• Welcome Guest

New Terms of Use rolling out ~Tues/Wed this week

Tronica

Tronica

Executive Director
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2002
Messages
5,684
Location
Castlemaine, Australia
Hi everyone

For years now, we've been working on updating our terms of service, which includes the Bluelight User Agreement. The new terms will provide more protection from legal risks and clarity for anyone using these services and website about what we are offering, what our responsibilities are, as well as what we expect from users of our services. Finally, we are ready to roll out the new terms. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!

Over the coming 24-48 hours, you'll experience the following changes:
- unregistered guests will be required to agree to the new terms via a cookie-like pop-up (this may be required more than once, but not more than once during the same session)
- registered users of the forum will be required to agree to the new terms only once (as recorded in your user record)

Let us know of any hiccups or concerns, here or at [email protected]

Thanks
Monica & the board of Bluelight Communities Ltd
 
Last edited:
Do You Want Me To Start Donating And Or Raising Money That I Don't Have For Your Site Or Something? Stranger Things Have Happened, I Suppose.

If I Had To, I Could Switch To X Or Reddit. I Am Friends With Both Elon & FrED, You Know (Respectively).

Yours Truly,
Helios.
 
Rectify said:
Do You Want Me To Start Donating And Or Raising Money That I Don't Have For Your Site Or Something? Stranger Things Have Happened, I Suppose.

If I Had To, I Could Switch To X Or Reddit. I Am Friends With Both Elon & FrED, You Know (Respectively).
Click to expand...

We will never require people to pay anything to use Bluelight. It will always be free. So there's no need to leave us :)

However we will have ongoing campaigns for donation for those who are in a position to support us. Running Bluelight costs over $10K USD per annum - just to cover basics. For those who have the means to donate, and where they see the value of Bluelight continuing to exist, we offer an opportunity to help us through the donation portal.

At Bluelight, we see ourselves similarly to Wikipedia. Most users of Wikipedia use a free encyclopedia. But some people choose to donate. I give them $10 a month, because I value having a free Wikipedia and I know it costs actual cash, and I personally have the means, and like knowing that in a small way, I can help the original spirit of the internet continue on, despite so much of the internet being taken over by for-profit corporations.
 
no way to read the BLUA before the rollout? just curious and interested with nothing to do.... 🤷
 
amd i dont mind giving when i can.

i feel it is a great cause as it has been for me and i am one stubborn sombich. ;)

priceless
 
Jnowhere said:
Please tell me you are not selling our info to fund Bluelight, please.
Click to expand...
Hey, great question. Privacy policy has not changed. We limit the info we collect about people to protect you as best we can, and this has remained the same since 1999. Your email addresses will never be shared and are stored securely. We don't collect names or other identifiers. That's not changing.

The ownership of the public content of Bluelight has not changed either. This is a quote from our research portal which has been there for 10+ years:
If you would like to use Bluelight content as data in your research project, we respectfully wish to remind you that unauthorized reproduction or use of content from Bluelight is explicitly prohibited by our User Agreement. Projects of this nature can be conducted with our permission and ideally in partnership with us. We welcome new ideas about research that uses our data and we encourage you to contact our research team to discuss your ideas further.
Click to expand...
We developed this approach of asking researchers to contact us to collaborate on projects like this to avoid researchers coming, scraping our data and publishing it without involving us (this first happened in the early 2010s and we confronted the researchers about it and offered a different model of collaboration). This still happens, unfortunately, and is a risk of being so public and available to scrapers. But we prohibit it and encourage any interested researchers to collaborate with us - this involves a data use agreement and an agreed amount of cash (dependent on capacity to pay, size of project, etc) - which has helped pay those quarterly server bills. This has resulted in some amazing work, some of which you can find if you look up bluelight.org on Google Scholar. As noted, not all of what you find there is endorsed by us - but where it is, we have been able to help reduce interpretation issues among researcher teams. My favourites are the PhD students who have published works related to Bluelight, like this one: Positive drug stories: possibilities for agency and positive subjectivity for harm reduction.

