Rules

Kal is an open platform that exists to share ideas and perspectives from the world’s most insightful writers, thinkers, and storytellers.

We welcome thoughtful and civil discussion from a broad spectrum of viewpoints. To maintain a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for a wide range of people to engage in meaningful conversations, we prohibit certain conduct.

In deciding whether there has been a violation of the rules, we will take into consideration things like newsworthiness, the context and nature of the posted information, the likelihood and severity of actual or potential harms, account history, and applicable laws.

Violations of our rules may result in consequences such as account restrictions or suspension of your content. Kal has the sole authority and final decision as to whether content or behavior violates our rules.

To report a violation:

If you find a post or account on Kal that you believe violates these rules, please report it. You can find the report button in the 3-dot menu on every post, response, and account page.

You can use this form to provide more detail or to report other conduct you believe violates our rules. Additionally, you can send an email to kalmassmedia@gmail.com.

Rules

The capitalized terms here have the same meaning as defined in the Kal Terms of Service.

Threats of violence and incitement We do not allow content or actions that threaten, encourage, or incite violence against anyone, directly or indirectly.

Hateful content We do not allow content that constitutes or promotes violence, harassment, or hatred against people based on characteristics like race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, disability, disease, age, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.

We do not allow posts or accounts that glorify, celebrate, downplay, or trivialize the violence, suffering, abuse, or deaths of individuals or groups. This includes the use of scientific or pseudoscientific claims or misleading statistics to pathologize, dehumanize, or disempower others. We do not allow calls for intolerance, exclusion, or segregation based on protected characteristics, nor do we allow the glorification of groups that do any of the above.

We do not allow posts or accounts that target others with slurs, tropes, or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade, or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. For example, this may include targeted or intentional misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals or harmfully ableist language.

We do not allow hateful text, images, symbols, or other content, including in your username, profile, or bio.

Harassment Kal exists to share and discuss ideas. We don’t tolerate harassment, which includes:

·         Bullying, threatening, mocking, or shaming someone, or posting things likely to encourage others to do so

·         Engaging in a repetitive or targeted campaign of harassment against someone or a group of people

·         Using derogatory language, racial slurs, or obscenities to disparage or attack someone or a group of people

·         Using Kal features like responses, private notes, mentions, follows, lists, highlights, or requests in a way that attempts to or does annoy or harass someone, or to draw inorganic attention to your content on Kal

Privacy and reputation We do not allow the following:

·         Posting images of, transcripts of, copies of, or links to private communications between private individuals without the explicit consent of all parties to the communication. Redacting names or other information does not supplant the need to secure permissions.

·         Doxing, which includes not only private or obscure personal information but also the aggregation of publicly available information to target, shame, blackmail, harass, intimidate, threaten, or endanger a person or group of people

·         Posting intimate or explicit images taken or posted without the subject’s express consent

·         Content that violates others’ privacy or personal safety, including sensitive or confidential information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, non-public phone numbers, physical addresses, email addresses, non-public data, or other similar information

Restricted categories We do not allow posts or accounts that engage in the following restricted categories of activity:

·         Promotion of controversial, suspect, or extreme content. 

·         Facilitation of gambling or betting

·         Facilitation of buying or selling social media interactions, including off-platform

·         Facilitation of sexual services

·         Facilitation of copyright or other intellectual property violations

·         Facilitation or evidence of violating the terms of service of Kal or third party(s)

·         Providing reviews of businesses or products in a gratuitously harmful or abusive manner

Facilitation of illegal hacking (e.g., stealing credentials, compromising personal data)

·         Promotion of pseudoscience, disinformation, or other content that is contrary to public health or safety

Related conduct We do not allow content or accounts that engage in on-platform, off-platform, or cross-platform campaigns of targeting, harassment, hate speech, violence, or disinformation. We may consider off-platform actions in assessing a Kal account and restrict access or availability to that account.

