The following policies govern the use of the freenode interactive network and describe what we expect from our users. Thank you for using the network!

• Purpose
• Channel Ownership
• Channel Naming
  • Primary Channels
  • Topical or Reference Channels
  • Channel Forwarding
• On-Topic Use
• Off-Topic Use
• Announcements
• Inappropriate Advertising
• Behavior and Cloaks
• Termination of Use
• Open Proxies, IIS and Appeals
• Tor and Freenode
• Unlawful Activity

The freenode network is a service of Peer-Directed Projects Center Ltd, the not-for-profit entity which runs it. From the PDPC charter:

The purpose for which the corporation is organized is to help peer-directed project communities flourish. Peer-directed projects combine open, informal participation with broad licensing and wide dissemination of output.

freenode provides facilities to peer-directed project communities, including those of free and open source software (FOSS). IRC is a self-referential medium, existing mainly to serve IRC users—but this network was created to serve groups which exist outside of IRC. It's designed to encourage community members to improve their skills in the areas of cooperative effort, interpersonal communication and project coordination, and to create a real-time bridge to the outside world for our target communities.

Channels on freenode are owned and operated by the groups which register them. No minimum level of activity or moderation is expected or required of channel owners. The network exists to further on-topic uses, as explained in this policy, and channels or groups may be removed from the network for activity which is considered to be off-topic.

Groups using freenode are strongly encouraged to adopt the network channel guidelines.

Policy organizes the network into two classes of channels, primary and topical (reference) channels. Primary channels names are reserved based on a formal or informal claim, external to IRC, to a specific project, group or trademark name. Topical or reference channel names are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis by groups wishing to discuss a project, group or topic.

The goals of the naming policy include:

1. Ensuring that groups and organizations own and control channels associated with their names,
2. Allowing users to distinguish easily between official and unofficial channels, and
3. Encouraging groups to develop their unique identity and presence outside of freenode and IRC.

The channel naming policy is currently in transition from the informal, single-namespace, first-come, first-served model employed by most IRC networks, to the policy described here. Groups using the network are encouraged to begin using the new naming model as soon as possible, to avoid last minute problems, including the unavailability of specific topical or reference channels. Advance notice will be provided at some point and the old naming model will be retired. No schedule has yet been determined for this transition.

Primary channel names, formatted with a single leading hash mark (#), are reserved for participating groups and organizations based on their legal or informal claim to the associated name or name prefix. For example, Peer-Directed Projects Center, the organization which runs the network, has reserved the name freenode and has been granted control over channel #freenode, as well as any channel beginning with #freenode-.

Name claims can be appealed, at which point network staff will look for an appropriate resolution to the conflict. We may suggest informal solutions to promote compromise by the parties involved; but in the absence of such solutions, we'll give priority to groups in the following categories, listed in order from highest to lowest priority. Within each category, we'll give priority to the group with the longest documented use of the name.

1. Non-govermental organizations, standards organizations, government entities, formal news organizations, corporations, businesses and individuals with legally valid claims.
2. Informal FOSS community projects and other projects producing broadly-licensed output.
3. Web media projects, geographically-based interest groups, FOSS support groups and informal education/reference groups.

Peer-Directed Projects Center has limited resources to research trademark. Though uncertainties can exist as to the validity of a claim on a name, we'll try to resolve such claims to the best of our abilities. The use of social-engineering-style tactics (such as legal filings) to acquire a project name already in use may negatively affect your reputation in the communities we serve.

Groups on freenode which clearly do not have claim on a name, or whose activities are considered to be off-topic, will not generally be given administrative control over primary channels bearing a given name or name prefix. These limitations may be implemented at the server software level at some point in the future.

Topical or reference channels names, formatted with two leading hash marks (##), are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis to unofficial groups wishing to discuss a project, group or general topic area. For example, the channel ##linux has been reserved for an unofficial group which uses it to provide GNU/Linux support to visiting users.

These channels should not be used as platforms for flaming and trolling. By registering such a channel, you indicate that you assert no legal or informal right to the channel name used. Topical or reference channels should not be registered directly or indirectly by their corresponding projects. You may not register such a channel on freenode without accepting these policies.

If a primary channel name owner has never registered its group on freenode or has registered and subsequently left the network, senior network staff may decide to forward the primary channel to the corresponding topical or reference channel or to some other group channel on the network.

A forward may be created in a case where staff believes that the destination channel will provide useful unofficial support for the project. We're most likely to create and maintain the forward if the destination channel belongs to a registered group, is relatively large and well-developed and conforms to the freenode channel guidelines.

