Mission Statement

synIRC strives to provide a free, safe, stable, and secure environment for internet relay chat (IRC) with minimal negative intrustion or impact from network staff.

About This Document

This document has been created as a repository of the rules and procedures of the network. Established within are the rights of the users as well as the policies to be followed by both users and network staff.

Network Rules

All users and staff of synIRC are expected to comply with the following rules. Failure to do so will result in removal of the offending person from the network or other corrective action deemed suitable by a network operator.

These rules are in addition to the usage agreement with the user's ISP and with any local laws. If the user's ISP usage agreement is violated, the user will be reported. Likewise, if any laws are violated, the user will be reported to the appropriate legal authorities.

1. Prohibited Behavior

   The following actions are prohibited by synIRC.

   1. Repeated harassment of any network user.
   2. Distribution of child pornography.
   3. Any denial of service against the network or its users.
   4. Use of our network resources or services for malicious intent.
   5. Connecting to the network for any reason using a compromised machine, including as a proxy or loading trojans or bots.
   6. Unwanted advertisement of websites, IRC network, or channels (also known as spamming).
   7. Evading bans, either those placed by network staff or by individual channels.
   8. Impersonation of network staff or services.
   9. Connecting through open proxies.
   10. Any other behavior deemed inappropriate by network staff.

2. Forum Conduct

   synIRC provides public forums for our community. Forums may also be provided for channels if requested by the channel owner.

   While using the forums, the following rules must be followed in addition to any applicable network rules above. Failure to do so will result in the loss of access to the forums.

   1. Obscene login names are not permitted.
   2. The forums may not be used to post any sort of pornography or pornographic content.
   3. Harassment of any user on the network or the forums is not permitted.

3. Virtual Hostnames

   synIRC provides a free virtual hostname (also called "virtual hosts" or "vhost") service for users. When using this service, the virtual hostname is displayed in place of the user's actual masked host or IP when connected to the network and identified to the network nickname registration service.

   Virtual hostnames may be requested through HostServ. All requests are processed by network staff and are approved at their discretion. Virtual hostnames that contain profanity or are deemed otherwise to be offensive may be rejected.

   All domains are assumed to be valid for use in virtual hostnames. If a domain name registrant wishes that their domain name not be allowed, they should contact network staff.

4. Appeals

   If a judgement or correction action enacted by network staff is disputed, an appeal may be lodged with the Executive Council who will review the issue. If the Executive Council finds that the judgement was in error, the restriction put in place may be removed or reduced.
   In the case that the complaint is regarding a member of the Executive Council, this member must not participate in the discussion. The remaining members of the Executive Council will choose a mutually agreeable member from the Administrative Council to participate in place of the missing Executive Council member.

Network Governance

Network staff is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the network. They are responsible for answering user questions and requests, maintaining network routing, and, if necessary, acting in response to any threats to the network or violations of the network rules.

Specific network duties and tasks are delegated to councils and committees comprised of staff members. Staff members are encouraged to participate in any such entities for which they are eligible.

1. Network Staff

   Network staff shall include server administrators and IRC operators from each server.

   1. Conduct

      All members of network staff are expected to conduct themselves in a civil, professional manner when acting on behalf of the network. Network staff are also expected and required to act in accordance with the network rules mentioned above as well as the following:

      1. All staff members must register with the forums and keep up to date on issues discussed in the staff forums.
      2. Staff members are expected to assist users or other staff members while active. This includes but not is limited to participating in the network help channel.
      3. Staff members must not interfere in channel matters unless it is necessary to do so in order to ensure network rules and policies are enforced.
      4. Staff members must not use their position or powers to intimidate, threaten, or harass users.
      5. All AKILLs placed must include the length of the network ban in the message. Further, excluding those placed against bots, all AKILLs must be reported through the website.
      6. Staff members are only permitted to use staff commands, usermodes, and services access for the enforcement of the network charter, to aid network users, or as required for maintenance of the network's servers.

   2. Activity

      Staff members are expected to actively take part in the network and in staff matters. Any operator who is absent from the staff and help channels for more than thirty days without providing a prior notice of absence will be removed from network staff unless specifically exempted by the Executive Council.
      If the absence was unavoidable and prior notice difficult or impossible, the staff member may appeal their removal to the Executive Council.

