The Furry Network Community Code of Conduct and Site Rules

Last Updated: JUNE 7th, 2017

The Furry Network is a community for artists, collectors, and admirers alike, where everyone can appreciate the creativity of others while sharing ideas with followers. The community is at its best when participants treat their fellow artists and non-artists alike with respect and courtesy. Therefore, we ask that you conduct yourself in a civilized manner while participating on the website.

The guidelines and rules listed below explain what behavior is expected of you and what behavior you can expect from other community members. Note that the following guidelines are not exhaustive and may not address all manner of offensive behavior. As such, the website staff and moderation team shall have full discretion to address any behavior they feel is inappropriate. In addition, please see The Furry Network Acceptable Upload Policy for information on content that may be uploaded to the site.

Your access to the website is a privilege, not a right. We reserve the right to suspend your access to the website at any time for reasons that include, but are not necessarily limited to, your failure to abide by these guidelines. We reserve the right to evaluate each incident on a case by case basis. The action taken by staff may be more lenient or more severe than those listed under each category:

• Abuse of Site Tools
• Account Policy
• Advertising
• Ban Evasion
• (Refusal to Use) Blacklist
• Commissions Abuse
• Disregard or Impersonation of the Site Administration
• Extreme Sexuality / Violence
• Harassing or Defamatory
• Major Religions, Religious Figures, Political Parties, or Political Figures
• Minors
• Name Hoarding
• National Hatred
• Illegal Drugs or Activities
• Plagiarism
• Posting Hacks, Trojan Horses, or Malicious Programs
• Posting Unreleased Content / Hacking Data Files
• Racial / Ethnic Hatred
• Real-Life Bestiality
• Real-Life Threats
• Role-Play
• Sexual Orientation
• Spamming or Trolling
• Tagging Abuse
• Violating Other Users’ Privacy
  

  Abuse of Site Tools

  This category includes:

  • Using any of the site tools such as flagging, tickets, notes, or any other site tool in a fashion that can be construed as disruptive, spamming, or defamatory
  • Uploading content which is against the “Acceptable Upload Policy”
  • Repeatedly submitting invalid, incorrect, or unnecessary requests, such as tickets or flags
  • Using inappropriate Unicode characters in tickets, usernames, or any other area of the site
  • Re-uploading content that was previously removed by staff

  This is aimed at making sure the site’s tools are used to the benefit of all and do not detract from others’ user experience.
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  Account Policy

  This category includes:

  • Registering a character name that is commonly identified by another individual across multiple sources
  • Avatars containing shocking obscenities/material
  • Failure to properly mark character profiles containing adult material
  • Failure to properly mark artwork/photographs containing adult material
  • Linking to real-life adult content from outside sources anywhere in a character’s biography or tagline
  • Using whole canon character names, such as a popular character of My Little Pony or Pokémon, with the intention of using said brand or intellectual property for monetary gain
  • Using any language in a character’s biography or tagline which is disallowed by other site rules

  This is to ensure proper usage and content of user accounts and characters.. Furthermore, if it appears that character names are being created and held with no intention of using them, they may be deleted at an administrator’s discretion. In cases where ownership of a character comes into question, an administrator will research the profile of the individuals in question to determine who has a better claim by popularity and tenure.
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  Advertising

  This category includes:

  • Written, artistic, graphical, or multimedia advertisements that do not pertain to Furry Network
  • Written, artistic, graphical, or multimedia advertisements that do not pertain to a registered Furry Network content creator

  It is acceptable and encouraged for you to use any area of your profile to advertise your (or someone else’s) products or service, such as commissions, auctions, art portfolios, characters, crafts, self-produced goods, etc. This is intended to prevent people from using Furry Network’s posts and comments for advertising their Craigslist ads or other unrelated businesses.
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  Ban Evasion

  This category includes:

  • Creating another account to get around a site blocking feature (ignore, timeout, or ban)
  • Uploading, commenting, or otherwise actively using an account while under a timeout or ban
  • Coercing or convincing another user to post on your behalf while currently under a timeout or ban

  If someone is found to have violated this rule, the entire account may be permanently banned without appeal, regardless of previous disciplinary action. Other accounts aiding with ban evasion may also be permanently banned.
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  (Refusal to Use) Blacklist

  This category includes:

  • Posting comments that complain about, or otherwise disrespect, content that can be blacklisted
  • Wrongfully claiming lack of knowledge about the blacklist system to avoid punishment from the previous rule

  This is intended to contribute to a more welcoming site by preventing the harassment of members based on the content they create. If a user chooses or refuses to utilize the blacklist, but continues to complain about content they find offensive or unsatisfactory, then this rule may be enforced. Additionally, if a user finds a post that is incorrectly tagged and willingly chooses to complain about seeing it instead of flagging it for administrative review, this rule may be enforced.
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  Commissions Abuse
  

