Changes to the Terms of Service on Clause 1.4 Sock accounts and Proxy IP addresses

[Janus the Fox]

The Admod Team has reviewed the the Terms of Service section 1.4 on Sock Accounts and Dynamic/Static IP addresses:-

 

From:-

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1.4 Sock accounts and Proxy IP addresses

As a member, you agree to register and maintain one account only. Multiple accounts are not allowed unless under circumstances requesting approval by the Admod Team & PT for Vis-Ed. Sock accounts created outside of this process will be subject to merging or deactivation. Members discovered to have multiple accounts may be issued with official warnings or banned from the forum. Furthermore, the following shall also apply to sock accounts: should any member account be used to flame, bully, antagonize, insult, threaten, stalk or harass the members/staff of the site, the account holder will be subject to discipline potentially leading up to banning and informing the user's ISP and/or the proper authorities as the law permits.

 

Blatant abuse of proxy, dynamic, or otherwise hidden IP addresses (collectively known as proxy IP addresses) will not be tolerated. Proxy IP addresses are used to hide the identity of the poster. This is done by many spambots, trolls, and sock puppet accounts. 

To:-

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1.4 Sock Accounts, Virtual Private Networks and Virtual Machines

As a member, you agree to register and maintain one account only. Multiple accounts are not allowed unless under circumstances requesting approval by the Admod Team & PT for Vis-Ed. Sock accounts created outside of this process will be subject to merging or deactivation. Members discovered to have multiple accounts may be issued with official warnings or banned from the forum. Furthermore, the following shall also apply to sock accounts: should any member account be used to flame, bully, antagonize, insult, threaten, stalk or harass the members/staff of the site, the account holder will be subject to discipline potentially leading up to banning and informing the user's ISP and/or the proper authorities as the law permits.

 

Blatant abuse of Virtual Private Networks, Virtual Machine or otherwise use of technologies, not considered as typical computer security use, that hide a members Device, or IP will not be tolerated. Virtual Private Networks and Virtual Machines are used to hide the identity and activity of the poster. This is done by many spambots, trolls, and sock puppet accounts.

Due to current computing trends, ISP protocols and the technology of Modems and Routers today, we would no longer be able to enforce the clause on Dynamic or Proxy IP's.  This is because technology frequently use these practices normally.  We therefore are looking at what other methods could be employed to hide a members sock account. 

 

We have seen and researched Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Virtual Machine (VM) misuse 

 

VPNs are known to be used in Socks when not used just to protect oneself from regular online usage.  VMs are able to mimic a physical machine which uses software to emulate a personal computers hardware; this masks every detail that a computer could hold when online.  We are also aware that advanced users use these to protect themselves and their networks, however when misused, it can and has been used to create Sock accounts

 

ToS Policy Change Comment:

 

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