The forward will be removed if the name owner registers and reserves the channel (or, in a case where the name owner has left the network, if the group returns to active participation). It may also be removed if, in the opinion of senior network staff, the destination channel no longer provides a sufficiently friendly, useful or effective support environment.

As a program of a not-for-profit entity, freenode was established to provide resources to specific communities for activities which advance the public good. The categories listed below are considered to be "on-topic." We strongly urge your adherence to the freenode channel guidelines. Please be sure to register your group to indicate its official participation in the network and to use the facilities provided with registration.

1. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Project coordination, support, discussion or contact channels associated with software projects which are licensed under terms consistent with the Debian Free Software Guidelines, the Free Software Foundation's Free Software Definition or the Open Source Initiative's Open Source Definition (preferably all three) are considered to be on-topic.
   
   
2. Non-Software-Related Peer-Directed Project. Per the PDPC charter, channels which serve projects combining open, informal participation and broadly-licensed, widely-disseminated creative output are considered to be on-topic. If you believe your non-software project may meet the criteria for a non-software peer-directed project, please consult a staffer or email support at freenode dot net.
   
   
3. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Coordination, support, discussion or contact channels run by educational institutions, registered not-for-profit entities and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their related consortia are considered to be on-topic. Be sure to register your group or organization.
   
   
4. Governmental Entity. Coordination, support, discussion or contact channels run by local, national or international governmental entities are considered to be on-topic. Don't forget to register your group.
   
   
5. News Media. Formal news organizations with an interest in our target communities are encouraged to create contact channels on freenode.
   
   
6. Web Media. Members of blogger communities are welcome to set up channels associated with their sites or communities. Owners of forum or reference sites are welcome.
   
   
7. Corporate. Contact channels for registered corporate or business entities or consortia with an interest in our target communities are considered to be on-topic.
   
   
8. Standards. Discussion channels associated with official standards committees or with informal standards groups are considered to be on-topic.
   
   
9. Geographically-Based Interest Group. Channels associated with formal or informal geographically-based interest groups are considered to be on-topic. These include local Linux and FreeBSD user groups (LUGs and FUGs) and community wireless groups. If your group doesn't fall into one of those categories, but you think it might meet the criteria, please consult a staffer or email support at freenode dot net.
   
   
10. Non-Geographical Interest Group. Non-geographical interest groups covering a variety of subjects may be on-topic. Please consult a staffer. Public discussion channels which adhere to the freenode channel guidelines are most likely to be considered favorably. With occasional exceptions, game player channels are discouraged under this category.
    
    

Unlawful activities and their related support activities are considered off-topic, as are inappropriate advertising, heavy media file trading, gaming and proprietary game software modding, warez, hax0r activity, porn and various forms of antisocial behavior, including (but not limited to) political, racial, ethnic, religious or gender-related invective. Off-topic activity may result in users being barred from the network.

In accordance with UK law freenode and the PDPC have no tolerance for any activity which could be construed as:

• incitement to racial hatred
• incitement to religious hatred

Information on the freenode network can be found on our website. Of particular interest: the policy page, the FAQ, the news page, the channel guidelines and the network philosophy section. In addition, policy is to send via global notice those announcements whose contents have an effect on a large portion of the network community. These include announcements about scheduled and unscheduled downtime on major servers, and notification when the network news page has been updated.

In contrast, WALLOPS messages may contain nearly any information provided for, by or about the network, the network staff or the communities we serve. This may include detailed network status information, announcements of new channels and group contacts, staff birthdays, group events, random news, commentary, banter and/or bad puns.

By policy, the answer to complaints about the content of WALLOPS messages is, please turn off WALLOPS on your client. Information has been provided in the FAQ describing how to turn network staff informational messages on or off. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Unsolicited commercial advertisements via channel messages or private messages are considered inappropriate on freenode. This should not be construed as limiting in any way the discussion of commercial offerings in corporate contact channels or elsewhere on the network. But please, show courtesy, honesty, tact and discretion.

Announcements may be made from time to time by freenode staff about fundraising activities or formal programs of not-for-profit entities. We'll try to keep such announcements within the bounds of our announcements policy. As such, these announcements, including those pertaining to Peer-Directed Projects Center itself, are considered to be appropriate and on-topic.

Using freenode channels as advertisements for another chat network, or for your project channel on another network, are considered inappropriate. Please refer people to your official channel via your project web page. Channels on the network are meant to be actively used; those which appear to be set up primarily to advertise other networks, or channels on other networks, may be removed by staff.