Graphic content We do not allow posting, linking to, or otherwise promoting pornographic images or videos. We do allow erotic writing and non-graphic erotic images.

Kal is a large network, and posts can travel in front of all different types of readers. We ask that you be mindful of unintentional viewers when selecting your images.

We do not allow gratuitously graphic or disturbing media, regardless of the subject matter.

Exploitation of minors We do not allow content promoting the sexual, violent, or other exploitation of minors, including the sexualization of fictional minors.

Promotion and glorification of self-harm We do not allow content or activities that encourage, promote, or glorify acts of self-harm, such as cutting, eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia, and suicide. If you encounter users contemplating or threatening self-harm, please report it.

Duplicate Content We do not allow posting duplicate copies of the same content to Kal, whether from a single account or across multiple accounts, either publicly or as an unlisted story. (You are allowed to cross-post content from your blog to Kal, provided you own the rights to the content.)

Spam or site misuse We do not allow spam or misuse of Kal. All spam or misuse will be immediately removed from Kal without notification. Examples of spam or misuse include:

·         Posting content primarily to drive traffic to, or increase the search rankings of, an external site, product, or service

·         Scraping and reposting content from other sources for the primary purpose of generating revenue or other personal gains

·         Posting duplicate content, whether from a single account or across multiple accounts

·         Stories where the content is clipped with the purpose of linking to the rest of the article on a different website

performing a disproportionately large number of interactions, particularly by automated means. This includes bulk or indiscriminate interactions, such as following other accounts (follow spam), clapping, highlighting, leaving notes, or flagging content.

·         Repeatedly using responses, mentions, or other interactions as a method of promotion or marketing

·         Participating in bounty campaigns or brigades to artificially inflate rankings for posts, accounts, businesses, or products

·         Use or re-use content templates with slight modifications across multiple posts and accounts.

For each of these behaviors, when we talk about “content,” we mean not only posts but also any other feature that allows you to add your own text or media. When we talk about “interactions,” we mean any feature that allows one user to interact with another person or post.

Copyright and trademark infringement Respect the copyrights and trademarks of others. Per our Terms of Service, we require users to have permission to post the content they publish on Kal. Additionally, we have specific policies around plagiarism, to which all Kal accounts are held. Users found in violation of our copyright rules are not eligible for a warning, appeal, or restoration. Deletion of copyright violations is not grounds for reinstatement.

We respond to notices of alleged infringement as described in our Terms of Service, Copyright and DMCA Policy, and Trademark Policy.

Deceptive conduct We do not allow deceptive conduct on Kal. This includes:

·         Posting content or impersonating a person or organization in a way likely to deceive people. Parody and satire are fine, but make it clear that’s what you’re doing. Our Username Policy has specific requirements for parody accounts.

·         Using Kal for phishing or fraud. Don’t use tags, links, titles, or other metadata in a misleading way. Don’t link to or embed malicious or harmful code or software in your posts.

·         Using deception to generate revenue or traffic

·         If you have received free goods, services, or anything of value in connection with the topic of a post, you must make this clear.

Ads, promotions, and marketing

·         First-party promotion is allowed, and you may promote and link to your own business, website, mailing list, or fundraiser.

·         Third-party advertising and sponsorships are not allowed. You may not advertise or promote third-party products, services, or brands through Kal posts, publications, or newsletters. This includes images that indicate brand sponsorship in a post or newsletter, or as part of a publication name or logo.

·         Affiliate links, such as links out to Amazon with an affiliate code or any other link out where you will receive a commission or other value, are allowed in posts. However, per Federal Trade Commission law, you must disclose the inclusion of these links in your post. This can be a simple sentence in the footer. (For further guidance, see FTC Rules and Guides).

Embedded Content and Collection of Personal Information To ensure the privacy and security of our usersdata, embedded content must comply with the following g requirements:An “embed” includes a link, form, or request for information or other content.

