1. Do you have a public policy somewhere that defines this? For instance, how would a user or Epik know when a line has been crossed?
Epik terms of service are in the footer of our home page. The contracts do need an update, and revising them is an ongoing project. You'll see that the TOS allow Epik to act in a variety of cases, though the decision to act remains Epik's option. Generally speaking, Epik's stated position is to allow legal content. That is a goal or a value. In practice, there are borderline cases where Epik has taken action. (See #2 below.)
Generally speaking, registrars do not police content of websites. And it is a slippery slope if we begin doing so. When abuse is reported, we investigate. But sometimes it's not the registrar's role to shut a site down. Valid abuse complaints often involve such issues as phishing, spam, etc. Trademark disputes are decided by mechanisms like the UDRP. In some cases where illegal activity is alleged, we are not in a position to evaluate whether a law has been broken. So we encourage a complainant to seek a finding from some law enforcement authority that will enable us to take action.
Allowing legal content means allowing content we disagree with and disapprove of. So the criterion Epik tries to follow is legality. In practice, at any registrar, it's a question of judgment. Epik's TOS allow us to act based on infractions that are not themselves illegal. But we tend to apply those clauses in really egregious cases. And by "egregious", I don't just mean offensive content.
2. Would Epik allow, for instance, the explicit discussion of child pornography? Rape? Any other kinds of abuse? Where maybe actual pictures or videos are not involved but members openly discuss grooming, maybe fantasy stories, etc?
No, that is not allowed. Epik has banned domains with websites that encourage rape. That case has actually arisen. Rob and I discussed it, and we took action. Cases involving child pornography have not arisen at Epik in my experience, but I can say that Epik would act to shut that down without hesitation.
3. Would Epic allow the explicit discussion, website, content, etc from groups such Antifa?
Yes. In fact:
Yes, please. Rob and I have discussed Antifa explicitly. I said that it would help separate the issue of free speech from right-wing politics if we had an equal number of radical left-wing websites with domains registered at Epik. I mentioned Antifa specifically, and Rob said they'd be welcome at Epik.
That invitation did not surprise me in the least, and I fully expected Rob to say that. Even though conservatives like Rob disapprove of Antifa (and I probably do too as a tolerant progressive), Epik's free-speech position is not a sham. It is a sincere position, shared by Rob and me even though our personal politics are very different. My statements on the subject predate my joining Epik, and I could provide links.
Epik has had a very consistent stance about free speech and registrant rights. By that, I mean a registrar's responsibility to insist on due process from any complainant – to not ban a domain merely based on negative public pressure.
This arises more often than you might think, and it's generally not about politics at all. For example, pharmaceutical lobbyists often demand that domains be suspended. When I suggested filing a UDRP, which is the ICANN-sanctioned mechanism for resolving trademark disputes, they resorted to a smear campaign to put pressure on Epik. But, unlike other registrars, Epik stood up to the lobbyists rather than banning domains. And that's not because we want to protect online pharmacies. In fact, Rob and I have complained about such customers because they cause us to waste so much time. And I have gone out of my way to emphasize the UDRP route to complainants in cases of clear abuse.
4. What about the same as above but with an LGBT related group?
Of course. Personally I am politically left-wing and socially progressive. So this is an easy Yes. But I also know Rob well enough to speak for him here. Frankly, I'd be shocked if Epik didn't already have such websites based at Epik. I know we have domains about LGBT topics. How many are developed websites, I'm not sure. I personally have owned a variety of LGBT-themed domains as a domainer, though I happne to be heterosexual. And a large part of my portfolio is at Epik.
Rob told me the other day he was hosting a gay couple in his home. After all, even though Rob is a conservative christian whose beliefs are incompatible with homosexuality, he is a tolerant person – very much in the tradition of real christianity.
It's astonishing how often I have seen Rob mocked because he expresses a wish to evangelize and convert even right-wing extremists toward more moderate views. People say, "Sure, he's just providing cover for white supremacists and neo-Nazis!" But maybe those cynics – many of whom are secular progressives – have never met a real christian. Rob's not perfect, but is a real christian. And that means evangelism, preaching to the sinners. It implies receiving the worst person with welcome, giving them a chance to change.
Believe it or not, that has a lot to do with Rob's decision to allow Gab.com to be transferred to Epik and also his involvement with Gab. Some will say – and I understand the cynicism, though (knowing Rob) I don't share it – that Rob is naïve or insincere in saying that he hopes and thinks that Gab will take more responsibility for policing its members. Christianity of the variety Rob espouses requires a certain amount of unjustifiable hope or faith in another person's ameliorability, their innate goodness or capacity for change.
Personally I have stayed away from Gab.com because I was dismayed by the amount of overtly antisemitic content I saw there. I'm not a christian, and I have neither the moral obligation (as Rob may feel he has) nor the time to preach to the more virulent sinners in that forum.
You don't need to think Rob is noble. I'm just saying this is complicated.
