Should a user or channel engage in illegal activity (ie, activity that violates US Federal or State Law) or encourage it we will remove the users or channels in question from Singles-chat. In fact, if we have reason to think that a user or channel tends toward or conduces to illegal activity we will take action (which might range from chatting with the people in question to killing the connection or seeking prosecution). Adding to this the Internet service provider (ISP) of any person banned from this server for the above mentioned reasons will be sent email with a log and a time stamp of said incident seeking termination of their services under their ISP's acceptable use policy. This is done in part to safeguard the environment on Singles-chat and in part to protect the sysadmins and machine owners on Singles-chat from legal problems that could stem from tolerating illegal activity on Singles-chat. When it comes to illegal activity or the likelihood of illegal activity, we will act first and sort things out later.
Policy regarding free speech and the restriction of expression:
To be straight forward cussing on this server will get you banned. Singles-chat has no quarrel with freedom of expression and we support freedom of expression as it has been traditionally understood. Freedom of expression has never meant that a person could use language however she or he saw fit. Freedom of expression was defended on the grounds that rational discourse paid off immensely with respect to education, politics, and personal growth. However language as a tool can serve more than just this purpose. Language can be used in many ways, including as a tool to hurt others.
Traditionally even the most liberal societies have not supported the freedom of expression in this form. Note, for example the long history of legislation forbidding slander and libel. Language can also be used to harm by means of threats, epithets and harassment. Again, such uses of language and expression have traditionally been proscribed and with good reason: None of the benefits of rational discourse accrue in such cases and many harms are generated. Any *public* expression on Singles-chat of this sort (including expression linked to illegal activity) will lead Singles-chat administrators to put an end to such expression by whatever means necessary. Note that by "public" we mean expression that users could not avoid (in /list, via /msg, nicks, user names, or chat on channels, for example). To a large extent channels can define the range of expression that is acceptable, however harassment will not be tolerated anywhere on the server.
There is, however, recognition that speech has to be protected from government censorship or control, etc. That for a democracy to work people must be allowed to express themselves. And that if we respect individuals as human beings people must be allowed to say what they mean. This is not a license to say anything anywhere, however.