Embeds directly collecting data through Kal Form fields, comments, or other onsite means are not allowed. This includes embeds that facilitate the submission of email addresses, credit card information, or other personal information. If you want to collect information from your readers, you will need to follow these requirements:

·         If you link out from your post on Kal to a form hosted elsewhere, that form must make it clear to a user that they are no longer in the Kal network and the information they disclose is subject to the third party’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

·         If the link directs users to your own platform to subscribe to your newsletter, blog, or other content you create, then in your Kal content immediately next to the link, you must disclose that the link will take the user offsite outside of Kal.

·         If your content includes a form that sends user information to you or a third-party, immediately next to or within the form, you must disclose that the form will send the user’s information to an offsite third-party outside of Kal that is subject to that offsite third-party’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, or offsite outside of Kal, to you directly.

Paid, automatic, bulk, or non-genuine interactions Kal depends on various user behaviors—like follows and claps—to determine what content to feature and make the site work well for everyone. We don’t allow artificial behaviors that skew this system and, as a result, degrade or distort other users’ experiences.

This includes:

·         Buying, selling, or trading in accounts or account interactions—including views, reads, follows, claps, highlights, responses, or other traffic

·         Using services, apps, or arrangements that offer you more views, reads, follows, claps, or other interactions on your Kal account or content

·         Registering accounts, posting content, or interacting with users or content automatically, systematically, or programmatically

Cryptocurrency Accounts, Posts, and Publications Posts and accounts that are focused on launching, announcing, or providing information on cryptocurrencies must meet the requirements listed in our Cryptocurrency Policy. Kal does not endorse or verify any coin, token, financial advice, or similar announcement.

Prohibitions on the Use of the Services

You agree not to do, try to do, or cause a third party to do any of the following, except without the express written consent of Kal:

(1) access or tamper with non-public areas of the services, our computer systems, or the systems of our technical providers;

(2) access or search the services by any means other than the currently available, published interfaces (e.g., APIs) that we provide;

(3) forge any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header information in any email or posting, or in any way use the Services to send altered, deceptive, or false source-identifying information;

(4) use the services in any manner that could disable, overburden, damage, or impair the services, or interfere with any other use of the services;

(5) use any software, script, robot, spider, or other automatic device, process, or means (including crawlers, browser plugins, add-ons, or any other technology) to access the services for any purpose, including without limitation scraping or otherwise copying any of the data or content on the services;

(6) use any manual process to monitor or copy any of the data or content on the services, or to engage in any other unauthorized purpose;

(7) otherwise use any device, software, or routine that interferes with the proper working of the services; or

(8) otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the services.

Use of custom domain features

Kal provides the ability to point a domain name that you control to a publication on Kal. If you use this custom domain feature, you understand that your publication will still be hosted on Kal and will still be subject to Kal’s Terms of Service. If you use this custom domain feature, you may not do, try to do, or cause a third party to do the following:

(1) Alter the look and feel or transform the content of the webpage, including by injecting ads, inserting tracking code, or altering the Kal look or feel;

(2) Use proxy servers or any other means to short-circuit our rules or circumvent user protections; or

(3) Mislead users about what site they are on or what their actions will do.

Your use of the custom domain feature must comply with our Privacy Policy. Please note that our rules around storing, transferring, and using user data are more user-protective than some other sites’. We do not sell user data or allow tracking of our users across the web. We expect you to uphold these same rules and policies in connection with operating your custom domain.

How to report a violation

If you find a post or account on Kal that violates these rules, please report it in the product. You can use contact form to provide more detail or to report other conduct you believe violates our rules. Additionally, you can send us an email at kalmassmedia@gmail.com

If you break the rules,

We strive to be fair, but we reserve the right to suspend accounts or remove content without notice for any reason, particularly to protect our services, infrastructure, users, or community. If you attempt to evade suspension by creating new accounts or posts, we will suspend your new accounts and posts.