path: root/doc/Privacy.md

#Privacy Policy

##Summary

Q: Who can see my content?
 
A: By default ANYBODY on the internet, UNLESS you restrict it. The Hubzilla allows you to choose the privacy level you desire. Restricted content will NOT be visible to spy networks and their advertisers. It will be protected against eavesdropping by outsiders - to the best of our ability. Hub administrators with sufficient skills and patience MAY be able to eavesdrop on some private communications but they must expend effort to do so. Privacy modes exist within the Hubzilla which are even resistant to eavesdropping by skilled and determined hub administrators.    

Q: Can my content be censored?

A: The Hubzilla (the network) CANNOT censor your content. Server and hub administrators are subject to local laws and MAY remove objectionable content from their site/hub. Anybody MAY become a hub administrator, including you; and therefore publish content which might otherwise be censored. You still MAY be subject to local laws.   


##Definitions

**Hubzilla** 

Otherwise referred to as "the network", the Hubzilla is a collection of individual computers/servers (aka **hubs**) which connect together to form a larger cooperative network. 

**hub** 

An individual computer or server connected to the Hubzilla. These are provided by a **hub administrator** and may be public or private, paid or free.

**hub administrator**

The system operator of an individual hub. 

##Policies

**Public Information**

Any information or anything posted by you within the Hubzilla MAY be public or visible to anybody on the internet. To the extent possible, the Hubzilla allows you to protect content and restrict who can view it.

Your profile photo, your channel name, and the location (URL or network address) of your channel are visible to anybody on the internet and privacy controls will not affect the display of these items. 

You MAY additionally provide other profile information. Any information which you provide in your "default" or **public profile** MAY be transmitted to other hubs in the Hubzilla and additionally MAY be displayed in the channel directory. You can restrict the viewing of this profile information. It may be restricted only to members of your hub, or only connections (friends), or other limited sets of viewers as you desire. If you wish for your profile to be restricted, you must set the appropriate privacy setting, or simply DO NOT provide additional information. 

**Content**

Content you provide (status posts, photos, files, etc.) belongs to you. The Hubzilla default is to publish content openly and visible to anybody on the internet (PUBLIC). You MAY control this in your channel settings and restrict the default permissions or you MAY restrict the visibility of any single published item separately (PRIVATE). The Hubzilla developers will ensure that restricted content is ONLY visible to those in the restriction list - to the best of their ability. 

Content (especially status posts) that you share with other networks or that you have made visible to anybody on the internet (PUBLIC) cannot easily be taken back once it has been published. It MAY be shared with other networks and made available through RSS/Atom feeds. It may also be syndicated on other Hubzilla sites. It MAY appear on spy networks and internet searches. If you do not wish this default behaviour please adjust your channel settings and restrict who can see your content. 

**Comments and Forum posts**

Comments to posts that were created by others and posts which are designated as forum posts belong to you as the creator/author, but the distribution of these posts is not under your direct control. These posts/comments MAY be re-distributed to others, and MAY be visible to anybody on the internet. In the case of comments, the creator of the "first message" in the thread to which you are replying controls the distribution of all comments and replies to that message.


**Private Information**

Hubzilla developers will ensure that any content you provide which is designated as PRIVATE will be protected against eavesdropping - to the best of their ability. Private content is generally hidden or obscured even from hub administrators. It is also stripped from email notifications. It is difficult but NOT impossible for this content to be seen by a hub administrator.  This is a side effect of the physical laws of the universe.  Unfortunately, if a database needs to decrypt a post at display time, it must have the means to decrypt the post!  End to end encryption is also provided and this CANNOT be seen, even by a determined administrator. 

##Identity Privacy

Privacy for your identity is another aspect. Because you have a decentralized identity in the Hubzilla, your privacy extends beyond your home hub. If you want to have complete control of your privacy and security you should run your own hub on a dedicated server. For many people, this is complicated and may stretch their technical abilities. So let's list a few precautions you can make to assure your privacy as much as possible.

A decentralized identity has a lot of advantages and gives you al lot of interesting features, but you should be aware of the fact that your identity is known by other hubs in the Hubzilla network. One of those advantages is that other channels can serve you customized content and allow you to see private things (such as private photos which others wish to share with you). Because of this those channels need to know who you are. But we understand that sometimes those other channels know more from you than you might desire. For instance the plug-in Visage that can tell a channel owner the last time you visit their profile. You can easily OPT-OUT of this low level and we think, harmless tracking.

* You can enable [Do Not Track (DNT)](http://donottrack.us/) in your web browser. We respect this new privacy policy proposal. All modern browsers support DNT. You will find it in the privacy settings of your browsers or else you can consult the web browser's manual. This will not affect the functionality of the Hubzilla. This setting is probably enough for most people.
*You can [disable publication](settings) of your channel in our channel directory. If you want people to find your channel, you should give your channel address directly to them. We think this is a good indication that you prefer extra privacy and automatically enable "Do Not Track" if this is the case.
* You can have a blocked hub. That means that all channels and content on that hub is not public, and not visible to the outside world. This is something only your hub administrator can do. We also respect this and automatically enable "Do Not Track" if it is set.

###Censorship

The Hubzilla is a global network which is inclusive of all religions and cultures. This does not imply that every member of the network feels the same way you do on contentious issues, and some people may be STRONGLY opposed to the content you post. In general, if you wish to post something that you know may nor be universally acceptable, the best approach is to restrict the audience using privacy controls to a small circle of friends. 

The Hubzilla as a network provider is unable to censor content. However, hub administrators MAY censor any content which appears on their hub to comply with local laws or even personal judgement. Their decision is final. If you have issues with any hub administrator, you may move your account and postings to another site which is more in line with your expectations. Please check (periodically) the [Terms of Service](help/TermsOfService) of your hub to learn about any rules or guidelines. If your content consists of material which is illegal or may cause issues, you are STRONGLY encouraged to host your own (become a hub administrator). You may still find that your content is blocked on some hubs, but the Hubzilla as a network cannot block it from being posted.

The Hubzilla RECOMMENDS that hub administrators provide a grace period of 1-2 days between warning an account holder of content that needs to be removed and physically removing or disabling the account. This will give the content owner an opportunity to export their channel meta-data and import it to another site. In rare cases the content may be of such a nature to justify the immediate termination of the account. This is a hub decision, not a Hubzilla decision. 

If you typically and regularly post content of an adult or offensive nature, you are STRONGLY encouraged to mark your account "NSFW" (Not Safe For Work). This will prevent the display of your profile photo in the directory except to viewers that have chosen to disable "safe mode". If your profile photo is found by directory administrators to be adult or offensive, the directory administrator MAY flag your profile photo as NSFW. There is currently no official mechanism to contest or reverse this decision, which is why you SHOULD mark your own account NSFW if it is likely to be inappropriate for general audiences. 

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