vpvd Discussion Rules

The Russian version (/rules) is the primary one; this translation is provided for non-Russian readers.

Revision of 15 October 2026.

vpvd is a place to argue about what you have read. You can argue hard, but about the subject, not the person. The rules are short, and we try to apply them equally to everyone.

Swearing by itself is not a violation, but the classifier may collapse a comment with swearing behind a placeholder, so only those who expand it will see it.

• at most 500 characters, only as a reply in the thread, without nesting;
• no links, phone numbers or @-mentions;
• before sending, the browser solves a small computational puzzle: almost unnoticeable for a person and expensive for a bot farm;
• if the classifier considers the text likely spam or abuse, the anonymous comment is not published at all;
• an anonymous user can file reports, but their report weighs 10 times less than one from an account.

• We never rewrite anyone's text. Neither moderators nor the system edit a comment, paraphrase it on the author's behalf or "soften" it. If an explanation is needed, it appears next to the original as a separate system note.
• Collapse for low rating. A comment the community has downvoted to −5 is collapsed. It can be expanded with one click.
• Hide behind a placeholder. A comment the classifier or a moderator has found to be a violation is replaced for readers with a "hidden by moderation" placeholder. Only the author sees the text, together with a note that the comment is hidden. Replies under a hidden comment stay in place. The text is not deleted: if the decision is reversed, the comment comes back as it was.
• Cool down. For repeated violations a moderator can turn off an account's ability to post for 1 hour to 30 days. This is not a ban: you can still read and vote, and the duration and reason are shown when you try to post.
• Reset inflated votes. If the system finds a group of accounts voting for each other, the weight of their votes is set to zero. A moderator reviews this and can restore it.
• No shadow bans. If a measure is applied to your comment or account, you know about it.

Every decision is recorded with its author (moderator or system) and reason. Any decision can be reversed.

Automated decisions. Two decisions are taken by the system without a human: a poll question that collects reports above the hide_at threshold is hidden behind a placeholder, and an anonymous comment that the classifier considers likely spam or abuse is not published at all. Everything else goes to the moderation queue, and a human decides on every permanent comment. Each automated decision can be reviewed: a hidden question is restored by a moderator (write to abuse@vpvd.io with a link to the thread), a rejected anonymous comment can be sent again (once you sign in it is treated as an ordinary one), and a collapse for low rating is lifted by votes. You receive the decision together with the reason: what was violated, which measure, for how long or indefinitely, and whether the decision was automated (a statement of reasons, Article 17 DSA).

1. Choose a reason: spam, insult, threat, unlawful content, other people's personal data, other.
2. If needed, add an explanation of up to 1000 characters.
3. The report goes into the moderation queue. By itself it hides nothing: several reports move the case up the queue, and a moderator makes the decision.

One account's report on one comment is counted once.

If an anonymous comment is reported, a copy of its text is kept in the case even after the comment itself disappears after 30 minutes.

Reports that cannot be sent with the button (a rights holder's claim, a request from a public authority, a notice of illegal content) should be sent to abuse@vpvd.io. For us to review it, the message must contain:

• the address of the page with the thread and a link to the comment (or its exact place on the page);
• why the content is illegal, with a reference to the legal provision;
• your name and an email address for the reply;
• a statement that the information is accurate and complete and that you act on your own behalf or on behalf of the rights holder with authority.

We may decline to review a notice without these fields and will tell you so. abuse@vpvd.io is also the point of contact for users and EU authorities under Articles 11–12 DSA; working languages are Russian and English.

• threats, other people's personal data, unlawful content: reviewed within 24 hours;
• other reports: within 3 business days;
• appeals against moderation decisions: within 7 business days.

The outcome of a report is not disclosed to the reporter in detail: you will see whether the comment is hidden or stays.

This is the internal complaint-handling procedure under Article 20 DSA: a human reviews it, and we answer within 7 business days with the grounds. A micro-enterprise is not required to run such a procedure, but we do. Out-of-court dispute settlement (Article 21 DSA): you may turn to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body, and this does not take away your right to go to court.