help or through the helpdesk.

    Anyone contemplating offering channel bots to private channel owners MUST get permission from the Network Operators. Please use the helpdesk ticket system to do this. Only a limited number of such channels/services are allowed on this network. Approved Channel Bot Channels are allowed up to 10 bots in their bot holding rooms, and will be limited to a certain number of bot holding rooms per service. (Network Operators will advise.) If you have any questions about these policies, or any other, please ask in #help or on our HelpDesk.

    this notice has been updated/approved by ICQ-Chat Network owners/admins/opers 22 Aug 2023

    Other Issues

    Addition 1

    From time to time chatters may be warned for various behaviors not specified in the AUP. While we try to cover most disallowed issues in the AUP, sometimes it becomes necessary to highly moderate other unspecified behavior, usually because such continued behavior can quickly become negatively disruptive in the channel. Some of the recent issues that fall into this category are as follows:

    Harassing or insulting other chatters for behavior on another network (if it didn't happen here, don't bring it here, please). Posting links to sexual or otherwise inappropriate videos/websites (this is not a sex network). Repeatedly complaining about another network to the point that it becomes annoying (moderators have discretion on this). Posting false negative information about other chatters (this can be considered harassment). Posting your "clone scanner", "seenas" or "other nicknames used" info into the room to point out a chatter has previously used one or more other nicknames (This usually appears to be in a harassing manner. Please note, such info is not always reliable and may not always pertain to the same chatter). Posting someone's personal or allegedly personal information into the channel (such as real name, address, phone numbers, or other personal situation information). Repeatedly posting your own personal information (this is for your protection). Posting logs of private conversations (if it was private, it was probably not intended to be made public, and if you don't want to read it in your private, please take action to block the other party from sending you private messages, or do not respond to them).

    Some elements of these issues are filtered by the various systems of the network. Most will often be dependent on the actions of the moderator if there is an active moderator in the room, or if there is an IrcOp or Admin who sees the offense. Actions for these issues may range from channel warnings, kicks and bans to network bans. If the same chatter is known for repeating the same type of misbehavior, having been warned on several occasions for it, they may banned without warning.

    Addition 2

    While most of the network-administered chatrooms on ICQ-Chat are generally open to most topics, there are some topics that are either specified as inappropriate for the network, or may be considered inappropriate or considered to be channel disruption issues in some rooms for various reasons, or at various times. The channel moderators (Channel Operators, or ChanOps) have jurisdiction over this, although there are some guidelines that they can refer to. Some of these guidelines include:

    1. Since "Religious" and "Political" discussions often tend to provoke heated discourse, we have particular rooms set aside for such discussions, and therefore such discussions tend to be discouraged in the main channels such as #chat. Too often, such subjects tend to be brought up with the intention of provoking the room to animosity, and therefore such discussions are usually asked to be moved to the more appropriate channels where those interested parties may discuss them without annoying those who are not interested in being in the middle of such discussions.

    2. "nonsense" or "gibberish" posts - If a user appears to be talking to their self, posting on something as if they are conversing in a one-sided conversation, where no one is responding, but they continue to seem to carry on a conversation, or if they are just posting nonsense or "gibberish" (posting characters that do not appear to be any particular language or make no sentence sense), this can reach a point where it begins to annoy other chatters and disrupt the room.

    3. Typing or pasting long passages from any source - If conversation is flowing in the room, such posts or copy-pasted info can disrupt the flow of chat, and can appear to be a type of flooding. In addition, long passages, whether typed out or pasted to the room, are subject to being truncated by the character limit of posts, and therefore get "chopped", which can be frustrating to anyone who actually bothers to try to read a long passage. Most chatters seem to find it annoying to try to keep up with reading long or multiple lengthy postings anyway. This can be considered a channel disruption or a flood. Depending on the situation, the channel bots may even kick or ban for it, if they pick it up as "flooding".

    4. Posting song lyrics or poetry verses - If conversation is flowing in the room, such posts or copy-pasted info can disrupt the flow of chat, and can appear to be a type of flooding. Also, often when a chatter posts lyrics or poetry verses, they tend to do so line by line, which tends to make for annoying reading anyway, in the same manner as if someone types a sentence with one word per line. This may not be much of an issue in a quiet room, or on occasion, or if the passage is short, but in a busy room, it can be somewhat disruptive, especially if it occurs repeatedly.

    These are Guidelines, not set rules. ChanOps do not have to always take action on them if they do not feel the issue is disrupting the room. Some of these issues, such as Religious and Political topics, will be acted upon most of the time, while others may not be necessary to address often. But please respect the Channel Moderator. We have plenty of other rooms that you can invite others to join you in if you wish to carry on a conversation that you have been requested to move to another room with.

    Addition 3

    After some chatter complaints and some investigation, Admins have decided to disallow the use of "Parent" ("dad"and "mom") type nicknames in the Network Channels. This means that nicknames that include these types of words may now be asked to change their nicknames in the network channels. [This includes Dad, Daddy, Father, Mom, Mother, Mommy, etc.]

    It is the responsibility of the active ChanOp and IrcOps to determine if such a nickname falls

    under this rule, as there may occasionally be some exceptions. ChanOps have been informed of these guidelines.

    Addition 4

    Occasionally chatters will get into the subject of recreational/non-medical/illicit/illegal drugs. Such issues, when briefly discussed, are usually not an issue. However, prolonged discussions on 'recreational' drug use may be determined by moderators/admins to be best taken to private, and we ask that chatters do move such subjects to private if you are requested to do so.

    Addition 5

    Misuse (or abuse) of the user reporting function (such as making false reports) will be punished with a block from using the report function - possibly even ending in a network ban.