Welcome to the SophosFreeTalk user-to-user communities ("SophosFreeTalk"), and thank you for your interest and for any contributions you make.
Important notices:
Using Your Best Judgment
Because the forums are public and open, visitors should always use their best judgment as to whether to accept any advice given.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE SOPHOSFREETALK FORUMS ARE AT ALL TIMES THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS, AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF SOPHOS. See clause 4, below, for a list of disclaimers and limitations.
Abusive Content
Sophos encourages the sharing of constructive advice and criticism and the forums are therefore as open and free from content control as possible. Nevertheless, Sophos reserves the right to remove abusive content (as defined below in clause 4) and/or to impose sanctions against visitors posting such content.
1. WHY ARE THERE TERMS AND CONDITIONS?
The SophosFreeTalk forums are provided to enable visitors to exchange knowledge, comments, suggestions and requests about Sophos tools, about platform technologies, and about computer and data security in general. Anyone can read the forums but if you want to post content you must go through a lightweight registration process. We've provided these terms and conditions for users who register and contribute content to SophosFreeTalk.
The terms and conditions explain the rules of acceptable behaviour and what may be contributed and what not. They also explain the role of the forum moderators. The SophosFreeTalk usage best practices post presents some recommendations as to the most effective ways of using the forums.
By registering as a member of the SophosFreeTalk communities, you agree to abide by both the Sophos website terms and conditions and these guidelines. In return, Sophos commits to abide by the terms of the Sophos privacy policy.
Sophos will attempt to identify content that, if followed literally, could cause damage to third parties. Where such content is found, Sophos reserves the right to remove or correct it, but offers no guarantee that all such content will always be identified and removed.
2. WHO MAY USE THE FORUMS?
Anyone may read the SophosFreeTalk forums, whether or not they are already a Sophos customer or affiliate. Writing to the forums is open to all visitors who register. Registered visitors may then post questions or comments, and rank the contribution of others. The registration procedure is explained in the Why should I register FAQ post. The use that Sophos may make of the registration information provided is explained in the Sophos privacy policy.
In some cases, Sophos employees or affiliates will contribute to the discussions. Sophos contributors are clearly identified by the 
icon. Sophos business partners are also identified, by the 
icon, and by the contact details included in their signatures. Similarly, moderators and system administrators are identified by their own icons. These forum users are all required to abide by the terms and conditions set out here.
3. WHAT CAN YOU POST ON THE SOPHOSFREETALK FORUMS?
You can use the SophosFreeTalk forums for any sort of communication with other visitors, including asking or giving advice on a technical issue, suggesting a new product feature, suggesting an improvement to these forums, and so on.
4. PROHIBITED INFORMATION AND RESTRICTIONS
SOPHOS DOES NOT HAVE ANY DUTY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK OR EDIT INFORMATION THAT YOU PROVIDE TO THIS SITE.
You shall therefore not post or otherwise provide any information that is unlawful or Sophos may regard to be inaccurate, false, fraudulent, obscene, offensive, defamatory or otherwise objectionable ("Prohibited Information").
Should it come to Sophos's attention that such Prohibited Information has in fact been provided by you, then Sophos reserves the right to remove such Prohibited Information and/or revoke your ability to post or provide further information.
Postings that may be considered abusive have no valid role in the SophosFreeTalk Forums. Sophos therefore reserves the right to issue warnings, restrict access to content or features, and/or ban forum users completely. Postings containing any amount of abusive content or that violate any of the restrictions stated below will generally be removed in their entirety. The decisions of forum moderators are final.
Sophos relies on the help of forum visitors to spot abusive content. Any visitor may alert the moderators to offensive material as explained in the inappropriate content FAQ post. Abuse of the alert system may also be grounds for a warning or for banning from future access.
