Preamble
The original CDS forums were provided and managed by Linden Lab. As a result, no law addressing Forum ownership or administration has ever been passed.
The open areas of the forums have traditionally been a place where citizens and non-citizens alike have been given free access to discuss any topic, subject only to the moderation rules and guidelines set down by the Scientific Council.
The Forums also contain specific areas that are restricted for use by individual branches of government, or by officially sanctioned groups within CDS. These areas are open to view but are restricted to post by the specific branch or group that the area belongs to. These areas of the Forums provide documentation of the activities and discussions of the RA, the SC and the Chancellor’s office, through transcripts, Minutes and Discussion Forums for each arm of government.
Technical Management of the CDS Forums:
An Administrator of the Forums will be appointed by a simple majority of the SC. The Administrator will agree to maintain the technical aspects of the Forums and to follow all requirements as identified in this law. The Administrator does not control content or provide moderation of any area of the Forums. The Administrator is a civil servant, acting on the direction of the Dean of the SC.
The Administrator may be removed for failure to perform the duties of the position, or may be replaced without cause, by the following process:
The Chancellor, or a simple majority of the RA, may request that a new Administrator be appointed. Such a replacement will occur if the members of the SC, by super majority vote, agree to such replacement. The Dean or any member of the SC may also request removal of the Administrator. A super majority vote of the SC is necessary for removal to occur.
The current Administrator will be given 3 months notice of the replacement. It is expected that the 3 month period will be used to ensure a smooth transition to the new Administrator.
In the event that an Administrator is removed for failure to perform the duties of the position, the replacement may be immediate.
The Administrator of the CDS Forums will:
ensure required payment is made to maintain service of the Forums website
present each incoming Chancellor with a notecard identifying costs for the coming term, for inclusion in the budget
give Administrator access to the Dean of the SC and any other SC members designated by the Dean
create monthly backups of the Forums and any related databases and ensure that the Dean of the SC is informed of how to create and store such backups
manage, in consultation with the Dean of the SC, all technical aspects of the webpage
agree to give 2 months notice if he or she intends to resign
agree to transfer control of the domain, servers, passwords, and all other necessary information to his or her successor
not be permitted to hold the position of Website Administrator, while acting as Forum Administrator
The Chancellor of the CDS will identify a location for digital storage of database and Website backups. The Dean of the SC will ensure that the monthly backups are copied to this location. The Chancellor will ensure that the Dean of the SC and the LRA have any relevant passwords or access levels required to retrieve these backups if needed.
Control of Content
The Dean of the SC, or any designated member of the SC, will enable registration for anyone requesting registration and who agrees to follow the Terms of Use
The Terms of Use for the Forums include compliance with the Forum Rules and Guidelines published by the SC. All registered members posting to the Forums are responsible for the content of their posts.
Moderation of content in the Forums, based on the Forum Rules and Guidelines, is provided by members of the SC; the Dean of the SC, with a simple majority vote of the members, may also appoint additional moderators.
The ability to read the contents of the Forums will be open to all members of the public.
The ability to post to the Forums is restricted to registered members.
Each arm of government will have an Announcement Forum and a Discussion Forum. Posting to these forums is restricted to designated members of that arm of government, during their term of office.
At his or her discretion, the Dean may create additional Forums, restricted or unrestricted, for NGOs, working Commissions, special events etc.
At his or her discretion, the Dean may archive inactive or unused Forums.
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Adopted by the 23rd RA, October 3, 2015