Overview

You may not impersonate individuals, groups, or organizations to mislead, confuse, or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of others.

Unpress was created to be a place where people can find authentic stories and authentic voices. They expect to be able to come here to engage in meaningful dialog. That means that unpress users should be able to trust that the person or organization featured in an account’s profile genuinely represents the account owner. While you are not required to display your real name or image on your profile, we highly encourage you to be authentic. There are also benefits to making your account legitimate, authentic and validated.

No account is permitted to engage in impersonation or to pose as someone who doesn’t exist in order to deceive others. Using deceptive identities creates confusion, and undermines the integrity of dialog on Unpress. As a result, you may not misappropriate the identity of another person, group, or organization, or create a fake identity for deceptive purposes.

What is a misleading or deceptive identity?

The main elements of an identity on Unpress is an account’s profile, which includes your full name, a username or a @handle, your profile image, bio and a background image.

An account is deceptive if it uses false profile information to represent itself as a person or entity that is not associated with the account owner.  This includes and text or imagery that features the likeness of another person or entity in a way that confuses others about the accounts ownership and affiliation.

Fake identities, may use stolen, digitally created or manipulated photos and fabricated names to pose as a person or organization that doesn’t exist. These are also considered deceptive when they engage in disruptive or manipulative behavior.

What happens if you violate these standards?

The approach we take will depend on the seriousness of the violation, as well as an accounts history of previous violations.

The actions we take may include the following:

Profile modifications

If your account is potentially confusing in terms of its affiliation, we may require you to edit the content on your profile. If you violate this policy again after your first warning, your account will be permanently suspended.

Temporary account suspension

If we believe you may be in violation of this policy, we may require you to provide government issued identification (such as a driver’s license or passport) in order to reinstate your account.

Permanent suspension

If you are engaged in impersonation or are using a misleading or deceptive fake identity, we may permanently suspend your account. 

If you believe that your account was locked or suspended in error, you can submit an appeal.

For more information see our page: Enforcement Approach

What is in violation of these standards?

Impersonation

You cannot pose as an existing person, group, or organization that you have no legitimate affiliation with or legal right to represent, in a confusing or deceptive manner. 

Deceptive Fake Identities

You cannot use a fake identity to disrupt the experience of others on Unpress. Using fake accounts in conjunction with other behaviors that violate our community standards will result in stricter enforcement actions. This includes operating fake accounts to engage in spam, interfere in civic processes, carry out financial scams, artificially inflate engagement, or abuse and harass others. Common features of fake accounts include:

• Stock or stolen profile photos, particularly those depicting other people

• Stolen or copied profile bios; and/or

• Intentionally misleading profile information, such as profile location

How do we review accounts under this policy?

We consider some of the following factors when determining whether an identity is deceptive:

• Does the profile portray the account holder?

Profiles that authentically portray the account owner are unlikely to violate this policy. These types of profiles often use the name of the account owner. Accounts that use business names, stage names, or pseudonyms may also fall into this category.

• Does the profile portray another person, group, or organization?

One of the main factors in our review is whether a profile uses an image that depicts another person or entity. If we find evidence that demonstrates an unauthorized use of another’s image (such as from a valid report from the individual or organization depicted), we will then assess whether the profile image is used in a misleading or deceptive manner. We also weigh deceptiveness when an account uses a computer generated image of a person to pose as someone who doesn’t exist. 

Using an image depicting another person or entity is not necessarily in violation of this policy and we are less likely to take action on accounts where the use of the image does not mislead others. 

• Is the account intended to deceive others?

If we determine a profile features another’s image, we will also evaluate the context in which the image is used. We are most likely to take action if an account falsely claims to be the entity portrayed in the profile photo, as with impersonation or fake accounts. Accounts are less likely to violate this policy if the profile contains context that indicates the account is not affiliated with the subject in the profile image, as with parody, commentary, or fan accounts. In rare cases, we may take action on an account that does not use another’s image if the profile includes significantly misleading information, such as a location that does not match the location of the account owner. 

What is not in violation of these standards?

We believe giving people choice in terms of how they represent themselves online enables them to express themselves and control their privacy. Unpress allows the use of pseudonymous accounts, meaning an account’s profile is not required to use the name or image of the account owner. Accounts that use pseudonyms or that appear similar to others on Unpress are not in violation of this policy, so long as their purpose is not to deceive or manipulate others. The following, for example, are not in violation of this policy:

• Accounts that share your name but have no other commonalities

• Accounts with usernames, account names, or appearances that are similar to others on Unpress

• Using a pseudonym

• Parody, commentary, or fan accounts