We also make cash from advertising research projects (you can see the banners at the top of the page). As I am on a research ethics board for my day job, I'm able to review the projects to ensure ethical adherence and also just look over them to make sure their methods are sound. If they pass the test, then we do a paid ad campaign. This is another way we've been able to cover our costs. If you are eligible, please do have a look at the research projects advertised - obviously it should always be your choice to participate, but if you can donate your time to these projects, it helps us be able to demonstrate that our advertising works. People who use drugs can be a hard group to reach for researchers - and we have something valuable here in that we, as community members, can 'talk back' when researchers post threads in Drug Studies about their work. We can let them know what we think of their survey or their findings, and ask them questions. We are always encouraging the researchers to engage, not just come, advertise and leave. The best researchers already know that engaging with the communities is essential to do good research.

Does that answer the question @Jnowhere ?
In short, Bluelight will never sell your personal info.
We do receive payment for working with researchers on the public dataset, to make their analysis more informed, and to have a say in what they do (otherwise they just do it without us and we have no say).
A reminder too that all this cash goes into covering Bluelight's costs (Server fees are the major component), none of us are paid, and Bluelight is a charity with a non-profit clause.
 
I Have Read The New Bluelight User Agreement And Agree To It. Are There Any “Fussy” Australian Drug And Or Freedom Of Speech Limitations That United States Users May Not Yet Be Cognizant Of But Which You Would Like Us To Know About Before Posting? Also, My Thread Has A Metric Tonne Of Dated Prior Art. I Hope That’s Okay.

Sincerely,
AMP
 
Tronica said:
It is now on the site here but there's a random (a) in the header which needs to be removed (old comment from a google doc that the ref to was moved across).
Click to expand...

AI summary for the lazy - but please read the original T&Cs still!!

Bluelight Terms & Conditions — Plain-English Summary​


These terms explain the rules for using Bluelight’s website, forums, apps, and related services. By creating an account or using Bluelight, you agree to follow these rules.


1. Using Bluelight​


  • You must meet the minimum legal age requirement where you live. If you are in Australia, you must be 18 or older.
  • You must provide accurate information and keep your account secure.
  • You cannot:
    • Create multiple accounts.
    • Pretend to be someone else or represent Bluelight officially.
    • Use Bluelight if you have previously been permanently banned.
    • Transfer or sell your account.

2. Your account and responsibility​


  • You are responsible for everything posted from your account.
  • Use a strong password and consider enabling two-factor authentication.
  • Tell Bluelight if you think your account has been compromised.

3. Community rules​


Bluelight is a discussion community, and you must not post content that is:


  • Harassing, hateful, threatening, abusive, or discriminatory.
  • Illegal, fraudulent, or misleading.
  • Spam or advertising without permission.
  • Sexually explicit, violent, or harmful.
  • Someone else’s private or confidential information.
  • Content that encourages illegal activity or harm.

You also cannot use Bluelight to:


  • Buy, sell, or arrange illegal drug transactions.
  • Help people obtain illegal substances.
  • Share methods for avoiding drug tests.
  • Discuss or encourage criminal activity.
  • Attack or abuse other users.

4. Medical information disclaimer​


  • Bluelight is not a medical service.
  • Posts, discussions, articles, AI responses, and advice from users or volunteers are not medical advice.
  • You should not rely on Bluelight instead of speaking with a qualified healthcare professional.
  • Bluelight does not guarantee that information posted by users is accurate or complete.

5. User posts and content​


  • You keep ownership of content you create.
  • However, by posting on Bluelight, you give Bluelight broad permission to use, copy, display, modify, distribute, and share that content worldwide.
  • Do not post anything private, confidential, or something you do not have permission to share.
  • Bluelight may remove content at its discretion.

6. Moderation and enforcement​


  • Moderators help enforce the rules.
  • They may remove posts, suspend accounts, or ban users who break the rules.
  • Moderators are volunteers and may not catch every rule violation.
  • If you see rule-breaking content, report it to moderators.

7. Third-party platforms​


If you use Bluelight communities on platforms like Discord, Telegram, or Reddit:


  • You must follow both Bluelight’s rules and those platforms’ own rules.
  • Bluelight is not responsible for what happens on those external platforms.

8. Intellectual property​


  • Bluelight owns its website design, software, branding, and other materials.
  • You cannot copy, sell, modify, or commercially use Bluelight content without permission.

