Terms of Use
Last updated: July 21, 2026
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY. BY ACCESSING OR USING THIS WEBSITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, YOU MUST NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SITE.
1. Agreement; Definitions
These Terms of Use (the "Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("you" or "User") and the operator of freenode news (the "Operator", "we", "us", or "our") governing your access to and use of the freenode news website, together with all content, feeds, tickers, digests, articles, and other materials made available through it (collectively, the "Site"). "Content" means all text, articles, summaries, headlines, images, data, feeds, and other materials published on or through the Site.
2. Changes to the Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time in our sole discretion by posting a revised version to this page and updating the "Last updated" date above. Modifications are effective upon posting. Your continued access to or use of the Site after any modification constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to a modification, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue use of the Site.
3. The Site; News Reporting
The Site publishes news reporting, analysis, summaries, and aggregated information concerning open source software, open standards, cryptocurrency and related technologies. Content is drawn substantially from publicly available primary sources, including without limitation public mailing lists, public forums, public code repositories, and public issue trackers. Content is compiled and published on an editorial basis and reflects the state of the underlying sources at the time of publication. Sources may be updated, corrected, retracted, or deleted after publication, and Content may not reflect subsequent developments.
4. No Professional Advice; No Reliance
ALL CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONTENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE, AND MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS, PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL, FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX, ACCOUNTING, SECURITY, OR OTHER ADVICE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING: (a) NOTHING ON THE SITE CONSTITUTES AN OFFER, SOLICITATION, OR RECOMMENDATION TO PURCHASE, SELL, OR HOLD ANY DIGITAL ASSET, TOKEN, SECURITY, OR OTHER INSTRUMENT; (b) COVERAGE OF SECURITY VULNERABILITIES, PATCHES, OR ADVISORIES IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CONSULTING THE APPLICABLE VENDOR'S OFFICIAL ADVISORY, AND YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SECURITY OF YOUR OWN SYSTEMS; AND (c) YOU ASSUME SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DECISION OR ACTION TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON ANY CONTENT.
5. Errors and Omissions
News reporting is produced on short timelines from evolving sources, and the Site aggregates and processes large volumes of third-party material, including by automated means. ACCORDINGLY, CONTENT MAY CONTAIN ERRORS, INACCURACIES, OMISSIONS, MISATTRIBUTIONS, OUTDATED INFORMATION, OR OTHER DEFECTS, AND THE OPERATOR DOES NOT WARRANT, REPRESENT, OR GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, RELIABILITY, OR AVAILABILITY OF ANY CONTENT. The Operator endeavors in good faith to correct material errors brought to its attention, generally by updating the affected Content in place. Correction requests may be submitted through the contact form or to corrections@freenode.net. The existence of a corrections process does not create any duty to correct, and no failure or delay in correcting shall give rise to any liability.
6. Intellectual Property; License
As between you and the Operator, the Site and all original Content are owned by the Operator and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, the Operator grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and view the Site and Content for your personal, non-commercial use. You may quote from and link to Content with attribution to freenode news. Except as expressly permitted herein, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, republish, frame, scrape, mine, or otherwise exploit the Site or any Content, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent. Third-party names, marks, and quoted material remain the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification and news reporting.
7. Prohibited Conduct
You shall not, and shall not permit any third party to: (a) access the Site by automated means, including bots, crawlers, or scrapers, other than by consuming feeds expressly provided for that purpose or as permitted by generally accepted search engine indexing practices; (b) use the Site or any Content to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop any machine learning or artificial intelligence model without our prior written consent; (c) interfere with or disrupt the operation or security of the Site; (d) circumvent any access control or rate limit; (e) misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, including in any submission to the Site; or (f) use the Site in violation of any applicable law or regulation.
8. Reader Submissions
The Site may permit you to submit tips, correspondence, or other materials ("Submissions"). You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to make your Submission and that it does not violate any law or the rights of any third party. You grant the Operator a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, publish, and adapt Submissions in connection with the operation of the Site, including for news reporting. The Operator has no obligation to review, publish, act upon, or return any Submission, and may delete Submissions at any time. Submissions intended as confidential news tips are handled in accordance with customary newsgathering practice, but no attorney-client, fiduciary, or other special relationship is created by any Submission.
9. Third-Party Content and Links
The Site reports on, quotes, and links to third-party sources and websites. Such third-party content and websites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for their content, accuracy, availability, policies, or practices. A reference or link does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation. Your use of third-party websites is at your own risk and subject to their terms.
10. Availability; Modification of the Site
We may modify, suspend, limit, or discontinue the Site or any portion thereof at any time, with or without notice, and we shall have no liability in connection therewith. We do not warrant that the Site will be available, uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.
11. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITH ALL FAULTS, AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, ACCURACY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, OR USAGE OF TRADE, ALL OF WHICH ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM THE OPERATOR OR THROUGH THE SITE, SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE HEREIN.
12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW: (a) IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OPERATOR OR ITS AFFILIATES, OPERATORS, VOLUNTEERS, CONTRIBUTORS, LICENSORS, OR SERVICE PROVIDERS (COLLECTIVELY, THE "OPERATOR PARTIES") BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, OR FOR ANY LOSS ARISING FROM ANY DIGITAL ASSET OR INVESTMENT DECISION, OR FROM ANY SECURITY INCIDENT AFFECTING YOUR SYSTEMS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR ANY CONTENT, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT ANY OPERATOR PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES; AND (b) THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE OPERATOR PARTIES FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED UNITED STATES DOLLARS (US$100). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS, IN WHICH CASE THE FOREGOING SHALL APPLY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED.
13. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Operator Parties from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Site; (b) your Submissions; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.
14. Copyright Complaints
We respect intellectual property rights. If you believe Content infringes your copyright, send a notice to legal@freenode.net identifying the copyrighted work, the location of the allegedly infringing material, your contact information, a statement of your good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act on behalf of the owner. We will review and respond to compliant notices, which may include removal of the identified material.
15. Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site at any time, with or without cause or notice. Sections 4, 5, 6 (as to accrued rights), 8, 9, and 11 through 18 survive any termination.
16. Governing Law; Time Limit on Claims
These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to the Site shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Nation of Joseon, without regard to conflict of laws principles, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Nation of Joseon for the resolution of any such dispute. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES, OR BE FOREVER BARRED. Nothing in these Terms limits any right that cannot be limited under the mandatory law of your place of residence.
17. Miscellaneous
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and the Operator regarding the Site and supersede all prior understandings. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any provision shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such or any other provision. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them without restriction. No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship is created by these Terms or by your use of the Site.
18. Contact
Questions regarding these Terms may be directed to legal@freenode.net.