The most important rule here is to treat all other members with respect and remain civil at all times. Personal attacks, ridicule of opinions, "goading" of others, generally rude behaviour and abuse will simply not be tolerated.

1. Only one user registration is permitted per person. The creation of multiple user IDs may cause ALL existing IDs to be suspended. In addition, you must be a human in order to use your account! The use of bots or scripts to operate accounts on Gearspace is strictly prohibited.

2. Please only start threads ONCE and in the correct forum. Threads or posts cross-posted in multiple sub forums may ALL be deleted. In addition, please do not 'bump' multiple threads with the same response - pick the most appropriate place for your post and post it in one place only.

3. Please take care as to which subforum you are starting your thread in. Posting a thread in a forum which is obviously the wrong place (e.g., asking for help with a DAW installation in the Studio Acoustic forum) may cause your thread to be deleted.

4. Please stick to the topic at hand - off-topic posts will be deleted and you may be banned from threads and/or entire forums for repeat offenses. It is OK to be critical of a product but if you go on and on and on about it, especially if the topic isn’t related to your criticism then this will be considered “off-topic.”

5. Please do not alter any text appearing within the ‘[QUOTE]’ markers when you quote someone else’s message in reply. Doing so may lead to your being banned from the thread. You may delete/remove text from a quote that may be irrelevant to what you are responding to, but inserting new text, changing existing text or in any way 'altering context' may lead to your being banned from the thread.

6. Politics and religion are prohibited topics on Gearspace. This is an area where we take a zero-tolerance stance - please take your political and religious discussions elsewhere. The same applies for "serious social issues" which may turn into political or religious discussion.

7. We do not permit “producer or engineer so-and-so sucks” type threads. “Slagging off” others in the industry, especially established veterans is forbidden. In addition, you are not permitted to “bash” (comment negatively) about any artist, producer, engineer, genre or musical style. We take a zero-tolerance stance on this. You may discuss music, positively and (politely) negatively in the ‘All About The Music’ subforum, but ‘name-calling’ others in the industry is not allowed.

8. Anything that can be construed as “pro-piracy” (software and/or music) is not permitted. This includes request for “cracked” software, request for support for obviously “cracked” software, suggestion to use “cracked” software, copy protection circumvention discussion, and even naming products which you know to be “cracked” or where to find said “cracks.” As a member of the anti-piracy trade group IMSTA, Gearspace takes this subject very seriously - posts will be deleted and no warnings will be issued - you WILL receive infractions.

9. “Mac vs PC,” “Native or CPU vs DSP,” “Dongle vs Serial Number” and similar threads are strictly forbidden. In addition, “trolling” ‘Mac’ or ‘PC’ specific threads will not be tolerated (for example, if someone posts “what is the best PC for Pro Tools” please do not post “A Mac!”)

10. Please do not offer or link to for-sale or for-trade items or services in the forums. Posting "Kickstarters" or crowd-funders for music gear development and manufacture is only permitted in the New Product Alert - Coming Soon subforum under a strict set of rules. Please contact thepressdesk at gearspace dot com for assistance with that..

11. If you are a dealer/distributor/manufacturer/company rep of any kind for a pro audio, music or post-production related firm, please familiarise yourself with the rules that apply to you in our FAQ. As a reminder, anything that can be construed as posts which only exist to generate clicks/links or sales are absolutely prohibited. Also, if you post any sort of inter-company bickering, call for ‘halt of trade’ or air any other “dirty laundry” between another dealer/manufacturer and your company then you risk exclusion from the forum.

12. There is a ‘Deal Zone’ area (in the 'Marketplace') in which both users and approved advertisers can post links to special offers/"bargains" or group buys. Please post relevant information there - but please note that we do not allow the publication of “deals,” discount offers, “group buys” or similar in any other forums (this goes for anything posted by companies OR end users). Similarly, asking where you can find “the best deals” or the best price on items is also not permitted anywhere on Gearspace due to the fact that it only encourages shilling/dealer price wars and all-round problems. If you are unsure about any of this or are interested in more information on how this works please PM Whitecat or email [email protected] for more information.

13. Do not harrass or insult other members via the Private Messaging system or via the “E-mail User” proxy service we offer. Doing so may get your account banned permanently. Note that this includes sending unsolicited PMs of any kind... please be sure that you are sure the recipient wants to hear from you!