Abusive Content
Without limitation, the following list of items may reasonably be considered 'abusive' and postings containing such items are strictly prohibited:
- Profanity (including sexual or blasphemous swear words). Please note that whilst substituting asterisks (or similar) for words may get past the SophosFreeTalk in-built profanity filter, the moderators will still understand, and remove or edit the posting.
- Hateful language directed to (but not limited to) the following subject matter: race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, disability, religion and/or political beliefs.
- Obscene or pornographic imagery or other offensive materials, irrespective of format or form (including links).
- Personal attacks on other visitors, Sophos employees and/or affiliates or moderators.
- Personal or otherwise (including commercially) sensitive information about Sophos, its employees and affiliates, or other forum visitors that may have been obtained through other channels (meetings, phone calls, emails, and so on). This includes personal details as well as details of pricing, discounts, margins, product availability and product roadmaps.
- Trolling or other forms of discussion disruption. This includes postings with inflammatory content or titles, prolonged argument over moderator decisions, returning to discussions deemed closed, and so on, at the discretion of the site moderators.
- Vendetta postings, whether directed against forum visitors, or Sophos, its employees and affiliates. Comment directed at Sophos's competitors is expected to be expressed in a reasonable and lawful fashion. While it is acceptable to express disagreement over the direction taken by Sophos policies, products, services and/or procedures, use of the forums to incite such group actions as commercial boycotting, legal action or disruptive use of support channels is not. Sophos reserves the right to remove such content, to issue warnings and/or to ban users from further access in such cases.
- Incitement to engage in, or encouragement of, any of the above.
Restrictions (including without limitation):
- You shall not use this SophosFreeTalk Forums Applications to spam, send unsolicited e-mail, or conceal the identity of an e-mail sender. Further, you shall not use this SophosFreeTalk Forums as a service bureau or for the benefit of any third party other than as provided for herein, whether on a paid or unpaid basis.
- You shall not store, distribute or transmit through the SophosFreeTalk Forums any material that is illegal, unlawful or otherwise unethical including but not limited to postings that could lead to soliciting or offering passwords, financial details, and/or details of how to subvert security systems.
- You agree to fully comply with all provisions of applicable data protection and privacy legislation.
- You shall not post any material that infringes any intellectual property rights (including but not limited to the following: copyright, trademarks, patent information, know-how, database rights, design rights and/or confidential information), and will not allow or authorize anyone to do any of the foregoing.
- You shall not to disclose or solicit the private information of any person, and you agree that you are fully responsible and liable for the use by third parties of any personal information that you disclose (whether or not such disclosure was permitted).
- Soliciting the purchase or sale of items related or unrelated to Sophos products, services or related technologies, is not acceptable.
5. INDEMNITY
You shall fully and effectively indemnify Sophos and any of its licensors for any claim or action that may arise as a result of your breach of Clause 4 (Prohibited Information and Restrictions) including but not limited to: posting abusive material, breaching Intellectual Property rights, disclosure of personally or commercially sensitive information and/or solicitation for or use such material.
6. MULTIPLE IDS
The use of multiple IDs (email addresses) within the forums is discouraged. Multiple IDs can be used to give a false impression of how widely an opinion is held within the community. Use of a single, consistent ID also allows the forum system to build a user's online reputation.
7. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
THE INFORMATION ON THIS SITE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' AND IN NO EVENT WILL SOPHOS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND (EXCEPT PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH RESULTING FROM SOPHOS'S NEGLIGENCE) ARISING FROM YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE INFORMATION, OR FROM FAULTS OR DEFECTS IN THE INFORMATION CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE.
Sophos shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damage, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, arising out of any use of the Information.
Sophos gives no warranties, representations, conditions, undertakings or other obligations, whether express or implied by common law, trade usage, course of dealing or otherwise including any implied warranties of satisfactory quality or fitness for a particular purpose or any warranty that the Information will be complete or error-free or that such errors will be corrected are given, all of which are hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and the courts of England shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction to determine any dispute arising hereunder.
