Legal

Section 230 — Communications Decency Act

47 U.S.C. § 230 generally provides that online services are not treated as the publisher or speaker of information provided by another content provider. UOrgs hosts user-submitted ratings, reviews, discussion posts, reports, corrections, and organization information.

That protection is important for platforms that host third-party speech, but it has limits and exceptions, including for certain federal criminal, intellectual property, privacy, and other claims. Organizations, universities, or individuals who object to user content should report the specific content so we can review it under our rules.

First Amendment — Anonymous speech

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right to speak anonymously. This protection applies to speech on the internet just as it does to speech offline. Anonymous student opinions about campus organizations are protected expression.

The U.S. Supreme Court and numerous lower courts have consistently held that anonymous speech is entitled to First Amendment protection. See, e.g., McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, 514 U.S. 334 (1995); Reno v. ACLU, 521 U.S. 844 (1997).

Standard for compelling user identification

Before we consider disclosing non-public information that could identify an anonymous user, we require valid legal process, such as a subpoena, court order, or other process we are legally required to honor. Standards vary by jurisdiction, but courts often require a party seeking to unmask an anonymous speaker to show factors such as:

• The need to identify the user outweighs the user's First Amendment right to speak anonymously
• The underlying claim has a reasonable legal basis and is not a pretext to silence criticism
• The information cannot be obtained through other means

Many posts on UOrgs are made anonymously without an account and are tied only to a temporary session. For that content, our technical ability to identify an author may be limited. Content submitted while logged in is associated with the author's account; we treat that information as described in our Privacy Policy and disclose it only as required by valid legal process or emergency safety circumstances.

Opinion and fair comment

Ratings and reviews on UOrgs are intended to represent subjective opinions about people's experiences with campus organizations. Opinion that does not assert verifiable facts is generally less likely to be actionable as defamation than false statements of fact. Users are responsible for the content they submit.

Courts have recognized protection for rhetorical hyperbole and loose, figurative, or hyperbolic language in appropriate contexts. See Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co., 497 U.S. 1 (1990).

Nominative fair use

University and organization names are used on this platform to identify the entities being discussed. That kind of descriptive use may qualify as nominative fair use when it is necessary to identify the subject and does not imply sponsorship or endorsement. UOrgs is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any university or organization listed on the site.

DMCA / copyright

Copyright holders who believe their work has been reproduced without authorization may submit a notice with: a physical or electronic signature, identification of the copyrighted work, the URL or other identification of the allegedly infringing material, contact information, a good-faith statement that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and a statement that the notice is accurate and submitted under penalty of perjury by someone authorized to act for the copyright owner.

Users whose content is removed may submit a counter-notice if they believe the removal was mistaken or misidentified. We may terminate accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

Legal contact

Legal notices, DMCA takedown requests, and court orders may be submitted via the Feedback page. Please mark the subject as “Legal Notice.”

Submitting a false DMCA takedown notice is a violation of federal law and may expose the sender to liability.

Additional resources

For more information on online free speech and anonymous speech protections, see the Electronic Frontier Foundation's resources on anonymity.