re: migrating to Squarespace
I don't consider my blog to be pornographic. I certainly don't publish images of a graphically sexual nature (on the rare occasions when I do use sexual images, I use them for humor and normally blur or otherwise Photoshop the images), nor do I publish images or videos of bodily functions (sexual, bathroom-related, whatever) even if I do often joke about them. While Blogger has gotten in the habit of either hiding or striking some of my published content a few times a year, the service has largely been tolerant of my existence, often reinstating suppressed content if I ask for a review.
I had been planning to migrate totally over to Squarespace, where it's easy to monetize content, but from what I'm reading, Squarespace's TOS is fairly PC, prim, and proper, but at the same time, it's possible to interpret the TOS as potentially libertarian in nature. On one user forum, for example, a person wrote the following:
4.3. User Content. The Services or sites created using the Services may contain User Content: (a) that is offensive or objectionable; (b) that contains errors; (c) that violates intellectual property, trade secret, privacy, publicity, or other rights or the good name of you or third parties; (d) that is harmful to your or others’ computers or networks; (e) that is unlawful or illegal; or (f) the downloading, copying, or use of which is subject to additional terms and policies of third parties or is protected by intellectual property, trade-secret, privacy, or other laws. By operating the Services, we don’t represent or imply that we endorse your or other users’ User Content, or that we believe such User Content to be accurate, useful, lawful or non-harmful. We’re not a publisher of, and we’re not liable for, any User Content uploaded, posted, published or otherwise made available via the Services by you or other users. You're responsible for taking precautions to protect yourself, your Accounts, and your computer or network, from User Content accessed via the Services. [emphasis added—ed.]
This seems to say if you want to have a adult-oriented site, whether it's words, pictures, or video, then you can, and they aren't responsible for the content. That is how I read that.
The above was written in response to a question by a potential Squarespace user who was looking to use Squarespace to create an adult-themed site. The response interprets this part of the TOS as clearly saying Squarespace takes the "platform, not publisher" point of view, which I think is great. But is it still possible to violate Squarespace's TOS and receive some sort of penalty for that? Google AI suggests that Squarespace might not be that libertarian after all:
Squarespace's Terms of Service (TOS) outline what's allowed and disallowed on their platform, with violations potentially leading to penalties like account suspension or termination. Prohibited activities include spam, impersonation, intellectual-property infringement, and the sale of illegal or harmful goods. Squarespace can also take action against accounts or sites, remove content, modify the Acceptable Use Policy, or suspend or terminate accounts.
Specific Violations and Potential Penalties:
Prohibited Conduct:
Spamming, harassing, stalking, or intimidating other users, facilitating illegal activities, infringing intellectual property rights, publishing sexually explicit or obscene material, and using unauthorized payment methods are all examples of prohibited conduct.
Intellectual Property Infringement:
Using copyrighted or trademarked content without permission is a serious violation, and Squarespace may take action, including removal of the infringing content.
eCommerce Restrictions:
Selling hazardous, counterfeit, or stolen goods, or products that violate laws or regulations, can lead to suspension or termination of your eCommerce functionality.
Suspension or Termination:
Squarespace may suspend or terminate your account or sites if you violate the TOS, including for eCommerce restrictions or other violations.
Removal of Content:
Squarespace can remove any content that violates their policies, including inappropriate or harmful content.
Modification of Acceptable Use Policy:
Squarespace reserves the right to modify its Acceptable Use Policy, which defines prohibited activities.
"Prohibited conduct" can be misinterpreted and misused to suppress innocent content. "Modification of acceptable-use policy" doesn't sound very promising, either, nor does "removal of content," which sounds less like the role of a platform and more like the role of a publisher. As a result of all of this, I'm thinking that, when I establish my Squarespace site, I'm not going to migrate over completely. This humble blog, as beleaguered as it sometimes is, will remain in operation.
Meanwhile, Squarespace will be a great site for generating subscriber-driven content, including quizzes, tests, and literature for people learning English, for videos that I publish for entertainment or education, and for other things not yet conceived.
.jpeg)