14. You may post grievances you are having with companies, dealers, etc - but you may not “call out” companies or people by name in your thread title. Please note we may edit or remove these threads/posts without warning. Please only post this type of thread if all other avenues of resolution are exhausted and a suitable amount of time has passed. For example, national/bank holidays, trade shows etc can influence shipping and communication time - be sure that you’ve taken everything into account first. If you have any doubts please contact a moderator first.

15. The Gearspace.com user base is comprised of people from all different backgrounds and skill levels - from people who just bought their first audio interface today to seasoned award-winning professionals who have forgotten more about their craft than some of us will ever know. Please allow “newbies” find their way without pressure and ridicule - we were all “noobs” once - and give them the help that they need where you can. By the same token, please respect that some of our “senior” and well-respected forum members did not get where they are today by knowing nothing. Please show appropriate respect, even when you disagree with them. If you are seen to be “driving away” more senior members it is likely your access will be restricted! Additionally, although this is an English-speaking forum and we require posts to be in English, please tolerate imperfect spelling and grammar from our non-native speaking members.

16. You may not post any private correspondence on the forums (this includes e-mails and/or private messages, and especially details of legal disputes and/or court papers received via the forum or elsewhere).

17. You may not “fish” (recruit) for users/readers for any other pro audio forum or blog. If you are caught doing this you risk account suspension and the URL will be added to our “censor” list.

18. You may not “fish” for “work”/offer to mix or master for free (or request similar) or ask for/offer any similar services in the open forums.

19. Please do not post ‘check out this mix!’ or ‘advice requested on my song!’ type posts in the open forums. There is a Work-In-Progress / Advice Requested subforum for this purpose. Posts of this type outside of that subforum will be deleted and warnings/infractions issued.

20. Please do not criticise the forum moderators/leaders on the open forums. Our moderators are volunteers who are trying to make the forum a better place in their spare time. If you have a problem with any of the moderation team or a suggestion on how they can perform their moderation duties better then please send a Private Message to Whitecat (the Community Manager) who will look into it, or alternatively you can post questions or concerns in the Forum Help & Suggestions member's sub forum.

21. Threats, abusive language, ‘NSFW’/inappropriate content/links and general “trolling” will not be tolerated.

22. Spam posts - if you stumble across a post which is obviously spam/generated by a spambot, please do not reply to the thread. Simply use the 'report' button and a moderator will take care of it. Spambots don't care what kind of sarcasm you write back at them - their sole goal is to populate search engine results with their garbage, so by replying to those posts you are probably making the problem worse.

23. Please keep your forum “signature” tasteful and as subtle as possible. Posts from users with annoyingly large, “rude” or complex signatures are more likely to be ignored by other members. Please also refrain from including anything political or religious in your signature, you will be asked to change it and may lose your "signature" privileges.

24. By the same token, please ensure that if you choose to use an 'Avatar' (the picture under your username) that it is in good taste, "SFW" and adheres to forum guidelines - no profanity or adult content is permitted. The same applies for any images linked or uploaded to posts you make or uploaded to your User Profile page.

25. Please ensure that you have sought permission from copyright holders to post any material which you do not necessarily have rights to - it is good form to do so, although excerpts of material used for 'educational purposes' [i.e., discussion/criticism] are generally permitted under 'fair dealing' in the UK and 'fair use' in the USA).

26. The community works best when its members self-police - please use the ‘Report’ button on posts in order to bring them to a moderator’s attention. You can use this for everything from spam reporting to abusive member conduct to even reporting posts that are obviously in the wrong place. Please do not abuse the ‘Report’ function (and it's most certainly not to be used simply because you disagree with another user). We rely on reported posts to help police the site so thanks in advance for your help!

27. Special note for the New Product Alert - when we receive "official" press releases from manufacturers/distributors/PR companies, we post these as The Press Desk. We will try to merge any "unofficial" announcements into "official" threads but this may not always be possible, and when we do, for both technical and accuracy-of-information reasons, The Press Desk post will always be set as the first one. Thanks for your understanding.

