Hackaday has posted Terms of Use and Privacy Policy documents which you should read. These can also be accessed through the Policies Page which is linked in the footer. We’ve edited this post to take up less room since it will be sticky for a few days. Original text and updates after the jump.
Original Post Body:
This is happening. Hackaday is posting legal documents to which all readers are bound. We figure the least that we can do is be up-front about it. So here’s a conspicuous post that will remain “sticky” for a few days.
We’ve had a policies page for quite a long time, but you’d be hard pressed to figure out how to get to it; now it’s part of the footer. Our policies are a straight-forward statement of how we look at content use and ownership, and what the readers can expect from us. We’ve updated it and twisted some legal arms to keep that summary (succinct and understandable policies are important to us). But we did concede the full publication of Terms of Use and a Privacy Policy which you should add to your reading list.
Update:
1/31/14 15:24 PST – I went through the HTML for these documents (which had been exported from Word) and fixed the multitude of styling problems. They are now presented in a much better format and the font color sticks out more from the background as requested in the comments. I also fixed the “youronlinechoices” link.
I’m not going to read it… Just continue reading HaD
Honestly, I think the majority of the people ranting their opinions on this thread have not actually even read the TOS.
The most opinionated people are typically the least informed, least intelligent.
Do not underestimate the readership.
Actually, I have overestimated them. But thanks.
I have been exploring other websites lately as well. Nothing related this TOS (which does not bother me in anyway) but precisely because of 159 comments on threads like these, and the quality of the people that come here. 90% of all comments here are completely useless, full of whiny BS, uninformed people, and you can’t even actually have an intelligent discussion.
Maybe HaD has just gotten too popular, and attracting the Star Trek style nerds (you know the ones that think they understand science because they read a lot of science fiction) instead of the real geeks, scientists, and engineers.
>pornographic, obscene, patently offensive, promotes racism, bigotry, hatred
8==D
To some, the TOS is patently offensive and promotes hatred and bigotry.
Does that mean that the TOS violates the TOS?
While you’re at it, please consider using black text and white background….i get dizzy reading your site. uoy kanht
Black text on white screen is one of the worst ideas in computer history. You would think it makes sense (with paper being white etc.) but you fail to consider that paper doesn’t glow like screen does.
The terems of service are horrid. “c) you shall not access the Services in order to build a similar or competitive service; and (d) except as expressly stated herein, no part of the Services may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means.”
so.. if you ever plan on making a similar website, too late you’ve been here first. And considering that most, if not all, of the website is linking, copying and summarizing other peoples works its really pretty rich to have the reproduction clause.
I can understand you putting a copyright on your *original* work but that is about it. And that stuff about a “competitive” service? Really? Thats not even going to hold up in a court of law and your lawyer knows it but will probably brandish it just to empty the pockets of “the new site” on legal defense.
I inferred from your TOS that you no longer wish for me to follow you, therefore I have stopped following all of the items in my wordpress.com account which were from hack-a-day.
In addition I will no longer be following this post as well and will not receive any more feedback from posters of this or any other posting on hackaday.com.
Good-bye hackaday.
I just wanted to see something more of the heliostat and how it works for my arduino project. I did not think i had to do all the signing up and giving big virus Google my info.
Do you US-people know what google really is and who started it? If you want to share info by violating their privacy you better find another name lake NSAbuddy.
These comments are funny and amount to the following:
1. The TOS are Unenforceable.
2. The TOS are intolerable – I’m out of here.
3. Lawyers are horrible.
I really wonder how the complainers are viewing this site. Perhaps they haven’t read the (much more enforceable) terms of use from their ISP or mobile provider…..
Dear HaD,
Nobody cares. Your site borders between obscurity and irrelevance. I, like many other people block your google analytics scripts and “tracking pixels”. We clear our cookies on every browser restart. We disallow any and all scripts from running while we are browsing your site. Have a nice day
“We reserve the right to unpublish or refuse to unpublish anything for any reason or for no reason whatsoever.” Thanks! That’s very “Google” of you.