Purpose

UNPRESS' purpose is to share news and information stories that matter in a way that allows:

• People to communicate the realities they live, or that others are living on a daily basis

• Communities to own and control their own narratives, rather than having them imposed on them externally

• Civil discussion and rational discourse

Violence, threats, intimidation, and ad hominem attacks discourage people from creating and sharing the stories that matter to them, and from engaging in discussion about issues that matter.

To serve this purpose, then UNPRESS Community Standards outline what is and is not allowed on UNPRESS. This document is oriented towards the general user community, specifically towards user interactions, discussions, and messages on the site, as well as external content that is posted by viewers such as links to external articles, and videos that are shared for the purpose of discussion.

This document is meant to complement our Editorial Standards that apply specifically to creators regarding the types of content they can produce and their conduct while creating said content.

Introduction

UNPRESS is a place to find, share and discuss news and information that affects our lives and communities.

At UNPRESS, we know how important it is for the UNPRESS platform to be a space where everyone feels empowered to share and discuss the stories and topics that affect their lives. One challenge with social media platforms is that they can quickly devolve into a toxic environment where people become afraid to voice their perspectives and opinions. Knowing this, we have worked hard to build a platform that rewards positive interactions and elevates marginalized voices, while discouraging abuse, but technology can’t solve everything, that’s why we need your help.

These standards are based on input from our diverse group of advisors who have expertise in fields like conflict resolution, technology, and public safety. In order to fulfill our mission to provide a space where different viewpoints can be shared and discussed, in a way that people feel safe doing so, we’ve given much consideration to creating standards that include as broad and diverse a spectrum of beliefs as possible.

Unbiased Voice

The goal of our Community Standards is to create a space where multiple viewpoints and perspectives can be discussed on a wide array of topics. Some of these topics will be contentious, some may be considered fake news. You may disagree with them or find them objectionable, even somewhat offensive, but we sincerely believe, that by doing our best to include and discuss a broad range of topics we can help people find common ground and expose toxic, even dangerous ideas for what they really are. If we force people and perspectives off of our platform because they are unpalatable, those that hold to them will just go underground to places like 4chan, 8kun, and the dark web where these ideas will grow and fester until they become a danger to more than just a handful of people who may hold unorthodox beliefs.

This means that we may allow content, stories, and discussions, which other platforms may not, as we assume that all content on this platform is newsworthy and in the public interest. This does not mean, however, that anything goes. These standards exist to communicate what we feel are the limits on appropriate, responsible uses of the UNPRESS platform for content, stories, and interactions. They are a result of weighing the value of public interest and education against the risk of harm.

Our commitment to open discourse is embedded in our core values, but as we mentioned above, we are well aware that in the history of social media, the internet, and global news, there are many examples of abuse. As a result, when we curtail expression, we do it in accordance with the following:

Authenticity

It is important that the content people see on UNPRESS is genuine, in that it represents the beliefs and realities that people live with every day. The only way to do this is to start from a place of authenticity, both in content and how the users of the UNPRESS platform represent themselves. That is why we don’t want people using UNPRESS to hide behind anonymity or misrepresent who they are or what they are doing.

Security

Due to our focus on news and information, UNPRESS needs to be a safe and secure environment for users to share stories and interact. We are committed to this goal and will remove any content that could contribute to a risk of physical harm or negatively impacts the security and privacy of others, or is meant to silence others through threats or intimidation.

Likewise, we strive to make the UNPRESS platform as secure as possible. Technical security and user safety are both required to protect the authenticity and privacy of the platform.

Privacy

Without sufficient privacy, people will not feel safe to share their stories or discuss topics that matter. We will protect the privacy of people on our platform in a way that supports and upholds the values in these standards, however, privacy and anonymity are not the same thing. Anonymity is easily abused and people who are anonymous often engage in dialog in a more confrontational manner than they would face to face. In order to support the environment we are trying to create, we will respect and protect user privacy, but we do not guarantee that you can use the full platform anonymously. There will be exceptions to this stance on anonymity when it creates a risk to user security. This will become more apparent when we roll out user validation functionality.

Respect

We believe that all people deserve to be treated with respect. We can disagree and criticize ideas, concepts, policies, beliefs, and actions, but we expect our users to treat each other with respect and follow the golden rule - treat others as you would like to be treated.

Personal ad-hominem attacks, harassment, and personally degrading comments have no place on the UNPRESS platform. Such behavior only results in a hardening of opinions as those who feel attacked stop listening and become defensive.

Community Standards

The UNPRESS Community Standards apply to all users of UNPRESS and the content they create.

Each section of our Community Standards starts with an Overview that that sets out the goal and motivations of the particular policy followed by specific sections that outline what is a violation of the standards and what is not a violation.

Learn more about our approach to enforcement, including potential consequences for violating these rules or attempting to circumvent enforcement, as well as how to appeal.