   3. Complaints About Misconduct

      Should a user or staff member observe a member of network staff acting in a manner contradictory to the network rules or the network's best interests, a complaint should be filed with the Executive Council. Upon receipt of a complaint, the Executive Council may also take temporary action against the staff member if they feel it is necessary to prevent harm to the network. Such temporary action may be rescinded once a decision is reached by the entire Executive Committee.
      In the case that the complaint is filed by or against a member of the Executive Council, this member must not participate in the discussion. The remaining members of the Executive Council will choose a mutually agreeable member from the Administrative Council to participate in place of the missing Executive Council member.
      In the event that a staff member is observed to be acting in a manner detrimental to the network and their actions warrant immediate action, any member of staff with equal or higher standing may take any corrective actions deemed necessary, including revocation of access and removal from the network. Staff members of lesser standing should approach those of higher standing if they feel it necessary.
      The member of staff taking action should be able to completely remove the offending staff member and their access. Failure to completely remove all access may result in worse action being taken by the offender against the network.
      All actions of this type must be immediately reported to the Executive Council who will discuss the action and its suitability. Should the Executive Council determine that the action was unwarranted, they may take disciplinary action against the instigating staff member.

   4. New Operators

      New operator positions may be created through the following two methods:

      1. A voting member of the Administrative Council proposes adding the new position to the Administrative Council.
      2. A member of the Executive Council proposes adding the new position to the Executive Council.

      In either method, the proposal must then be voted upon by the other members of the appropriate council. A simple majority of the votes cast is required for the position to be created.

      Once the position has been created, each full member of network staff may nominate a user. Any user who receives at least two nominations will be entered into consideration as a candidate.

      Network staff will discuss the candidates for one week. After discussion, voting will be held for seventy-two hours. Only full staff members will be eligible to vote. A simple majority of the votes cast is required to approve a candidate as an interim staff member. The Adminstrative Council will be responsible for determining which server will host the new interim staff member.

      Interim staff members will have access to the staff channels and forums. For the first two weeks, they will not have operator access. For two weeks following that, they will be a local operator on that server.

      During the last week of the period, staff will discuss the performance of the interim staff member. At the end of the four weeks, full members of network staff will vote to either promote the interim staff member to a full member, extend their interim period, or remove the staff member. A simple majority of the votes cast is required to approve any option. Any ties will be escalated to the Executive Council.

      At any time during the interim period, a full member of network staff may move to remove an interim staff member. Discussion will be held for one week, after which voting will be held for seventy-two hours. A simple majority of the votes cast is required to remove the interim staff member.

      Should an interim staff member violate the charter, they will be removed from network staff and will not be eligible for appointments in the future.

2. Network Servers

   Network servers shall be maintained by their administrators in accordance with policies established by the Administrative Council.

   1. Link Applications

      Prospective server administrators interested in linking their server must file a link application. Upon receipt of a link application, the Administrative Council will discuss the application for one week. After discussion, voting will be held for forty-eight hours. A simple majority vote of the Administrative Council is necessary to approve the application for a test link.

   2. Test Link

      The test link phase lasts four weeks unless terminated by the Administrative Council. During this time, the new server will be linked to the network. For the first two weeks, the server will not be added to the primary host records for client access. For the second two weeks, the server will be set up for client access. The performance of the new server will be monitored, especially pertaining to network connectivity and handling of user load.

      During the last week of the test link phase, the Administrative Council will discuss the link. At the end of the phase, voting will be held for forty-eight hours. The Administrative Council may vote to promote the test linked server to a full member server, remove the server, or extend the test link period by two weeks, after which they will vote again. A simple majority is required to approve any option.

      Before the end of the test link phase, a member of the Administrative Council may move to terminate the test link phase prematurely if the server does not appear to be performing up to expectations. Discussion will be held for a period of one week, after which voting will be held for forty-eight hours. A simple majority is required to terminate the test link.

      The Administrative Council may vote to promote a test link server for client access before the first two weeks have passed if they identify a need for such.

   3. IRC Operator Limits

      Each server shall be limited to four primary operator blocks: The server admin, the co-administrator if there is one, and two operators. There is no limit on the number of backup operator blocks. The Administrative Council may vote to allow a server to provide more primary operator blocks if they deem it necessary.

   4. Co-administrators

      A server administrator may have a co-administrator at their discretion. The co-administrator should have full access to the account running the ircd and should be able to handle any administrative tasks that should arise.

3. Executive Council

   The Executive Council shall be composed of three staff members. Their responsibility is to oversee the network and ensure that the values and vision held at the founding of the network continue to be followed.

   Executive Council members are expected to conduct themselves in a rational, reasonable manner and posess diplomacy and communication skills. Technical aptitude or skill is not a requirement to participate in the Executive Council.

   The Executive Council will retain access to and ensure proper operation of the services of the network, including:

   • Network services, including nickname and channel registration
   • DNS and domain name registration
   • The website and forums

   No one member of the Executive Council may have sole access to the above functions. Access will be distributed amongst the Executive Council, Webmaster, and other members of staff as necessary.