  The Commission’s Terms of Service will be published soon.
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  Disregard or Impersonation of the Site Administration

  This category includes:

  • Failure to abide by the direct instructions from a staff member or moderator
    Impersonating or otherwise abusing authority as a current/past employee or staff member of Furry Network or other associated sites.
  • Implying moderator/administrator privileges where none exist or indicating personal influence over staff decisions
  • Threatening disciplinary action against another user when not in a staff or moderator role
  • Demanding, ordering, or otherwise stating to a staff member or moderator that certain or nonspecific administrative actions be taken against another user

  This is intended to make sure that any issues be resolved through the correct channels rather than insults. This will also ensure users do not impersonate staff, threaten users, or coerce others into behaving differently. These actions disrupt the peace of the site and contribute to a more hostile environment.
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  Extreme Sexuality / Violence

  This category includes:

  • Linking to websites that contain or refer to real-life sexual activity that is violent or explicit
  • Linking to websites that contain or refer to real-life violence that is explicit

  The intent is to prevent users from being exposed to real-life sexual and violent content on other websites. In general, if the real-life content would fall under the explicit category on this site (other than containing real-life images or situations), linking to it is not permitted.
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  Harassing or Defamatory CONTENT

  This category includes:

  • Referring to any individual or group in an insulting or disrespectful manner
  • Contributing in harassment of any individual or group
  • Persuading others to contribute in harassment of any individual or group, whether intentionally or not
  • Reacting to harassment with additional harassment

  This section is meant to help all groups across the fandom feel welcome and appreciated. Site members should refrain from harassment for any reason, and if they are harassed, they should flag the content rather than contribute or respond to harassment. Respect is a two-way street.
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  Major Religions, Religious Figures, Political Parties, or Political Figures

  This category includes:

  • Any discussion in comments regarding religions or religious figures
  • Any discussion in comments regarding political parties or political figures

  While we do encourage free speech and are fine with someone saying “thank God” or “Jesus blesses you,” we draw the line at actual discussion. These topics frequently lead to passionate and heated debate, widely distracting from what is ultimately a furry website. The same goes for politics – we know that people want to talk about it, but other venues exist for that discussion.
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  Minors

  Minors are defined as persons under 18 years of age. By default, minors are only allowed to access and post in the General category; both Mature and Explicit sections cannot be accessed with an account listing the user as under 18. The following actions are prohibited:

  • Minors accessing Mature or Explicit content
  • Minors uploading Mature or Explicit content, whether made public or kept private
  • Minors registering with a false date of birth

  We take any unauthorized use of Furry Network seriously. Any minor found to be violating this policy may be permanently banned from the website.
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  Name Hoarding

  Out of fairness to all users on Furry Network, these guidelines will ensure that everyone can get a name they like and prevent reserving a name solely to prevent others from using it.

  Names can be freed up if:

  • 6 months have passed on a basic profile without any content or profile information
  • 2 years have passed on a basic profile with some content, but no content has been updated or uploaded in that time frame
  • 48 hours have passed on an account whose sole purpose is to link to another character profile
  • Never if the account holder is deceased or if it is the name of a company or business

  If you wish to have a name freed up for you, please contact us at management@furrynetwork.com. We will review your request and contact the name holder directly if appropriate. In cases where ownership of a character comes into question, an administrator will research the profile of the individuals in question to determine who has a better claim by popularity and tenure.
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  National Hatred

  This category includes:

  • Promoting national hatred
  • Posting comments with recognized national slurs
  • Posting comments that contain national hatred
  • Posting or alluding to symbols of national hatred

  Similar to the section on harassment, this is intended to eliminate hatred towards others based on nationality.
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  Illegal Drugs or Activities

  This category includes:

  • Submissions, comments, or links that portray, glorify, or encourage real-life abuse of illegal drugs
  • Submissions, comments, or links that portray, glorify, or encourage real-life perpetration of illegal activities
  • Any solicitation or sale of drugs or illegal substances

  This is intended to prevent any promotion of drug use or law-breaking activities.
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  Plagiarism

  This category includes:

  • Wrongfully claiming ownership of any intellectual property (e.g. artwork, photos, stories, characters)
  • Posting other people’s content without explicit permission from the original owner or creator
  • Tracing or otherwise copying a work without the consent of the original owner or creator
  • Creating edits of any work without the original owner or creator’s consent

  Commonly known as art theft, this is something we take seriously. Any work found to be plagiarized will be removed from the site.
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  Posting Hacks, Trojan Horses, or Malicious Programs

  This category includes:

  • Posting comments that link to hacks or malicious programs/viruses
  • Posting comments that link to clickbait or other click-generated incentives
  • Uploading malicious or infected artwork or photographs

  To report a hack or other malicious program, please contact the site administrator via email at management@furrynetwork.com with screenshots and/or other evidence sufficient to reproduce the problem. If someone is found to have violated this rule, they may have their account permanently banned regardless of previous disciplinary action.