28. AI content - please see our AI Content policy here re: posting content generated by AI.

Please treat others like you would like to be treated - healthy arguments are absolutely welcome but if they get out of hand your forum access may be put at risk! Please note that you can “block” users via an ‘Ignore List’ - you can quickly do this via a drop-down menu under the user's name on any given post (click once and you'll see an 'Ignore User' function, and the list can be modified by clicking ‘User CP’ at the top and then ‘Edit Ignore List’ on the left side. Please use this feature if another user is causing you problems that cannot be solved by simply ignoring them yourself. Please also do not engage with anyone who is obviously "trolling" - any posts you make which 'quote' the "troll" may be permanently deleted without warning, even if they otherwise include valuable information. Use the Report button and the Ignore List instead!

Hopefully these rules are self-explanatory but if you are in doubt about anything, please contact a moderator first before posting and we’ll guide you down the right path.

Finally, please note these rules are subject to continual revision and update, and we recommend you check them out occasionally to stay up to date.

Thanks for hanging out at Gearspace!

If you do have a problem with a transaction that cannot be solved to your satisfaction via private communication then please contact classifieds (at) gearspace.com with details. Although our scope of intervention is limited, we would like to be informed of any issues.

LICENSE: By submitting any Classifieds listing, you hereby grant Gearspace.com LTD a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, no-charge, royalty-free worldwide license to use, reproduce, sub-license and distribute any images and/or text descriptions submitted as part of said listing for use in our Gear Database and in order to reproduce your ad to members around the world. Please ensure that any photos you use are your own and that you have full rights to grant this license before posting.

We are committed to fostering a safe and positive online environment for all our users and we fully acknowledge the UK Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) and its aim to regulate online speech and media to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We emphasise that our efforts represent a "best effort" attempt at compliance, given our circumstances as a small business. We have used Ofcom's published guidance, including the "Risk Assessment Guidance and Risk Profiles" (December 16, 2024), to inform our approach, and we will continue to monitor their publications for updates. We have reviewed and incorporated, as far as practicable given our resources, the measures detailed in Ofcom's Illegal Content Codes of Practice for user-to-user services (May 2024) into our online safety approach. We understand that implementing these recommended measures, to the extent that we are able, will be considered as compliance with the relevant duties under the OSA. We understand that implementing the recommended measures in the Codes will involve the processing of personal data. We are committed to taking a 'data protection by design and default' approach and will comply fully with data protection law, including guidance issued by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), when taking measures for the purpose of complying with our online safety duties under the Act.

Scope

This policy applies to all users of Gearspace.com. It covers our approach to:

Illegal Content: Content that violates UK law, as defined by the OSA, including the priority offences listed in the Act and detailed in subsequent Ofcom guidance (including the 17 categories of priority illegal content and other illegal content).

Community Guidelines: Our Forum Rules and Terms Of Use

User Conduct: The behavior of users on our platform.

Principles

Our online safety approach is guided by the following principles:

User Safety: We prioritise the safety and well-being of our users.

Proportionality: We will take actions that are proportionate to the risk of harm, considering the nature of our forum, our user base, and our limited resources. We will focus our efforts on addressing the most serious risks and harms, particularly those involving illegal content and content prioritised by Ofcom.

Transparency: We will be as transparent as possible about our online safety practices, the challenges we face, the limitations of our resources, and the difficult choices we have to make in attempting to comply with the OSA. We will clearly communicate our processes and limitations to our users.

Fairness: We will strive to treat all users and complaints fairly and impartially, recognizing that our capacity for investigation and detailed review is severely limited.

Efficiency: We will address safety issues as efficiently as our small staff and volunteer capacity allows. We must prioritise issues based on their severity, potential impact, and the likelihood of causing significant harm, as outlined by Ofcom's guidance.

Accountability: We are accountable for our online safety efforts and will regularly review our practices. These reviews will be limited in scope but informed by Ofcom's guidance.

Good Faith Compliance: We are committed to making a good faith effort to comply with the OSA within our significant limitations as a relatively small platform. We will document our efforts and decisions to demonstrate this commitment, using Ofcom's resources as a guide.

We understand that the OSA imposes several duties on online services, including "user-to-user services" like our forum. These duties include, but are not limited to:

Risk Assessments

Children's Access Assessment: Assessing whether children are likely to access our forum. We will use Ofcom's guidance to inform this assessment and document our decision-making process.

