Like any city, we take pride in – and are protective of – our community. That’s why our community standards are important. Communities of all sizes rely on civic pride and the duty of all citizens to help with things like picking up litter, getting out of the way of ambulances, reporting crime, and abiding by the law. These Community Guidelines tell you what you can expect from AOL, as well as the kind of online behavior we expect of you. We include some tips for protecting yourself online. Community standards are always evolving, so it's important that you periodically check these Guidelines (as well as the guidelines in your favorite areas) for updates, new information, or additional safety tips. It’s all part of taking pride in and protecting the AOL community. Thanks for doing your part. 

Here are the basics (read further for more detail):

Appropriate online content. 

Proper online conduct.

Illegal behavior.

Unsolicited e-mail. 

Protection of copyrights and trademarks.

Content and behavior on the Internet.

International online areas.

Getting help: Online resources. 

Content

By content, we mean the information, software, communications, images, sounds, and all the material and information you see online. It is provided by AOL, our international joint ventures, our members, or under license by our content partners. We do not pre-screen content generally, but our content partners are expected to ensure that their content on the service reflects our community standards. We reserve the right to remove content that does not meet those standards. Neither AOL nor its partners assume any liability if the content is not removed. Bear in mind that we can do this only on the AOL service: we cannot do it on the Internet outside AOL. (See the section below on the Internet). 

Members like you also generate content in chat rooms, message boards, Web pages, etc. It is essential that this kind of content also reflects our community standards, and we may remove it if, in our best judgment, it does not meet those standards. When we do, you may receive a warning about the violation of AOL’s standards if your account (any of the screen names) was responsible for putting the objectionable content online. If it’s a serious offense or you’ve violated our rules before, we may terminate your account.

AOL applies the same standards to its own and its partners’ content that it applies to member content. Remember that community standards vary from community to community. Some chat rooms may use stronger language than others. Obviously, some online areas may deal with more adult-oriented topics, such as sexual dysfunction, rape, or infidelity, and we offer our members Parental Controls so that you may ensure that kids who use your account can’t see that mature content (see "Help control your online environment" below). In most places on AOL, vulgar language or sexually explicit conduct are no more appropriate online than they would be at Thanksgiving dinner. So while the guidelines may vary a bit depending on the online area you’re in, in general, these guidelines apply:

Language: Mild expletives and non-sexual anatomical references are allowed, but strong vulgar language, crude or explicit sexual references, hate speech, etc. are not. If you see it, report it at Keyword: Notify AOL.

Nudity: Photos containing revealing attire or limited nudity in a scientific or artistic context is okay in some places (not all). Partial or full frontal nudity is not okay. If you see it, report it at Keyword: Notify AOL.

Sex/Sensuality: There is a difference between affection and vulgarity. There is also a difference between a discussion of the health or emotional aspects of sex using appropriate language, and more crude conversations about sex. The former is acceptable, the latter is not. For example, in a discussion about forms of cancer, the words "breast" or "testicular" would be acceptable, but slang versions of those words would not be acceptable anywhere. 

Violence and drug abuse: Graphic images of humans being killed, such as in news accounts, may be acceptable in some areas, but blood and gore, gratuitous violence, etc., are not acceptable. Discussions about coping with drug abuse in health areas are okay, but discussions about or depictions of illegal drug abuse that imply it is acceptable are not.

Please bear in mind that these are only guidelines; there is always a "gray area." Use your best judgment. Ask yourself if this is something that you would say in a room full of people you never met, or in the workplace. However, AOL makes the final determination about whether content is objectionable or not. 

With all the content posted on AOL every day by our members, we can’t possibly monitor all of it, and we do not attempt to do so. Therefore, you might occasionally encounter something you don’t want to see. You can ignore it, but we prefer you report it using the Keyword: Notify AOL. Good judgment is important, especially when you encounter the opinions of others. AOL doesn’t endorse or oppose opinions expressed by our members, but we do sometimes take issue with the manner in which the opinion is expressed. Hate speech is never allowed.