  This is intended to keep the website free of any harmful software/malware. When posting links, be aware of the ads and other content on the site. If the website looks questionable, avoid posting links.
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  Posting Unreleased Content / Hacking Data Files

  This category includes:

  • Showing unreleased content that has been discovered or acquired through unauthorized means
  • Showing, or implying possession of, the results of successful or attempted hacks of any servers or websites
  • Showing paid content or creating posts or comments that link to content only available through paid subscription services
  • Quoting or otherwise referencing another user who posts illegal/paid content or data
  • Exploit any security vulnerability in Furry Network or connected services
    • “Exploit” means any unauthorized action on the website, or accessing any privileged information to which you do not have permission

  This is intended to prevent illegal activity from members of the community. We take our security very seriously, and we respect the right to privacy for individuals, groups, and companies. Discussion of unreleased products or information is allowed, but sharing the acquisition of unreleased information is not acceptable.

  Responsible Disclosure: Furry Network encourages responsible disclosure of security vulnerabilities on the site or connected services. We permit the exploration of the site for the purpose of performing responsible disclosure. Due to the often-sensitive nature of security vulnerabilities, we have established a specific email address for responsible, private submission of vulnerabilities, which is sent directly to our technical team. This is bugs@furrynetwork.com.

  If you find vulnerability and responsibly disclose it to Furry Network via the official channel provided, you may be eligible for a “Bug Bounty” reward. However, this does not give you authorization to exploit the vulnerability for any purpose, before or after it’s disclosed. Violating the privacy of any other users, regardless of intent, is not permitted.
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  Racial / Ethnic Hatred

  This category includes:

  • Promoting racial/ethnic hatred
  • Language that is recognized as a racial/ethnic slur
  • Uploading artwork, photos, or comments that contain racial/ethnic hatred
  • Alluding to a symbol of racial/ethnic hatred

  Similar to the section on National Hatred, racial and ethnic hatred is not tolerated. We embrace cultural diversity, and anything that perpetuates harmful stereotypes is not allowed on the site.
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  Real-Life Bestiality

  This category includes:

  • Posting artwork, photos, or comments that contain an inappropriate reference to real-life bestiality, sexual relations with an animal, or an animal’s bodily functions
  • Recommending or linking to a website that promotes, contains, or inappropriately references real-life bestiality, sexual relations with an animal, or an animal’s bodily functions

  While some artwork and discussions may depict fantasy situations, we do not condone bestiality in a real-life context. Discussions, depictions, or encouragement of any real-life bestiality is not allowed.
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  Real-Life Threats

  This category includes:

  • Language that refers to violence in any capacity against a person or group
  • Stating actions of suicide, self-harm/mutilation, depression-induced pain, or other malicious acts directed towards the self
  • Threatening to sue any person, entity, company, or property
  • Blackmailing or extortion (demanding any kind of compensation, benefit, or advantage in exchange for any stated requirement)
  • Threatening to cause any type of damage to any person, entity, company, or property
  • Stating, or alluding to, active campaign efforts against any person, entity, company, or property

  If someone is found to have violated this rule, they may be banned with no appeal, regardless of previous disciplinary action.

  Site staff reserves the right to step in at any time if offensive language and/or behavior is deemed excessive or harmful to those involved or witnessing. Administrators and Moderators are expressly forbidden from using offensive behavior and/or language in any communication while assuming official responsibilities.

  If you do suffer from depression and have thoughts of harming yourself, contact a friend or a family member. Alternatively, call the crisis hotline or your local police department. The Furry Network staff members do not want anyone to be hurt while using this site, but they are not trained to handle emergency situations such as those.
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  Role-Play

  This category includes:

  • Role-playing on profiles of people that have expressed that they do not wish to partake in role-play
  • Unsolicited or invasive attempts to initiate a role-play
  • Creating a role-play situation in the comments of another user’s submission

  While small role-playing quips can emphasize a point or create humor without disruption, extended role-playing distracts users from the main purposes of the website. In addition, unsolicited role-playing, especially on another member’s submission, can stop constructive discussion of the submission. If role-playing is initiated, ensure the content submitter or the profile holder agrees to it first.
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  Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

  This category includes:

