Acceptable Use Policy and Prohibited Content

4.1 Application and Interpretation. The Acceptable Use Policy applies to all User Content and all use of the Database. Because the Database is an investigative platform, several prohibitions below are directed at User Content uploaded to commit, promote, facilitate, or distribute a harm — not at the good-faith collection, documentation, or analysis of such material for a legitimate public-interest investigative purpose. This interpretive rule does not apply to subsection 2(a) (child sexual abuse material), which is prohibited absolutely and without exception. C4ADS maintains a zero-tolerance policy for illegal content and activity on the Database. C4ADS may, in its sole discretion, immediately remove or disable access to violating User Content, suspend or terminate the responsible User’s account, and refer the matter to law enforcement, and will comply with its reporting obligations under applicable law, including as described in Subsection 4.5. 

4.2 Prohibited Content. Customer and its Users may not upload, store, share, publish, or otherwise make available any User Content that falls within the following categories:

(a) Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and Child Sexual Exploitation. Content that depicts, describes, promotes, solicits, or facilitates the sexual abuse or exploitation of any minor, or that sexualizes minors in any way. This prohibition is absolute and admits no exception. C4ADS reports such content as described in Section 4.5.

(b) Adult Sexual Exploitation and Solicitation. Content that facilitates, advertises, promotes, or solicits sex trafficking or commercial sexual services, or that constitutes non-consensual intimate imagery, sextortion, or other non-consensual sexual content.

(c) Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity. Pornographic or sexually explicit depictions of adult nudity or sexual activity.

(d) Violent and Graphic Content. Gratuitously graphic or violent content, or content that promotes, incites, glorifies, or provides instructions for terrorism, violent extremism, or violence against people.

(e) Classified and Export-controlled Government Information. Classified, restricted, or otherwise non-public government information the User is not lawfully authorized to possess or disclose, or content whose upload or disclosure would violate applicable law, including U.S. export-control and classified-information laws.

(f) Misinformation. Content the User knows or reasonably should know to be false or fabricated and uploads or shares with intent to deceive, defraud, or manipulate, or content fabricated to be passed off as authentic.

(g) Health and Biometric Data. Sensitive health information or biometric identifiers, unless the User has a lawful basis to process it and the upload complies with all applicable data-protection and privacy laws.

(h) Personal Data Concerning Minors. Personal data of minors, unless lawfully obtained, necessary for a legitimate public-interest investigative purpose, and handled in compliance with applicable law.

(i) Hate Speech and Hateful Content. Content that attacks, dehumanizes, or promotes violence or hatred against people on the basis of a protected characteristic, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, disability, or serious disease.

(j) Unlawful, Infringing, or Rights-violating Content. Content that violates applicable law; that infringes any intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, or contractual right; or that the User lacks the rights, authority, or consents to upload and use as contemplated.

(k) Malicious Code and Security Threats. Viruses, malware, or any code or material designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to systems, data, or the Database.

4.3 Prohibited Conduct. Customer and its Users may not, and may not permit others to: (a) use the Database or User Content to harass, stalk, threaten, dox, or endanger any person, or to facilitate illegal activity; (b) upload User Content for which they lack the necessary rights, consents, or authority; (c) attempt to re-identify, surveil, or target individuals in violation of applicable law; (d) circumvent storage limits, access controls, sharing restrictions, or usage allowances; or (e) interfere with, disrupt, or compromise the integrity, security, or performance of the Database.

4.4 Enforcement. C4ADS has no obligation to monitor User Content but reserves the right to do so. Where C4ADS reasonably believes User Content or conduct violates this Agreement or the Acceptable Use Policy, it may, with or without notice and in its discretion, remove or disable access to the User Content, decline or revoke a publication request, suspend or limit BYOD functionality, and suspend or terminate the relevant account or this Agreement under Section 7.

4.5 Reporting and Legal Disclosure. Consistent with 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, upon obtaining actual knowledge of any facts or circumstances indicating apparent child sexual abuse material or child sexual exploitation, C4ADS will report such facts to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as soon as reasonably possible, and will preserve the reported content and related information as required by law. Nothing in this Agreement requires C4ADS to monitor, affirmatively screen, or scan User Content for such material, but C4ADS may do so in its discretion. C4ADS will report such content to law enforcement as required by applicable law and may preserve and disclose related User Content and account information accordingly. C4ADS may also report other unlawful content or conduct to appropriate authorities and may preserve and disclose User Content where necessary to comply with law or legal process or to protect the rights, safety, or property of C4ADS, its users, or the public.

4.6 Reporting Violations and Takedown Requests. Users and third parties may report content they believe violates this Agreement or their rights by contacting C4ADS at [abuse/report contact]. C4ADS will review reports and take action it considers appropriate, which may include removing content. Intellectual-property owners may submit infringement notices to C4ADS’s designated agent as described in Section 4.8, and C4ADS will respond consistent with applicable law.

4.7 Cooperation with Investigations; Release. C4ADS may cooperate with law-enforcement authorities, governmental agencies, and courts of competent jurisdiction concerning any User Content, account activity, or conduct relating to the Database. C4ADS may disclose User account information, User Content, or account records where required by law, legal process, or where C4ADS reasonably believes such disclosure is necessary to enforce this Agreement, comply with legal obligations, or protect the rights, property, safety, or security of C4ADS, its Users, or the public. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Customer and each User release and hold harmless C4ADS and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and service providers from claims arising out of C4ADS’s good-faith investigation, preservation, removal, disclosure, reporting, or cooperation with law enforcement or legal process pursuant to this Agreement or applicable law. 

4.8 Copyright Complaints; DMCA Safe Harbor. C4ADS respects the intellectual property rights of others and responds to notices of alleged copyright infringement consistent with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512) (“DMCA”). 

(a) Designated Agent. Notifications of claimed infringement must be sent to C4ADS’s designated representative at info@c4ads.org.

(b) Notice and Takedown. A notification must include the elements required by the DMCA, including identification of the copyrighted work and the allegedly infringing material, contact information, a good-faith-belief statement, and a statement under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act. Upon receipt of a complaint notice, C4ADS will expeditiously remove or disable access to the identified material.

(c) Counter-Notification. An affected User may submit a counter-notification that complies with the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 512(g). Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, C4ADS may restore the material in accordance with 17 U.S.C. § 512(g) and applicable law. 

(d) Repeat Infringers. C4ADS has adopted and will reasonably implement a policy providing for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of the accounts of Users who are repeat infringers. C4ADS may, in its sole discretion, limit access to, suspend, or terminate the account of any User who has been the subject of repeated notices of claimed infringement, or who C4ADS otherwise determines to be a repeat infringer, whether or not any single instance of infringement has been finally adjudicated. C4ADS will determine what constitutes “appropriate circumstances” for termination on a case-by-case basis and is not required to provide advance notice before suspending or terminating an account under this Section. Nothing in this Section limits any other right of C4ADS to suspend or terminate an account or to remove or disable access to User Content under this Agreement or the Acceptable Use Policy.