Acceptable Use Policy

Effective Date: 8 December 2025 Last Updated: 8 December 2025

Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy defines prohibited uses of Pixelflare. By using the service, you agree to comply with this policy.

Prohibited Content

You may not upload, store, or distribute content that:

Illegal Content

• Violates any applicable law in the UK or your jurisdiction
• Infringes intellectual property rights (copyrighted images, trademarks, etc.)
• Contains child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
• Promotes or facilitates terrorism
• Facilitates illegal activities (fraud, trafficking, etc.)

Harmful Content

• Contains malware, viruses, or malicious code
• Is designed to harm, exploit, or abuse others
• Depicts graphic violence or gore (except for legitimate educational/news purposes)
• Contains non-consensual intimate imagery
• Promotes self-harm or suicide

Abusive Content

• Harasses, threatens, or intimidates individuals
• Constitutes hate speech or discrimination
• Involves doxxing or sharing private information without consent
• Contains spam or unsolicited commercial content

Deceptive Content

• Deepfakes or manipulated media designed to deceive
• Impersonates others or misrepresents identity
• Contains phishing or social engineering attempts
• Fraudulent or misleading content

Prohibited Activities

You may not:

System Abuse

• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the service or other users' accounts
• Bypass, disable, or interfere with security features
• Circumvent rate limits or usage quotas
• Perform denial-of-service attacks or resource exhaustion
• Reverse engineer or decompile the service (software is open source - just read it!)

Account Misuse

• Create multiple accounts to evade restrictions
• Share account credentials with others
• Use another person's account without permission
• Sell, transfer, or rent your account

API Abuse

• Make excessive API requests beyond reasonable use
• Use the API to scrape or harvest data from other users
• Automate actions that violate this policy
• Use the API in ways that harm service performance

Network Abuse

• Scan or probe for vulnerabilities without authorization
• Transmit spam or bulk unsolicited messages
• Host or distribute content designed to exploit others
• Use the service for cryptocurrency mining

Enforcement

Violation Detection

We may detect violations through:

• Automated systems
• User reports
• Manual review
• Third-party reports

Actions We May Take

Depending on severity, we may:

1. Issue a warning
2. Temporarily suspend your account
3. Remove specific content
4. Permanently terminate your account
5. Report illegal activity to authorities
6. Pursue legal action

Appeals

If you believe enforcement action was taken in error:

1. Contact us through the channels in our Terms of Service
2. Provide explanation and context
3. We'll review within 7 business days
4. Our decision is final

Reporting Violations

How to Report

If you encounter content or behavior that violates this policy:

For Security Issues: GitHub Security Advisories

For Policy Violations: GitHub Issues or use contact information in the repository

What to Include

Please provide:

• Direct link to the content (if applicable)
• Description of the violation
• Which policy section is violated
• Any relevant context or evidence
• Your contact information

What Happens Next

1. We review reports promptly
2. We may request additional information
3. We take appropriate action based on severity
4. We notify the reporter of outcome (privacy permitting)

We do not always notify content owners before removal if the content poses immediate harm or is clearly illegal.

User Responsibilities

As a user, you are responsible for:

Your Content

• Ensuring you have rights to upload images
• Compliance with copyright and intellectual property law
• Accuracy of metadata and descriptions
• Appropriate content labeling (NSFW, etc.)

Your Behavior

• Treating other users respectfully
• Using the service in good faith
• Reporting violations you encounter
• Keeping your account secure

Legal Compliance

• Following all applicable laws
• Respecting others' privacy and rights
• Honoring licensing terms for your content
• Complying with export controls and sanctions

Specific Use Cases

News and Journalism

Images depicting violence, tragedy, or sensitive topics may be permitted if:

• They serve a legitimate news or educational purpose
• They are not gratuitously graphic
• They include appropriate warnings or context

Art and Education

Artistic or educational content may be permitted even if sensitive if:

• The purpose is clearly artistic or educational
• It does not violate other policies
• It includes appropriate content warnings

Satire and Parody

Satirical content is permitted if:

• It's clearly identified as satire
• It doesn't harass specific individuals
• It doesn't spread harmful misinformation

Consequences of Violations

First Violation

• Warning email
• Removal of violating content
• Possible temporary suspension

Repeat Violations

• Extended suspension
• Permanent account termination
• Reporting to authorities (if illegal)

Severe Violations

Immediate permanent termination for:

• Child exploitation material
• Terrorism-related content
• Malware distribution
• Large-scale spam or abuse

Self-Hosted Instances

If you operate your own Pixelflare instance:

• You are responsible for content moderation
• You should create your own acceptable use policy
• You must comply with applicable laws in your jurisdiction
• This policy serves as a template only

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to:

• Address new types of abuse
• Comply with legal requirements
• Clarify existing rules
• Improve enforcement

Significant changes will be announced through service notifications.

Legal Requirements

We comply with UK law and may be required to:

• Remove illegal content
• Report certain violations to authorities
• Cooperate with law enforcement
• Provide data in response to legal requests

See our Privacy Policy for data handling details.

Questions

For questions about this policy:

• General Questions: GitHub Issues
• Report Violations: Use the reporting methods above
• Appeal Decisions: Contact us through repository channels

Acknowledgment

By using Pixelflare, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by this Acceptable Use Policy.