Duties Regarding Illegal Content

Taking proportionate steps to mitigate and manage the risks identified in our illegal content risk assessment, we will focus on the most serious and prevalent illegal content due to our resource constraints, and we will prioritise our actions based on the likelihood and severity of harm, using Ofcom's codes of practice to guide our choices.

Operating a complaints procedure that allows for reporting of illegal content.

Swiftly removing illegal content upon becoming aware of it, to the best of our ability given our limited resources and the need to prioritise the most serious cases, as guided by Ofcom's recommendations.

Complaint (Content Reporting) Process

How to Submit a Complain/Report Illegal Content:

"Report" Button: This is the primary and most efficient method for reporting content or users. Use the "Report" button located on each post, private message, or user profile. When reporting content within the scope of the OSA, you must:

Provide a detailed reason for your report.

Specify the nature of the issue, clearly indicating whether you believe the content or behavior is illegal under the OSA, harmful (and if so, to whom), or a violation of our community guidelines.

Reference specific OSA provisions where possible: either our own guidelines/rules or Ofcom guidance (including the Codes of Practice). This will assist our volunteer moderators in assessing the complaint. Use Ofcom's published resources to help identify the relevant provisions.

Indicate the urgency of the matter if you believe it involves an imminent threat to life or serious illegal activity.

Email: You may send an email to osa AT gearspace DOT com. This method may have significantly slower response times due to our volunteer capacity. Use this method only when the "Report" button is not applicable/available or when you need to provide extensive documentation.

Private Message: Contact a senior moderator directly via private message (Click here to send a message ). This method may have slow response times due to availability/time zones and should be reserved for urgent matters or when other methods are not suitable. We cannot guarantee a timely response via this method.

We will prioritise complaints that involve potential violations of the OSA, especially those related to priority offenses or serious harm, and align with the measures outlined in Ofcom's Codes of Practice.

5.2 Information to Include in Your Post Report/Complaint:

When submitting a post report/complaint, please provide as much of the following information as possible:

Link: A direct link to the specific content (post, message, profile) you are reporting.

Username: The username of the user who posted the content or exhibited the behavior.

Description: A clear and detailed description of the content or behavior you are reporting. Explain why you believe it is illegal under the OSA, harmful (and to whom), or a violation of our community guidelines. Be specific about the type of illegal or harmful content you are reporting (e.g., CSAM, terrorist content, content promoting self-harm, hate speech). Reference specific sections of the OSA, Ofcom's guidance (including their codes of practice), or our community guidelines where applicable.

Evidence: Provide screenshots or other supporting evidence, if possible and relevant. Note that screenshots are not available via Private Messaging or the Post Report button - please use email if you need to include any attachments.

Your Details (Optional): Your username and email address (if you wish to receive updates). Providing contact information helps us to follow up if we need more information. However, we understand if you wish to remain anonymous. Note that anonymous reports may be more difficult to fully investigate.

Urgency: If you believe the matter involves an imminent threat to life or serious illegal activity, clearly state this in your report and mark it as "URGENT."

Complaint/Content Report Handling

Acknowledgment: Due to our limited resources, we cannot guarantee acknowledgment of all complaints. We will prioritise acknowledging complaints that appear to involve serious illegal content, particularly "priority offences" under the OSA, or content that poses an immediate threat to a user's safety.

Initial Assessment: A moderator will review the complaint to determine:

Whether the reported content or behavior falls within the scope of this procedure and whether the complaint aligns with the recommended measures in Ofcom's Codes of Practice, especially regarding reporting and complaint procedures.

The urgency and severity of the issue, prioritizing illegal content, content harmful to children, and content posing an immediate threat. We will use Ofcom's guidance to help us assess the severity of the reported content.

Whether the complaint provides sufficient information for our limited investigation.

Whether the complaint relates to a potential breach of our Terms of Service by another user or by us.

Investigation (Extremely Limited): Our investigation will be strictly limited to reviewing the reported content, the user's recent activity on the forum, and any evidence provided and whether or not it falls within the scope of the OSA. We do not have dedicated investigative resources, legal expertise, or advanced technical tools. We will primarily rely on the information provided in the complaint and our own limited observations. We may not be able to conduct in-depth investigations in all cases.

