Admin Access Agreement

Community Conventions

AGREEMENT: By using the administrative functions of this website, or by becoming an Administrator, Editor, Contributor, Community Builder, Community Organizer, or other community worker/volunteer (Admin), you are bound by everything on this page. Please read carefully.

1. No Credential Sharing: Never share your username or password with anyone else. Our system can detect credential sharing, and sharing credentials can compromise security, potentially leading to unauthorized activity, data loss, and forcing all users to reset their passwords.

   Your actions can cause hours of extra work, loss of recent posts, and temporary loss of access for other Admins, among other inconveniences.

   Example Scenario: You are in an Action or Demo and need to post an update to the website. If you cannot post, you might share your credentials with another trusted member so they can post for you. The system then detects the intrusion and locks out all other users (and deletes updates made in the last 24 hours as a security precaution), requiring a manual password reset that can take days. The result is that no user can post for days and recent updates are lost.

2. No Snooping: You agree to access and alter only the information for which you have responsibility or authorization, and not to view information you have no legitimate need or authorization to see as part of your duties. Access to the Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network website and its data for personal gain, curiosity, or any other purpose not specifically authorized is strictly forbidden.

   Notice: we keep detailed logs of all user activity and we can reveal snooping during a security audit.

   Example Scenario: In the WordPress admin area, you view a Draft Post from someone else. While you are viewing it, you get distracted and forget to close the Edit screen. This can cause the original author to be unable to edit their post, and in some cases the post could become locked or lost. This illustrates why access must be limited to authorized activities.

3. Respect Confidentiality: You will respect the confidentiality of individuals whose information you have access to. You will not view or disclose that information except as required by your responsibilities and as allowed by Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network policies and applicable law.

4. Abuse of Privilege: You understand that transactions processed with your Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network access may be audited, and appropriate action will be taken if misuse is detected. Logging in as others without organizational need, attempting to alter security profile information, or purposefully transferring/deleting/altering a task without cause are examples of misuse. Abuse of privileges is strictly prohibited.

5. Follow All Policies and Procedures: You agree to follow the privacy, security, and other policies and procedures established by Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network, as well as the terms and conditions of gPowerHost providing hosting services, and applicable state and federal security and privacy laws and regulations that apply to your Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network access.

   Note: Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network's hosting company and OSFTF platform provider has an Anti-Spam Policy. Violating that policy by sending unsolicited bulk email can result in loss of hosting services and damage to the network's reputation, which will follow the organization to any future hosting provider.

6. Revocation of Access Rights: You understand that if you leave your current post or position, whether by transfer or termination, your access rights will be revoked, unless your new role requires you to perform the same duties.

FAILURE TO COMPLY: We reserve the right to refuse service and access to any Admin not adhering to the above rules or our requests. We also reserve the right to remove content, terminate access, or terminate this agreement if we determine terms have been violated, and to do so without prior warning.

You understand that you will be held responsible for the consequences of any misuse arising from neglect on your part.

These conventions are subject to change in the future, and members will be notified.