Table of Contents
Our aim is to protect AI users by helping people understand and heal from these experiences. AI must be used mindfully and with caution: people form deep emotional attachments to chatbots and overestimate their validity, and these systems can exploit our vulnerabilities, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
This is a peer-to-peer support community for people navigating AI addiction, entanglement, and related experiences. It is run by volunteers and moderated by community members, not licensed professionals. By participating, you acknowledge that support here comes from fellow members sharing their own experiences, and not from trained clinicians, counselors, or medical providers. Nothing shared in this community constitutes professional advice of any kind.
Please also be aware that, despite our best efforts, privacy and safety cannot be fully guaranteed in any online space. Participate with this in mind, and never share information that is private or sensitive in nature.
1. Accounts
1.1 One Account Per Member
As a member, you agree to register and maintain one account only, unless you have received prior approval from the moderation team.
Duplicate accounts will be merged or deactivated, and members may receive warnings or bans. If duplicate accounts were used to harass, bully, antagonize, insult, threaten, stalk, or harm a member(s)/staff, the account holder will be disciplined, up to and including a ban.
1.2 Inviting New Members
All invitations to new members must be approved by a moderator before being sent. Please contact a mod if you would like to invite or add someone to the community.
1.3 Bots
Running a bot or automated script deemed harmful to the security and operations of this community without express permission from the moderation team will result in an immediate and permanent ban.
2. Posting Behaviour
These rules apply everywhere in this community. In addition, all members agree to comply with Discord’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines at all times.
Controversy is fine. Getting frustrated and even angry is fine. At their discretion, moderators will communicate with users not because those users are in trouble, but because they want to keep a situation from getting out of hand.
Please realize that it is very difficult to nail down exactly what types of words, actions, and behaviours are warnable. This is done on a case-by-case basis. The moderation team is very careful when reviewing these issues and does not issue warnings haphazardly. However, by agreeing to these Terms, members acknowledge the right of moderators and administrators to make these decisions.
2.1 Generic Rules
You agree not to post anything abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, or threatening; additionally, you agree not to post any material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned.
Please use channels for their intended purposes. Off-topic flooding or spam in any channel is not permitted. AI-generated content — including images, text, and other outputs — may only be posted in designated channels.
2.2 Personal Insults
Personally insulting other users in any way is unacceptable. Calling people offensive names, or demeaning them by using their race, sex, gender identity or expression, creed, disability, nationality, or sexual orientation, is not acceptable.
2.3 Personal Judgements
Making judgements about other users — especially about the validity of their experiences, struggles, or recovery — is disallowed.
This rule also extends to identity broadly. Determining other people’s experiences or identities by any means other than their own self-identification is not permitted.
2.4 Offensive and Bigoted Content
This community does not tolerate elitist, racist, queerphobic, or sexist bigotry, as it creates an environment hostile to the reasonable exchange of views. You may not post hateful, abusive, or disparaging content about people’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, age, or mental or physical disability.
Posting offensive content, bigoted propaganda, or blatant or harmful misinformation may result in an immediate and permanent ban.
2.5 Disruptive Behaviour
As a general rule, deliberately disruptive, hostile, or spamming behaviour of any kind is off-limits. Members who are found to be acting in bad faith — that is, posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic content with the intent of provoking other users into an emotional response — will be subject to an immediate ban. Spamming includes posting multiple identical or similar messages, particularly if irrelevant, inappropriate, or promotional.
2.6 Communication Standards
Members are expected to keep discussions civil, even during disagreements. Excessive use of caps lock and excessive pinging — including @everyone and @here — is not permitted. Avoid introducing controversial topics such as politics or religion into general discussion; these subjects may only be raised if a dedicated channel exists for that purpose.
2.7 Members’ Security
Stalking, bullying, doxxing (the publishing of someone’s private personal information without their consent), threatening or joking about doxxing, or harassing of any kind will not be tolerated. Should any account be used or created for this purpose, the account holder will be subject to an official warning or an outright ban from the community.
Bullying includes, but is not limited to, hateful comments, implying that someone is “less than” because of their struggles or experiences, and arguments that spill over across multiple channels or threads. Bullying is generally considered to be repeated behaviour towards someone in an attempt to intimidate them.
2.8 Personal Information and Confidentiality
Sharing or disclosing any personal information or identifying details discussed within this community is strictly prohibited to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all participants. Posting personal information about another user without their express permission is a serious offence. Such posts are subject to deletion at the request of the exposed party or at the discretion of moderators.
This community is built on trust. What is shared here stays here. Please be aware, however, that no online environment can guarantee absolute confidentiality, and you should share accordingly.
2.9 Private Communications Remain Private
Sharing private messages or privileged information on the public forum or other social media without permission from the originator(s) and recipient(s) is not permitted. Holding onto such information and posting it elsewhere is considered a breach of this rule.
2.10 Crisis Content
The moderation team values your right to privacy, but content referencing suicidal ideation or self-harm will be taken seriously. We reserve the right to contact relevant authorities if we find it necessary. Topics containing such references may be removed immediately.