Proper online conduct.

Online conduct should be guided by common sense and basic etiquette. You will be considered in violation of the Terms of Service if you (or others using your account) do any of the following:

Post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is illegal.

Harass, threaten, embarrass, or do anything else to another member that is unwanted. This means: don’t say bad things about them, don’t keep sending them unwanted Instant Messages, don’t attack their race, heritage, etc. If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person. 

Transmit or facilitate distribution of content that is harmful, abusive, racially or ethnically offensive, vulgar, sexually explicit, or in a reasonable person’s view, objectionable. Community standards may vary, but there is no place on the service where hate speech is tolerated.

Disrupt the flow of chat in chat rooms with vulgar language, abusiveness, hitting the return key repeatedly or inputting large images so the screen goes by too fast to read, etc. This is online vandalism, and it ruins the experience for others. 

Pretend to be anyone whom you are not. You may not impersonate another member (including celebrities), an AOL employee, or a Community Leader. 

Attempt to get a password, other account information, or other private information from a member. Because a member’s account is that person’s online existence and persona, it is sacrosanct. Remember: AOL employees will NEVER ask for your password. Don’t give your password or billing information out to anyone.

Remember that new AOL features or technologies are always subject to the Terms of Service.

Illegal behavior. 

The laws that apply in the offline world must be obeyed online as well. We have zero tolerance for illegal behavior on the service. We terminate accounts and cooperate with law enforcement on such matters.

In addition to providing you with an easy way to report illegal activity, we or our partners may in some instances monitor public areas. Our Community Leaders are there to help you and to help us maintain community standards. We do not monitor private areas, such as private chat rooms, Instant Messages, or e-mail. Regardless of the area, AOL may be used only for lawful purposes. Just because we may not be monitoring the area you’re in at that point in time doesn’t mean we won’t uphold our standards. In addition, AOL reserves the right to treat as public any private chat room whose directory or room name is published or becomes generally known or available.

Unsolicited e-mail. 

Unsolicited bulk e-mail is strictly prohibited. 

Chain letters and pyramid schemes are not allowed. Many such things are illegal. Even the ones that aren’t illegal are annoying to most people and tie up online resources, so we don’t allow them.

You may place advertisements only in areas designated for that purpose. Unsolicited advertising is not allowed. This includes the sending of bulk e-mail. You must have permission from AOL and/or the person to whom you are sending the ad.

You may not use the member directory or any other area of AOL to harvest or collect information, including screen names, about AOL members, and the use of such information for the purpose of sending unsolicited bulk e-mail is strictly prohibited. This includes collection of names on a member Web page. You must adhere to AOL’s Privacy Policy.

You can regulate the mail you receive by going to Keyword: Mail Controls.

Mail Controls allow you to:

* Block or allow all e-mail

* Block or allow e-mail from specific addresses or from the Internet

* Block domains (the sources of the mail)

* Block file attachments to e-mail 

Some content is owned by others and is protected by copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights. It’s very easy to copy things in cyberspace, but just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s acceptable or lawful. Unauthorized copying of software is illegal, and you can be subject to criminal penalties beyond the termination of your membership. We take this seriously. Similarly, other content owners may take criminal or civil action against you. All the content you transmit must either be your own or must be transmitted with express authorization for distribution on AOL. 

Bear in mind that some areas of AOL are "public," like message boards, forums, or the Member Directory. By submitting content in these public areas, you grant to AOL and other members the complete right to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, etc. the content in any part, anywhere. 

Content and behavior on the Internet.

AOL provides you with access to the Internet, which is different from AOL. E-mail to or from non-AOL members, newsgroups, FTP, the World Wide Web, etc. are outside of the boundaries of AOL. However, as an AOL member you are required to follow our TOS no matter where you are on the Internet. If another ISP or Internet organization reports you to us, we will take appropriate action against your account the same as we would if you had committed a violation on the AOL service. 

