Acceptable Use Policy

This policy is part of our Terms of Service. It applies to everyone who uses RailCompliant: railroads that subscribe, the people on their accounts, and individual accounts. It is short on purpose, and written so you can read it in a few minutes.

1. Using the Service

Do not use the Service to:

• break the law;
• store data you have no right to store;
• falsify a regulatory record;
• probe, scan, or attack the Service or its infrastructure, or get into any account, data, or system you are not allowed into;
• get around access controls, security features, or usage limits;
• collect information from accounts that are not yours;
• upload viruses or other malware;
• put an undue load on the Service, for example with automated bulk requests;
• trick, defraud, or mislead us or other people, including by making false reports; or
• resell the Service, or provide it to people who are not your users.

If you find a security problem, tell us at [email protected]. Finding one does not make it acceptable to test it further against the Service or other people's data.

2. Community rules

These apply to blog comments and to anything else in the Service that other people can see, including any community features we add later.

• Be civil. Disagree with ideas, not with people. No insults, name-calling, or abuse aimed at anyone, including because of who they are.
• No harassment or threats. Don't bully, intimidate, or threaten anyone, or encourage others to.
• No spam or ads. No advertising, self-promotion, repeated posts, or links posted to sell something.
• No one else's personal information. Don't post someone's home address, phone number, email, or other personal details without their consent.
• No impersonation. Don't pretend to be, or to speak for, a railroad, the Federal Railroad Administration, or another person.
• Stay on topic. Keep to the post or discussion: railroads, rail preservation, equipment, maintenance, and the regulations.
• Nothing sexually explicit or gratuitously violent.

3. Talking about regulations

When you say what a regulation requires, point to it: cite the section (for example, 49 CFR 230.17) or link the official text at ecfr.gov.

Never present a post or comment as an official position or interpretation of the Federal Railroad Administration. Only the FRA can give one. A comment is its author's view.

4. Facts about people and railroads

Don't post false statements of fact about an identifiable person or railroad. Opinions are fine when it's clear they are opinions; statements of fact have to be true.

5. Railfan safety

Being on railroad property without permission is dangerous. Don't post anything that encourages trespassing on railroad property or interfering with railroad operations: on the track or right of way, in yards, on bridges or in tunnels, or near moving equipment.

Take photos and video only from places where you are allowed to be, and lawfully. Don't upload anything you got by trespassing or by getting in the way of a railroad's work.

6. Content you upload

Upload only what you have the right to share: your own photos, documents, and words, or ones you have permission to post. If you think something on the Service infringes your copyright, see our Copyright Policy.

7. What we do about it

If something breaks this policy, we may hide or remove it, and we may suspend or close the account that posted it. What we do depends on how serious it is and whether it keeps happening. We tell the account holder why, unless the law or an active security threat prevents it.

8. Reporting something

Email [email protected] with a link to the content (or where you saw it), what you think is wrong with it, and how to reach you. We do not tell the person you reported who you are, unless the law requires it.

Copyright complaints follow a separate legal process, described in our Copyright Policy, in which a notice may be shared with the person who posted the content.

9. Changes

We may update this policy the same way we update the Terms (Section 16 of the Terms of Service).

See also our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Copyright Policy.

Parts of this policy are adapted from the Basecamp open-source policies / CC BY 4.0, and from GitHub's Acceptable Use Policies (CC0).