Warnings, points, bans and how to appeal
Understand what a warning does, how points add up to a suspension, where to see your standing, and how to appeal a decision.
- Applies to
- The site
- Last checked
When you break a rule, a moderator can give you a warning. A warning says which rule and why, can add warning points, and can carry a punishment. Every decision that takes something from you can be appealed once, from Appeals.
What a warning can do
| Punishment | What it blocks |
|---|---|
| None | Nothing. You read the warning and carry on. |
| Comments paused | Commenting and replying, until a set time |
| Uploads paused | New mods, versions, files, screenshots and gallery albums, until a set time |
| Suspension | The whole account, until a set time |
| Permanent ban | The whole account |
Two punishments of the same kind don't add up. The one that ends last applies.
Reading a warning
The next page you open after a warning is the warning itself, with its message, its points and any punishment. You have to choose "I've read this warning" before you can use the rest of the site. Acknowledging a warning isn't agreeing with it.
How points work
Points count from the day of the warning until they expire, unless the warning is revoked. When your active points reach a threshold, a suspension follows by itself.
| Active points | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10 | 7-day suspension |
| 20 | 30-day suspension |
| 30 | 90-day suspension |
A threshold never issues a permanent ban. That is always an admin's decision.
Where to see your standing
Account standing shows your active points, any restrictions and when they end, every warning you've had, and the thresholds. A warning that can still be appealed has an "Appeal this" link.
If you're suspended or banned
You can still sign in. Signing in takes you to a page that shows your own suspension or ban, the reason, when it ends, and the appeal form. No other page opens until it's over. When a suspension ends, you acknowledge it once and you're back in.
What you can appeal, and until when
| Decision | Window |
|---|---|
| A rejected version | 30 days from the decision |
| A removed mod | 30 days |
| A warning, including paused comments or uploads | 30 days from the warning |
| A suspension | While it runs |
| A permanent ban | 60 days from the ban |
How to appeal
- Open Appeals, or follow "Appeal this" from Account standing. If you're banned, use the form on the page you land on.
- Find the decision and say why it was wrong, in up to 1,000 characters, with up to 3 links.
- Send it. Your appeals and their answers are listed on the same page.
You get one appeal for each decision, one open at a time, and three in any 90 days. While your account is locked, you can appeal the ban and nothing else.
Who decides, and what can happen
Someone other than the moderator who made the decision reads it. An admin reads appeals of a permanent ban. You get a notification with the outcome and the reason:
- Upheld. The decision stands.
- Overturned. The decision is reversed. A warning is revoked, so its points stop counting and its punishment ends at once.
- Partly overturned. A punishment is shortened or points are lowered. They are never raised.