AOL offers Web site publishing capability to encourage you to participate in a variety of online communities on AOL. We regard such communities as part of the AOL service, and we will enforce our community guidelines for member-created Web pages. 

Use of the Internet is at your own risk, and AOL cannot be responsible for the content and conduct you may encounter. If the content or behavior originates outside the AOL community, we cannot remove it and are limited in the actions we can take. In addition, not every Web site you encounter will have a privacy policy and those that do may differ from AOL's. Be very careful about giving out personal information.

Since the Internet contains goods and services that may not be appropriate for minors (or some adults!), you may want to use our Parental Controls (Keyword: Parental Controls) to block access to certain parts of the Internet for your account or sub-accounts, especially if kids are online in your home.

International online areas.

AOL also allows you to visit AOL International areas online. These areas may have slightly different rules for conducting yourself and different standards for acceptable content. You should refer to the local rules in those areas; in general, "when in Rome" do as the folks do there. For example, harmless words in the United States might take on a completely different meaning in the United Kingdom. Guides or hosts in those areas may issue you a warning, and termination is possible if you violate the rules of the international area. Bear in mind that cyberspace law is evolving, so it’s a good idea to review the rules of your favorite areas frequently.

Getting help: Online resources.

Like the rest of the world, AOL may contain some material that is inappropriate for kids, young teens, or to some adults. Content in chat rooms is expressed immediately, so it can’t be monitored in advance. Whether or not content is appropriate for children or for your tastes is up to you. We want to make sure that you have the ability to control what you or your children see. 

AOL provides many online means of modifying the online environment, all of which can be controlled by the master account. 

Parental Controls (Keyword: Parental Controls). Our Parental Controls allow the master account holder to adjust the online access of children on that account as they mature. You can designate each screen name as a child, young teen, mature teen, or 18+ account. Designating an account as a child or young teen account restricts your child's access to certain areas on AOL and the Internet (when accessed through AOL) and to Internet services available through America Online, such as online transactions. Each of these restrictions can be customized. But remember: No system of controls makes up for good old-fashioned parental supervision. We recommend that you monitor your child's use of AOL and that you make sure that your children understand AOL's Safety Tips. 

Web Controls (Keyword: Parental Controls) You can block access to the World Wide Web, allow your child to go only to pre-approved sites, or prevent your teen from going to identified pornographic sites on the Web. 

Mail Controls (Keyword: Mail Controls). Mail Controls allow you to:

* Block or allow all e-mail

* Block or allow e-mail from specific addresses or from the Internet

* Block domains (the sources of the mail).

* Block file attachments to e-mail

Marketing Preferences (Keyword: Marketing Preferences). AOL occasionally makes our membership mailing list available to companies whose products or services may be of interest to you. Marketing Preferences allows you to tell us if you do not want your name to be released to other organizations. You can also tell us if you do not want to receive member offers from AOL.

For more information about online safety and security, check out the following:

Neighborhood Watch (Keyword: Neighborhood Watch). Neighborhood Watch is your online area for information about online safety and security, dealing with issues such as viruses, keeping your account secure, reporting violations, or online conduct. 

Member Services (Keyword: Help). This area has answers to a wide range of questions about AOL’s service. 

How to Notify AOL of Problems Online

There are two ways to inform AOL's Community Action Team (CAT) of violations you have either seen or been subject to online. AOL's CAT is a highly trained group responsible for educating and empowering members and for enforcing AOL's content and conduct standards. CAT can issue written warnings and, should the violation(s) be serious enough, terminate an account.

You can notify AOL of a violation by going to Keywords: "Notify AOL" or "I Need Help." Using Keywords: "TOS" or "Terms of Service" allows you to review these guidelines.

When in a chat room, you can also select the "Notify AOL" button. This allows you to report a problem without having to leave your chat room. 
 
 
 

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