Misleading and deceptive identities
Overview
Do not impersonate individuals, groups, or organizations to mislead, deceive, or disrupt others' experiences on UNPRESS.
Users should trust that profiles genuinely represent their owners. It is the platform's policy to foster an environment where users can trust the authenticity and validity of account holders' representations. While it is not mandatory to display one's legal name or personal image, users are strongly encouraged to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of their profiles. There are also many benefits to making your account legitimate, authentic, and validated.
Impersonating non-existent individuals or entities or otherwise engaging in the use of deceptive identities is strictly prohibited. Deceptive identities create confusion and compromise the integrity of dialog on UNPRESS. It also breeds mistrust amongst viewers.
What is a misleading or deceptive identity?
An UNPRESS account's identity is primarily composed of the profile information, including full name, username or @handle, profile image, bio, and background image.
An account is deemed deceptive if it utilizes false profile information to falsely represent itself as a person or entity unaffiliated with the account holder. This includes the usage of text or imagery that features the likeness of another person or entity in a manner that creates confusion regarding the account's ownership and affiliation. Fake identities that employ stolen, digitally created, or manipulated images, and fabricated names to pose as non-existent persons or organizations are also considered deceptive, particularly when engaging in disruptive or manipulative behavior.
What happens if you violate these standards?
The platform's response to violations will be determined based on the severity of the infraction and the account's prior violation history. Potential actions include:
Profile modifications: Account holders may be required to modify their profile content to eliminate confusion. Subsequent violations will result in permanent suspension.
Temporary account suspension: The platform may mandate the submission of government-issued identification (e.g., driver's license, passport) to reinstate a suspended account.
Permanent suspension: Accounts engaged in impersonation or employing misleading or deceptive fake identities may be permanently suspended.
Erroneous account locks or suspensions may be appealed by the account holder. For further information, please refer to the following link: Enforcement Approach
What is in violation of these standards?
Impersonation
You are prohibited from falsely representing an existing person, group, or organization without a legitimate affiliation or legal right to do so.
Deceptive Fake Identities
You may not use fake identities to disrupt the experiences of others on UNPRESS or in conjunction with behaviors that violate community or editorial standards. Doing so will result in more serious action towards your account. This includes using fake accounts for spamming, interfering with civic processes, conducting financial scams, artificially inflating engagement, or harassing others. Common features of fake accounts include:
Stolen or stock profile photos
Plagiarized profile bios, and/or
Intentionally misleading profile information
The platform considers various factors in determining the deceptiveness of identity, including profile portrayal, unauthorized image use, and deceptive intent.
How do we review accounts under this policy?
We consider some of the following factors when determining whether an identity is deceptive:
Does the profile portray the account holder? Profiles genuinely representing the account holder are generally compliant with this policy. Such profiles typically display the account holder's name, including business, stage, or pseudonymous variations.
Does the profile portray another person, group, or organization? Our review primarily considers whether a profile features an image representing another individual or entity. Upon finding evidence of unauthorized image use, we evaluate its misleading or deceptive nature. Deceptiveness is also assessed in cases of computer-generated images impersonating non-existent persons. However, not all uses of another's image violate this policy, and actions are less likely if the image does not mislead others.
Is the account intended to deceive others? Upon determining a profile contains another's image, we assess the context of its use. Actions are more likely when an account falsely claims affiliation with the depicted entity, as in impersonation or fake accounts. Violations are less probable when the profile context signifies non-affiliation, such as in parody, commentary, or fan accounts. Exceptionally, we may act against an account not using another's image if it contains significantly misleading information, like an incongruent account owner location.
What is not in violation of these standards?
UNPRESS permits the use of pseudonymous accounts to promote self-expression and privacy. Accounts utilizing pseudonyms or appearing similar to others are not in violation of this policy, provided they are not deceptive or manipulative in nature. Non-violating examples include:
Accounts with the same name but no other commonalities
Accounts with similar usernames, account names or appearances
Using a pseudonym
Parody, commentary, or fan accounts.