   In the event of a member of the Executive Council not being a server administrator, they may hold a non-voting position on the Administrative Council.

   1. Council Appointments

      The Executive Council shall be appointed by nomination from the network staff. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Council, a round of nominations will be held for a period of seven days. Each member of staff may nominate one staff member. Any staff member who receives at least two nominations will be entered into consideration as a candidate.

      Upon the selection of candidates, there will be a period of hustings for seven days. During this time, candidates should make themselves available for discussion with other staff members, either by forum or IRC and preferably both.

      Voting shall proceed after hustings. Each member of staff may vote for one candidate. The period of voting will last for two days. If a staff member expects to be absent during this period, they may file an absentee vote with the Executive Council prior to the voting.

      To be appointed to the Executive Council, a candidate must receive 60% of the vote. In the event that this does not occur, voting will be reopened with the candidate who received the least votes being excluded.

      In the event of an election receiving an equal number of votes for all candidates or an election between only two candidates fails to return a 60% majority, the Administrative Council will hold a vote between the remaining candidates. A simple majority will be required for a candidate to be elected. If the Administrative Council vote is a tie, the Executive Council will then vote between the two with abstentions forbidden.

   2. Votes of No Confidence

      If a member of the Executive Council has been absent for an abnormal length of time or is otherwise deemed to not be fulfilling their responsibilities, a staff member may move to call for a vote of no confidence against the Council member. Such a motion requires two other staff members to support it before proceeding.

      When a vote of no confidence is called, discussion will be held for three days followed by a vote. A simple majority is required to remove the Council member.

      During this time, if deemed necessary, other members of the Executive Council may revoke the access of the member in question.

   3. Voting

      Any matter brought before the Executive Council must be voted on. Any motion may be passed with a simple majority. If the council vote is tied, the motion will be voted upon by network staff, requiring a simple majority of staff to be passed.

4. Administrative Council

   The Administrative Council shall be responsible for the administration of the servers, determining server policy, appointing new operators, and approving link applications in accordance with policies established in this document.

   Members of the Administrative Council are expected to participate in every vote held. Should a member consistently fail to participate in votes without good cause, they stand to be reported to the Executive Council and subject to discipline for being delinquent in their responsibilities. Any server administrator who fails to comply with a decision reached by the Administrative Council will be referred to the Executive Council for disciplinary action.

   1. Membership

      Administrators of servers that have passed the test link process will be voting members. Co-administrators of servers that have passed the test link process will be non-voting members except as detailed below.

      Once an administrator or co-administrator has joined the Administrative Council, they will remain members as long as they are the administrator or co-administrator of a server linked, either as a full link or as a test link. Should a member of the Administrative Council no longer be the administrator or co-administrator of a linked server and not have applied to have a replacement server test linked within a week, they will be removed from the Administrative Council. They will be allowed to rejoin under the normal procedure if they link a server in the future.

      Further non-voting members may be added in accordance with other sections of this document.

   2. Voting

      Voting on matters shall be done as a tally vote.

      All voting members shall have a single vote even if they serve as administrator or co-administrator on multiple servers.

      Server co-administrators may vote on their administrator's behalf if their administrator will be unable to vote and has provided authorization to vote. Such authorization will need to be provided with the co-administrator's vote for it to be considered.

      Votes that are tied are submitted to the Executive Council for deliberation.

   3. Test Link Policy

      The Administrative Council will be responsible for drafting the test link policy for the network. The policy should ensure that all members of the Administrative Council have the opportunity to participate in the process while also ensuring that applicants will receive approval in a timely fashion.
      All members of the Administrative Council must be able to participate in policy discussions. New policies or policy changes must be approved by a simple majority of the Administrative Council and must then be approved by a simple majority of the Executive Council.

5. Webmaster

   The Webmaster shall be responsible for the design and programming of the network website. The Webmaster may, if desired, request assistance from other members of network staff.

   1. Appointment of the Webmaster

      Any network operator or server administrator interested in being the Webmaster should file an application with the Executive Council. When the position becomes open, the Executive Council will then discuss all applications and vote. A simple majority is needed to elect the Webmaster.

   2. Removal of the Webmaster

      If the Webmaster is determined to not be perfoming up to expectations, a member of the Executive Committee may file for a vote of no confidence. A simple majority is required to remove the Webmaster.

Changes to This Document

This document is to be maintained by the Executive Committee. All changes to the document shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and subsequently discussed by all staff followed by a vote. Any changes to this document require a 60% majority to be approved.