When you're wearing a group or project cloak, any antisocial behavior on your part reflects on the group which provided you your cloak. Most groups will withdraw a cloak rather than have its owner reflect badly on them. PDPC is no exception. If we receive complaints about your behavior and you're wearing a PDPC cloak, we may remove your cloak. This includes "pdpc/supporter" cloaks. If we remove your cloak, we may replace it with an "unaffiliated" cloak; but antisocial behavior may result in the loss of those cloaks as well. We'll try to contact you in order to let you know when and why your cloak was removed.

We welcome users and developers in our target communities. The network hosts both official and unofficial support channels for a variety of projects. If you want to open a coordination or support channel for your project, we'd be happy to have you on the network. Our channel ownership policy is designed to make it easy for you to move your channel to freenode

We also recognize that we are not the only interactive facility for community projects. If you announce that your group or channel has moved from freenode to a new network, we'll render the channel or channels inactive and leave pointers to your new location for one week. If you've announced you're moving, we'll leave your channels untouched for that week. After the week is complete, we'll render "primary channels" (starting with #) inactive (possibly forwarding them to another channel) and free topical or reference channels (starting with ##) for the use of another group. At that point, you should use your project web site to point people to the new location, so that everybody gets the message.

Like many interactive networks, we've had our share of problems with denial-of-service attacks. As a result, we've had to develop a variety of measures to reduce the impact of such attacks. freenode may block access to users whose IRC clients run on hosts with open proxies, IIS servers or other categories of software determined to present special risk to our server environment. We reserve the right to use automation to attempt to detect such software on your host, as you connect to our servers, while you remain connected to the network and on occasion during post-connection analysis. Your use of the network signifies your acceptance.

If you do not accept the above policy, any use of freenode from your facilities is unauthorized and should cease immediately, after which we'll be happy to discuss the matter further.

If you've been affected by a connect limit or a server ban, please feel free to appeal via email to: support at freenode dot net. Sometimes users are affected by problems not of their own making. We'll try to remove the ban or provide an exception if possible.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Tor project is a special case in freenode's treatment of proxy servers. Tor provides anonymous access to internet services, including IRC, and protects its users' privacy from various forms of traffic analysis. Currently under 100 users connect to the network via Tor, but that number continues to grow. The freenode network welcomes Tor users.

Anonymous access to internet services is frequently abused. To provide reliable access while reducing the impact of any abuse on the rest of our users, we label user sessions conducted through various gateways, including Tor, with cloak hostnames beginning with gateway and ending in a token x-N... (where N... is a set of random hexadecimal digits which are different each time the user reconnects, and thus useless in denying any specific user access for very long).

Channel owners are free to deny access to their channels by various gateway users. But freenode and PDPC urge you not limit access to gateways too broadly or completely. Please don't ban *@gateway/* . Please use a "quiet" command instead of a "ban" if at all possible. For example, please don't ban Tor users, as in the following command:

/mode #foo +b *@gateway/tor/*

Instead, please consider using a "quiet" command:

/mode #foo +q *@gateway/tor/*

and make such denials-of-access temporary, not permanent, whenever possible. Network staff can turn off new gateway connects on a temporary basis and kill out abusive users. We're happy to do so; simply contact a staffer whenever your channel experiences abuse.

Please remember that some users have very little choice about using gateways, and be considerate in your control of access.

The staff of freenode works to weed out various forms of abuse (such as user harassment, denial-of-service attacks and channel flooding) on a daily basis. Achieving this goal involves the use of a number of automated and semi-automated tools. We're often in a hurry to resolve a problem. Because of this, and because Tor creates special needs, access to the network by Tor users will occasionally be blocked. We apologize in advance for any problems of this sort and we ask for your patience and understanding. We support Tor and will do everything we can to resolve any access issues in a timely fashion.

freenode is a service of Peer-Directed Projects Center, a company registered by guarantee in England and Wales. As a legal entity, PDPC cannot condone or support behavior which is clearly unlawful. While PDPC does not have the resources to closely monitor the thousands of channels on the network, its staff and volunteers are required by policy to pass on credible information, provided by you as a network participant, about unlawful activities. This is true whether you are talking about your own activities or those of someone else. Please be aware that we have this responsibility.

Information about unlawful activity outside of freenode is best provided directly to appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Copyright © 2002-2009 by Peer-Directed Projects Center.
Network date and time: Tuesday, 29-Dec-2009 13:58:54 GMT.
Comments to email address: web at freenode dot net.