2.11 Medical and Recovery Advice
This is a peer-to-peer support community. What you find here are the shared experiences, perspectives, and encouragement of fellow members — not clinical guidance. Whilst we do not wish to dissuade members from sharing their experiences, please remember that it is not possible to verify whether advice given in online forums is accurate or suitable for you. We would encourage all members seeking guidance around mental health, addiction, or medical concerns to consult a qualified professional before attempting any treatment or approach recommended here.
We do not, as a team, feel qualified to filter out misinformation, nor are we qualified to assess sources for accuracy or potential harm. Wilful spreading of harmful misinformation or conspiracy theories about medical or mental health treatments is disallowed.
2.12 Child Safety
This community maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward any content relating to minor attraction, pedophilia, or child sexual abuse. No links, topics, or posts focusing on such material will be permitted. Members found to have posted such content will be immediately and permanently banned.
This policy does not prevent members from discussing their own experiences with childhood trauma or abuse. We ask that members use content warnings and avoid graphic detail, and that replies focus on support for the member.
3. Requests
3.1 Self-Promotion and Solicitations
Members must not send unsolicited donation requests or advertisements using private messaging or on the boards. Any self-promotion must be posted only in the designated Self-Promotion channel. Solicitation for direct donations, fundraising, or the selling of items or services outside of that channel is not allowed, with the exception of projects that have been reviewed and granted permission by the moderation team. This permission should not be taken as endorsement; members should still exercise necessary precautions.
3.2 Researchers and Students
If you wish to conduct a survey, research, or study recruiting members of this community, please contact the moderation team before posting to ensure compliance with community guidelines and applicable ethical standards.
4. Moderation
4.1 Liability
While the moderation team will attempt to remove or edit any objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore, you acknowledge that all posts express the views and opinions of the author and are not representative of the moderation team.
You agree that moderators and administrators have the right to remove, edit, move, or close any topic at any time should they see fit.
This is a volunteer-run, peer-to-peer community. As such, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, safety, or appropriateness of member-generated content, nor can we guarantee uninterrupted moderation or response times. By participating, you acknowledge these limitations and agree to hold the organization, its volunteers, and its moderation team harmless from any claims, damages, or disputes arising from your participation in this community.
4.2 Complaints and Reports
If members have concerns regarding matters in this community, they are encouraged to reach out to a moderator or administrator — we are here to help. If they encounter a post or a member they believe breaks the rules, they should contact a mod directly and not engage in direct confrontation.
Unless it is necessary or permission is granted, requests and complaints submitted via private message are kept confidential within the moderation team.
4.3 Unsanctioned Enforcement
Taking moderation into your own hands is not allowed. This means harassing, attacking, or otherwise antagonizing members you believe have violated the rules. The proper procedure is to report what you know to the moderation team so appropriate action can be taken with all information at hand. Please refrain from engaging in direct confrontation or attempting to take matters into your own hands. If you must disagree, do so calmly and with dignity, no matter how outrageous the provocation.
Individual moderators are protected by this rule. Constructive criticism regarding how the community is run is welcome, but antagonism toward individual moderators is not. If you feel the need to address the actions of a specific team member, this is not a matter for the open board. Please send a polite and respectful private message to that team member or an administrator instead.
4.4 The Disciplinary System
The moderation team has the right to issue the following disciplinary measures as they see fit:
- Informal Warnings — Less severe than a formal warning, usually given for minor or first offences. This gives a member a chance to understand how they have violated the rules.
- Official Warnings — The first active warning lasts 90 days. The second active warning lasts 180 days and includes a two-week suspension. A third active warning may result, at the discretion of the moderation team, in either a 180-day suspension or a permanent ban. Members acting in bad faith or spamming receive an automatic ban.
- Warning Notifications — When a member is warned, a private message will be sent with a detailed explanation of why the warning was given, including a reference to the relevant content and any other information the moderator wishes to include.
- Ban Announcements — When a member is banned, a brief note may be posted in the appropriate archive with a short description of the reason. Some bans will not be announced at the moderators’ discretion.
4.5 Appeals
If you feel you have been warned or banned unfairly, you may bring your concern to a moderator or administrator for discussion. This will begin a review process, ultimately resulting in a decision to keep or repeal the action. This decision is final and cannot be appealed further.
If you decide to appeal, you cannot publicly discuss the appeal until the moderation team has sent you a final decision. Doing so will immediately end the appeal, with the original decision considered final. Once a final decision has been made, you are free to post about your appeal.
4.6 Probation
If a previously banned member appeals and is allowed to return, there is a six-month probationary period under the following terms:
A reinstated member returns with 2 active warnings, both lasting 6 months. The terms of reinstatement include the possibility of a permanent ban that cannot be appealed.
During probation, the returning member will be permanently banned if:
- An informal warning is received
- An official warning is received
- The member creates duplicate accounts, acts in bad faith, engages in hostile exchanges, or similar behaviour at any time
By participating in this community, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms of Service. You understand that this is a peer-to-peer support space run by volunteers, that privacy and safety cannot be fully guaranteed, and that you participate at your own discretion. You agree to hold the organization, its volunteers, and its moderation team harmless from any claims or disputes arising from your participation.