Terms of Use
Date of last modification: 2026-01-31
Terms of Use version: 1.5
Core Values
frei.chat is a private communication service based on universal human rights, freedom, diversity, and mutual respect.
Account Eligibility
This server is intended for adult users only. By using this service, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.
Rules
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Be respectful towards other users.
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No hate speech, discrimination, or dehumanizing language.
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No harassment, targeted abuse, or incitement against individuals or groups.
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No pornography or sexually explicit content.
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No doxxing or sharing personal data of others without consent.
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No illegal content or copyright-infringing content.
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No offensive or graphic content intended to shock or intimidate.
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No malicious links, malware, or phishing.
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No spam, flooding, or disruptive behavior.
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No abuse of the service (e.g., excessive automated traffic or Matrix API abuse).
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Follow additional rules or guidelines issued by moderators/administrators for safety and orderly operation.
Prohibited Content and Self-Presentation
Content, statements, or forms of self-presentation that demean, exclude, or dehumanize individuals or groups based on origin, nationality, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics are not permitted on frei.chat.
This explicitly includes racist, antisemitic, queer-phobic, as well as right-wing and far-right ideologies.
Preventive Exclusion
The operator reserves the right to restrict or terminate access if publicly visible indications — such as user names, room names, profile information, avatars, or other forms of self-presentation visible on frei.chat — suggest that these core values are not shared or that right-wing or other dehumanizing ideologies are supported, glorified, or relativized.
Such measures may be taken even if no specific violation of the rules has yet occurred within frei.chat.
Federated Environment (Matrix)
Matrix is a federated communication network. As a result, names, room metadata, and profile information may originate from external or federated servers but still be visible on frei.chat. The rules and moderation policies above apply to such publicly visible metadata insofar as it is visible on frei.chat.
Enforcement
Enforcement measures may include the removal of content, temporary restrictions, or permanent exclusion from the service. There is no entitlement to use frei.chat.
Media Retention – Bridged Services
While media content on frei.chat is generally retained for up to 30 days, exceptions may apply to media originating from bridged services. Due to technical and resource considerations, large media files received via Telegram bridges may be subject to shorter retention periods (e.g., up to 7 days).
Account Inactivity and Automated Deactivation
To ensure the secure, reliable, and resource-conscious operation of frei.chat, local user accounts may be subject to an automated inactivity lifecycle.
For this process, the following categories are distinguished:
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A never-active account is an account for which no qualifying user activity has ever been recorded since the account was created. Under the currently applicable configuration, such an account may enter the inactivity process once it is at least 30 days old.
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An inactive account is an account for which qualifying user activity has previously been recorded, but whose most recently recorded qualifying activity occurred at least 180 days ago.
Qualifying user activity generally means authenticated use of the account recorded by the homeserver. Where technically identifiable, activity generated solely by bridge services, bots, service accounts, or other automated processes is not treated as activity by the account holder. Message contents are not inspected for this purpose.
When an account meets the inactivity criteria, frei.chat may start an automated notification process:
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An initial notification is sent to the email address associated with the account.
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The 30-day notice period begins only after the initial notification has been successfully accepted for delivery.
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Further reminders may be sent during the notice period, currently on days 14, 23, and 29.
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Qualifying activity before the deadline automatically cancels the current deactivation process.
If the account remains eligible after the notice period and a final live verification, it may be automatically deactivated with an erasure request. Deactivation removes the ability to log in and may remove access tokens, devices, encryption keys, profile information, third-party identifiers, room memberships, and other account data. Deactivation is intended to be permanent, and reactivation cannot be guaranteed.
Due to the federated nature of Matrix, account deactivation and erasure do not necessarily remove all previously sent messages or events. Copies already available to room participants, bridges, or federated Matrix servers may remain accessible. The Matrix user identifier may also remain in historical room events where this is technically necessary to preserve room history.
Automatic deactivation will not take place if the required checks cannot be completed reliably, if the initial notification cannot be successfully delivered, or while a timely request for manual review is pending.
Users are responsible for maintaining a valid email address and for exporting any data they wish to retain before the stated deadline.
Changes to the inactivity periods or the material consequences of this process will be published before they apply and will not shorten an already running notice period.
Appeals
If you believe a moderation or exclusion decision was made in error, you may contact the operator team once via the designated contact channel. Appeals will be reviewed, but there is no guarantee of reversal. Repeated or abusive requests may be ignored.
History
| Date |
Version |
Changes |
| 2026-08-03 | 1.6 |
Added definitions and procedures for unused and inactive accounts, automated notifications, manual review, and account deactivation. |
| 2026-01-31 | 1.5 | Media Retention for Bridged Services |
| 2026-01-30 | 1.4 | Added and clarified sections on core values, prohibited right-wing extremist content, and preventive moderation and exclusion based on publicly visible self-presentations, including federated Matrix environments. |
| 2026-01-03 | 1.3 |
|
| 2024-08-08 |
1.2 |
|
| 2024-07-17 |
1.1 |
|
| 2024-01-14 |
1.0 |
|
| 2023-03-26 |
1.0 |
|