rules

Why so much emphasis on rules and policies?

( back to terms of service )

Participating on the Internet is a privilege, not a right.  No government agency controls or operates the Internet, though some, including China, Saudi Arabia, and Germany have tried.  Others continue to try.  No private corporation owns or controls the Internet, although some have tried.  The Internet is a vast community with an agreement to share resources and talents.  To have even a single email message delivered from your computer to another requires the use of resources from many different organizations and companies, all of whom do this voluntarily and therefore have a responsibility to protect their resources from abuse.  The rules of behavior on the Internet are not the "fine print."  These rules are the essential foundation of the agreement into which you enter when you use the Internet.

Who makes these rules anyway?

Internet rules, policies and terms of service represent the consensus of the overwhelming majority of users, based on their combined experience.  Who are these people?   Well, let's start with every educational institution in the world, without whose efforts the Internet would not even exist.  Don't forget every major church and religious organization, and thousands of non-profit organizations.   We must include every telecommunications company in the world, which maintain the lines, hubs, routers, cables, and satellites.  Then there are the thousands of ISPs, servers, and hosting companies.  Nor can we leave out the software companies, nor the thousands of brilliant programmers who have contributed much of the core work toward building the Internet freely, without financial compensation. Then there are the millions of users in thousands of virtual communities, where there is close to unanimous consensus on fair usage policies.  Should you be tempted to "fight city hall," be aware that the Internet is a *big* hall.

Enforcing these rules is censorship, isn't it?

No.  Ethical behavior on the Internet is an issue of fair play, decency and cooperation.  It is not an issue of free speech, to which you certainly have the right.  You do not, however, have the right to force that speech onto unwilling listeners, nor do you have the right to expect others to subsidize that speech.  Every where you go on the Internet through your website or through email, you go as a guest. Access to the Internet carries responsibilities with it.