9. Third-party links and advertisements​


  • Bluelight may contain links, ads, articles, or content from other companies or users.
  • Bluelight does not guarantee or take responsibility for third-party content, products, or websites.
  • Use external links and services at your own risk.

10. Privacy​


  • To create an account, Bluelight collects information such as your email address, username, and password.
  • Your information is handled according to Bluelight’s Privacy Policy.
  • Bluelight may disclose information if legally required or if needed to protect someone’s safety.

11. Account suspension or closure​


Bluelight can suspend or terminate accounts if:


  • You break the Terms.
  • Your activity creates risks for the community or Bluelight.
  • They decide action is necessary for any reason.

If you close your account:


  • Your account may be deactivated.
  • Your username may be changed to a random name.
  • Your posts may remain visible unless Bluelight decides otherwise.

12. Liability limits​


  • Bluelight provides the service “as is” and does not promise it will always work perfectly.
  • Bluelight is generally not responsible for losses, damages, inaccurate user posts, or problems caused by using the service.
  • Their maximum liability is limited to AUD $100 where legally allowed.

13. Legal terms​


  • The agreement is governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.
  • Disputes should first be raised with Bluelight informally.
  • Bluelight can update these Terms, and continued use means you accept the updated version.



In short:​


Bluelight is a community discussion platform. You can share and discuss topics, but you are responsible for what you post. Do not break the law, harass others, share harmful content, or treat Bluelight as medical advice. Bluelight can moderate content, suspend accounts, and use submitted content under a broad license. Use the platform at your own risk.
 
1 other thing worth highlighting is how the police can access info.

I think this is perfectly fair and reasonable, but it requires users to be aware of it and act accordingly - you need basic OPEC people!

@Tronica please correct me if I'm wrong below

Bluelight.org may comply with lawful requests from police or government authorities in certain circumstances.


The relevant points are:


  • Court orders or legal requirements: Bluelight says it may provide stored information about users if it receives a properly authorized request, such as a court order or another legally valid demand from law enforcement or regulatory authorities.
  • Emergency situations: Bluelight’s privacy section says it may disclose information if it believes there is an emergency and disclosure is needed to protect you or another person.
  • Selective monitoring in certain cases: Bluelight reserves the right to perform selective electronic monitoring of traffic through its systems if it suspects policy violations or if required by a court order or law.

What this means in practice:


  • Bluelight is not promising to ignore police requests; it states that it will comply with legally valid requests.
  • A police officer simply asking for information would generally not be the same as a legally binding request (such as a court order or other lawful process), although the exact requirements depend on the jurisdiction and the type of information requested.
  • Bluelight does not guarantee anonymity and users should not assume forum posts or account information cannot be linked to them.
  • Bluelight also states that user-generated content is not necessarily private or confidential, and you should avoid posting information you would not want disclosed.

The relevant clauses are mainly:


  • Clause 28: Bluelight may provide stored information to law enforcement or authorities when it receives a properly authorized request.
  • Clause 29: Bluelight may disclose information when required by law or in an emergency.
  • Clause 28/24: Bluelight may monitor activity in cases of suspected policy violations or legal requirements.

So the short version: Bluelight generally protects user information under its privacy practices, but it reserves the right—and says it may be legally required—to hand over information when authorities follow the proper legal process or when safety/legal obligations require disclosure.
 
@placebonaut
thank for the summarion.

to us all:
have no doubts that any service involving data collection, identity *tagging, location etc has been in use without permissions for a looooong time. there is no anonymity. this is not conspiracy but "reality" as we live it. it will not get less so.

we are small fish.
yes we may incriminate ourselves daily. the day that bl "opened" the tech was there to monitor. has it been used? odds are; yes. i wouldnt post my bs antics if i felt i would be harassed by agencies. i have a little experience with inside workings. thats all imma say on it.

soooooo....

where the hell do i sign and get it outta the way? ill find it my screen is set so i do not see links only empty spaces. 🙄 ill fix it at some point.