  • Insultingly referring to any aspect of sexual orientation pertaining to themselves or other members
  • Insultingly referring to any aspect of gender identity pertaining to themselves or other members
  • Initiating or perpetuating conflicts between people or groups with discussions based on sexual orientation or gender identity

  The intent is to prevent anyone from being the target of malice or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. We understand mistakes happen, but we expect all parties to react respectfully to any mistakes. If any conflict is initiated, members are expected to refrain from retaliation and, instead, flag said comment or content.
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  Spamming or Trolling

  This category includes:

  • Excessively communicating the same phrase, similar phrases, or gibberish
  • Creating comments for the sole purpose of causing unrest or disruption
  • Causing disturbances in the comments, such as picking fights, making off topic posts that ruin the thread, and/or insulting other members
  • Making non-constructive comments or otherwise derailing posts
  • Baiting others into arguments

  This is intended to prevent pointless or abusive posts. Spam is self-explanatory; excessive comments either unrelated to the discussion or excessively repeated do not contribute to the community. We encourage fun posts and giving constructive criticism, but once posts begin to alienate users or provoke conflict, they are unacceptable on this site.
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  Tagging Abuse

  This category includes:

  • Failure to correctly mark adult content
  • Failure to correctly tag material that’s considered explicit or shocking by the majority of the community
  • Use of misleading or outright false tags on submissions

  This is intended to protect minors from adult content and thus may be enforced more heavily than other rules. While mistakes may happen, repeated violations will quickly lead to a permanent ban.
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  Violating Other Users’ Privacy

  This category includes:

  • Violating the privacy of other users by posting confidential or personally identifiable information about them (“Doxxing”)
  • Violating the privacy of other users through use or abuse of the website, including exploiting security vulnerabilities, to access or publish private information about them
  • Disclosing linked profiles from a member that were not disclosed by that member

  While some users openly express their membership to the fandom, others prefer to keep these details unknown. We deeply value our members’ privacy, and any unaccepted disclosure of personally identifiable information will be met with consequences up to and including a permanent ban.
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  IMPORTANT

  Repeatedly violating any area of the Furry Network Community Code of Conduct, including the areas detailed above, will often result in banishment from the site. This policy is not language-restrictive. Language that falls under this policy will always be subject to the repercussions listed, whether it is inappropriate in English or any other language. The bottom line is that we want Furry Network to be a fun and safe environment for all members. While posting on the site, you will encounter thousands of other people who share different experiences and come from vastly different backgrounds. While certain language and content may or may not be offensive to you, remember that the same language and content may have a completely different effect on someone else.

  User Ranks

  When first creating an account, you will automatically be set as User. Non-users are listed below and are considered staff members of the site. If you wish to become a staff member, you may email us at management@furrynetwork.com. Please understand that staff members are volunteers who offer their time and experience in order to make Furry Network an amazing place.

  • User: Standard access. Can submit creative work, comments, edit profiles, create additional characters, use the flagging system, use private messages, and use any other normal tool of the site.
  • Moderator: Can manage other Users’ submissions and answer Moderator-level tickets.
  • Administrator: Near-unlimited access. Can perform character and user look-ups as well as answer Administrator-level tickets.
  • Super Administrator: Unlimited access. Is assigned to handle high-level cases such as legal claims, rules disputes, and illegal material.

  We expect all members to be respectful to each other, site staff included. Harassment towards members of staff will be treated the same as harassment towards any User. In difficult situations where staff requires assistance or cannot otherwise continue, they may ask another team member to help.

  Disciplinary Actions

  When a User is found to have violated the Code of Conduct in one or more ways, disciplinary actions will be given from a staff member which will apply to all characters of an account. A citation will be given to the User containing the specific rule that was broken and evidence, if possible, of the violation. This is a breakdown of how the disciplinary actions work:

  • Notification: This will serve as an advisement that you have violated the Code of Conduct. It is a light warning that will not be considered for anything outside of continued violations.
  • Warning: This will serve as an official warning that you have violated the Code of Conduct. This is considered for either moderate violations of the Code of Conduct, or from repeated Notifications. This will be the User’s last chance to follow the Code of Conduct before the staff will escalate to disrupting account access.
  • Timed Out: Account access will be removed for an amount of time relative to the offense(s) committed. This will be used for several repeated moderate violations of the Code of Conduct, or a chronic and unabated trend of minor violations.
  • Permanent Ban: Users who commit very serious violations, illegal activities, or attempt to go around a lesser punishment such as a timeout (otherwise called “ban evasion”) will find their account permanently banned. Continued violations after an account has been in timeout may also result in a ban. If you believe you have been banned in error, you may contact the site management via email at management@furrynetwork.com and submit an appeal. If your appeal is denied, you will no longer be allowed access to Furry Network.