Decision and Action (Limited Options): Based on the investigation, our moderators will decide on the appropriate action within their capacity. Possible actions include:

No Action:

If the content/behavior does not violate UK law, our community guidelines/forum rules, or pose a significant risk of harm based on our assessment.

If we lack the capacity or expertise to make a definitive determination within a reasonable timeframe.

If the complaint is deemed to be vexatious or without merit.

Warning (Infraction):

Issuing a formal warning or a "point infraction" to the user responsible for the content or behaviour (3 points means the account will automatically be suspended).

Content Removal: Removing or editing the reported content if it violates our guidelines or is deemed illegal under the OSA.

Account Suspension: Temporarily or permanently suspending the user's account, particularly in cases of repeated or serious violations.

Reporting to Authorities: Reporting content or activity to the appropriate authorities (e.g., police, NCA, CEOP, IWF) if we believe it to be illegal under the OSA, particularly in cases of CSAM, terrorist content, or content posing an imminent threat to life or safety. We will prioritise reporting the most serious illegal content as required by law and our ethical obligations, and we will follow Ofcom's guidance on reporting to authorities.

Communication:

We will only be able to inform you of the outcome of your complaint if:

You provided contact information.

The outcome directly affects you (e.g., you were the target of harassment).

We have the resources to do so.

We will not disclose specific actions taken against other users due to privacy concerns, resource constraints, and potential legal implications.

Appeals (Very Limited): If you disagree with the outcome of your complaint regarding content moderation, you can appeal by contacting the forum administrators via our technical support channels by email at [email protected]. Appeals will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, and only if the appeal is made about content that we have taken a decision on (i.e., it is not an appeal made in relation to a complaint about our alleged failure to uphold our terms of service), and when resources permit, due to severe resource limitations. Appeals are not available for complaints regarding our alleged failure to uphold our terms of service.

User Redress Mechanisms

Internal Redress for Content Moderation Decisions

If you believe your content was wrongly removed under the OSA or your account wrongly suspended, you may request a review by contacting support AT gearspace DOT com.

Due to our limited resources, we can only offer a basic review based on the information available to us.

We aim to respond to redress requests within 30 days but this may not always be possible.

Complaints About Our Enforcement of Terms of Service

If you believe we have failed to uphold our own Terms of Use in a way that has significantly impacted you, you may submit a complaint to support AT gearspace DOT com. Your complaint should clearly state:

The specific provision of the Terms of Service you believe we have violated.

How this alleged violation has affected you.

The outcome you are seeking.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days if contact information is provided and resources permit.

We will investigate your complaint to the best of our ability, given our limited resources, and aim to provide a response within 30 days, in line with the timeframes outlined in Ofcom's Codes of Practice where applicable. However, due to our volunteer capacity, delays may occur.

Limitations: Our capacity to investigate and resolve such complaints is severely limited. We may not be able to provide detailed explanations for our decisions or offer remedies beyond those available through our standard content moderation process.

Please note that you may be required to submit proof of your identity and UK residency in order for us to investigate some complaints.

While we hope to resolve issues internally, we acknowledge that you may wish to seek external recourse. You may consider reporting your concerns to relevant authorities or organisations, such as:

Ofcom: As the regulator for online safety, Ofcom may investigate complaints about systemic non-compliance with the OSA by online services. However, Ofcom does not typically handle individual content moderation disputes.

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF): For reporting illegal online content, particularly child sexual abuse material.

National Crime Agency (NCA)/CEOP: For reporting online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Police: For reporting other illegal online activities.

Please note: We cannot guarantee the outcome of any external complaints or investigations but we will cooperate fully with regulatory or enforcement authorities where possible.

Record Keeping

We maintain internal records of:

All complaints received, including details and actions taken.

Risk assessments conducted and their outcomes.

Actions taken in response to illegal content reports.

These records are kept securely and are accessible for review as required by the OSA and data protection regulations.

Our full risk assessment and/or other records are available to Ofcom officials at any time - please use the email contact information below to file a request.

Contact Us

For questions or concerns about this OSA policy or our online safety practices, please contact us at:

Email: osa AT gearspace DOT com

Send a Private Message

We strive to respond to all inquiries as promptly as possible.

Red Cross - Unicef - DEC

In line with our “no politics” policy we will be deleting any posts or threads about the conflict going forward, even if they are quasi-gear related. GS is simply not the place for it. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.