@Tronica

much love for your hard work and time keeping us informed, safe (lets think relativity) and the doors open at bl. i get its an org but who else from said org actually engages with us...?
✌🏼
 
PtahTek said:
@placebonaut
thank for the summarion.

to us all:
have no doubts that any service involving data collection, identity *tagging, location etc has been in use without permissions for a looooong time. there is no anonymity. this is not conspiracy but "reality" as we live it. it will not get less so.

we are small fish.
yes we may incriminate ourselves daily. the day that bl "opened" the tech was there to monitor. has it been used? odds are; yes. i wouldnt post my bs antics if i felt i would be harassed by agencies. i have a little experience with inside workings. thats all imma say on it.

soooooo....

where the hell do i sign and get it outta the way? ill find it my screen is set so i do not see links only empty spaces. 🙄 ill fix it at some point.

@Tronica

much love for your hard work and time keeping us informed, safe (lets think relativity) and the doors open at bl. i get its an org but who else from said org actually engages with us...?
✌🏼
Click to expand...
spot on and well put

I was making the same point but didn't have the time to be this explicit.

thanks!

and agree, thanks @Tronica and the whole team, another good job well done, thanks for all the hard work
 
Salutations,

Everywhere the same structural patterns have been observed since practically the end of a pioneer BBSing era: moderation is needed, preferably equipped with a sensible framework.

For example, in absence of a probation period newcomers grab instant gratification while abusers always remain free to return under new identities to flood the zone again, as has happened repeatedly here. I believe such toxic behaviour can be toned down by introducing latency, which would in turn reduce the workload on moderators as this can effectively remove the prize for trolls. Just think of simple things like a mandatory initial phase imposing newbies to search BlueLight's extensive database first, then follow existing threads where one may eventually want to participate before permission levels escalate to allow creation of their own. Otherwise we're condemned to impulsive, redundant postings.

Alternatively, being volunteers is no valid excuse for moderators to fall into a familiar slide of the Peter Principle. Authority without structure inevitably drifts, the responsibility that comes with power requires safeguards, and that's why time-limited mandates would make a lot of sense. 1 year is more than enough for the staff to evaluate true merit rather than relying on a culture of badges. Overall rotations would prevent stagnation, reduce personal bias, and ensure a high standard of community service.

By the way, trajectories of perpetual abuse hardly support leveraging into a position of authority at all. Long careers of self‑destruction make nobody an expert, but rather one of failure devoid of functional understanding. Keep in mind cannabis is no lethal substance, that its LD₅₀ proved experimentally unreachable in humans decades ago. Unfortunately, when unresolved personal collapse is reframed as doctrine, the resulting narratives eventually resemble pseudoscience, like propaganda from the scientology sect. Yet one objective fact remains: the substance itself is NOT even assimilable to any hard drug, and wasting time looking for some hypothetical clinically-significant cases of morbidity will never justify turning such distortions of reality into a normative reference for the entire community.

Overall ambience would feel more welcoming to those struggling users who would benefit most if only we could filter out some of the noise related to impulsive posting, denialism, opportunistic anti-banalization activism and/or domination behaviour, where visibility just can't be assumed to reflect constructive motivation in our present structural vacuum.

My hope is for BlueLight to fulfill its purpose with help from similar perspectives.

Good day, have fun! ☮️
 
25. Nature of Content: You agree that you must not post or otherwise include Content, or links to content, which:

  1. is defamatory, deceptive, fraudulent, tortious, inaccurate, abusive, hateful, menacing, scandalous, inflammatory or threatening;
  2. victimizes, harasses, degrades, or intimidates an individual or group of individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any other reason;
  3. is spam or spam-like;
  4. is likely to offend;
  5. contains violent, abusive, pornographic or sexually-explicit material;
  6. contains the confidential information of others or otherwise invasive of another’s privacy;
  7. violates the rules of the specific sub-forum or forum on which it is posted; or
  8. encourages harm.


@Tronica @alasdairm

In regards to "H" , could you explain how we as a community that spans multiple generations, continents, cultures, religions, backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, etc are expected to avoid at all times posting anything that is "likely" to offend? Also, offensive to whom? I feel as though the other clauses of "Nature of Content" were already sufficiently vague. Dropping all pretense, does this language essentially boil down to "we can punish you for anything WE find offensive" rather than "we can punish you for anything that a reasonable, objective third-party might find offensive" ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top