Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for the Policy List

Scope examples · The new text expressly states that the listed examples of out-of-scope discussion are illustrative only, clarifying that the prohibition is not limited to those examples.

Election-related list activity · The old text specifically addressed candidates for PDP chair and expressly mentioned voting dates and results; the new text refers more generally to candidates and the voting procedure, requires the remaining procedural steps to occur outside the list, and treats nominations and expressions for or against candidates as examples of prohibited activity.

Cultural and language considerations · The old text required cultural and language considerations when deciding on moderation of a participant; the new text applies those considerations when deciding on potential AUP violations.

Responses to improper messages · The old text treated responding to an improper third-party message as a violation; the new text limits this rule to inappropriate responses to inappropriate third-party messages.

Contact harvesting and honeypot checks · Both texts prohibit collecting participants' contact information and using it for spam, but the new text additionally authorizes LACNIC to periodically add external-domain email addresses as a honeypot to check for this conduct.

Subscriber and election reminders · The old text required an 'Election Silence' reminder before each community electoral process. The new text omits that requirement and instead requires any subscription reminders that are sent to remind subscribers of the AUP.

Temporary list moderation · The old text began with a general rule that the Public Policy List may not be moderated, subject to a very exceptional temporary-moderation provision. The new text retains the exceptional authority but omits that express general prohibition, describes the eight-hour limit as approximate, and adds that staff will support the chairs.

Election penalties for suspension evasion · The old text made disqualification as a candidate and loss of nomination rights mandatory for attempted fraud by a suspended participant, applying to any LACNIC electoral process for four years. The new text makes those consequences discretionary by stating that violations may result in loss of candidate and nomination rights in election processes for four years.

Authorization for non-policy discussions · The blanket exclusion of discussions outside the list's policy scope was changed to allow such discussions when the chairs have made a prior and explicit decision.

Private-message confidentiality · The violations list was expanded to prohibit sending or forwarding private messages unless the involved parties have given prior and explicit consent.

Reporting suspected violations · The requirement to report suspected violations directly to the chairs was strengthened to require reporting them exclusively to the chairs.

Definition of spam · The prohibition on collecting contact information to send spam now expressly defines spam as any message not previously and explicitly requested.

Fraud and penalty evasion · The former violation was limited to attempted fraud by a suspended participant, exemplified by using an alternative address; the new text covers any attempt to commit fraud or bypass a penalty, including use of alternative mail addresses.

Chair authority to identify additional unacceptable uses · The new version expressly authorizes the chairs to determine that actions beyond the enumerated violations are unacceptable uses of the list.

Censorship of archived posts · The archive rule changed from an unqualified statement that posts may not be censored to a statement specifically that they may not be censored by LACNIC.

Application to communication mechanisms other than mailing lists · The new version extends the entire policy to forums, applications, and other mechanisms under the same or technically equivalent terms; the old text proceeded directly from the mailing-list moderation rule to enforcement without such an extension.

Trigger for four-year election penalties · The four-year loss of candidacy and nomination rights was changed from being triggered by violations of old item i, concerning attempted fraud by a suspended participant, to violations relating to election processes.

Four-year election penalty for repeat violations · The new version additionally permits the four-year election-related penalty for repeat violations after the offender has received a penalty of at least one year.

Rationale: participant knowledge of rules and penalties · The rationale changes the statement that participants “must” have explicit knowledge of permitted conduct and penalties to say that they “should” have such knowledge.

Temporary moderation duration · The moderation rule replaces the approximate maximum message delay of eight hours with a requirement that moderation last only for brief, defined periods and that messages not be delayed longer than strictly necessary.

Application of the AUP to additional communication systems · The old text applies the entire policy whenever mechanisms other than a mailing list are used. The new text instead describes the list as the current official PDP communication means and extends the AUP to future systems that replicate the list by automatically exchanging all posts with it, under the same or technically equivalent conditions.

Chair discretion in classifying listed violations · The new text expressly makes classification of the enumerated conduct as AUP violations subject to the discretion of the chairs; the old enumeration contains no equivalent discretion qualifier.

Evidence condition for contact harvesting, spam, fraud, and penalty evasion · The new text places contact-information harvesting and spam, as well as fraud or attempts to bypass a penalty, under an explicit “when evidence exists” condition. The old text lists these acts as violations without that express condition.

Posting suspensions for first and second violations · The old text automatically imposes a one-month suspension for a first violation and requires extension to one year for a second violation. The new text makes both consequences discretionary: a first violation may result in a one-month suspension, and a second may extend it up to one year.

Election-related violations and penalties · The old text permits a four-year loss of candidate-participation and nomination rights for election-related violations and allows the same penalty for repeat violations after at least a one-year penalty. The new text characterizes election-related violations as extremely serious, sets the stated loss of rights at two years, and allows up to four years for repeated violations.

Implementation when mailing-list technology is not ready · The new Additional information adds a staged implementation approach: it states that technical limitations should not prevent effectiveness upon consensus, permits initially distributing the AUP without immediately restricting posting, and defers mandatory acceptance for continued posting until the system is ready. The corresponding old Additional information ends after describing distribution and acceptance and contains no such fallback.

Subscriber acceptance requirements · The subscriber-specific process of sending new subscribers a link and requiring two checked confirmations is replaced by a general obligation for LACNIC to implement a system ensuring that subscribers read the PDP, especially the AUP, and confirm acceptance; subscribers who decline are limited to receiving messages.

Detection of accounts used to violate the AUP · The fixed requirement to periodically add external email addresses as honeypots is replaced by a broader requirement to incorporate detection systems insofar as possible, with external-address honeypots retained only as an example.

Chair discretion in classifying violations · Conduct listed in section 8.2 changes from being considered violations to conduct that may be considered violations at the chairs' discretion.

Chair discretion over posting suspensions · Express chair discretion is moved from longer suspensions for successive violations to the initial one-month suspension and its extension for a second violation; the successive-violation sentence no longer separately states that discretion.

Scope of election-related participation penalties · The election processes in which candidacy and nomination rights may be lost are specified as PDP election processes rather than election processes generally.

Implementation for existing subscribers and approval condition · The implementation provision requiring consensus, Board ratification, and an emailed acceptance workflow is replaced by a requirement for a mechanism covering existing subscribers without distinguishing their participation from that of new subscribers.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.

Policy text · Astra identified a substantive wording change in this retained policy section.