Content Moderation Policy

This Content Moderation Policy ("Policy") explains how OrbitSub, a sole proprietorship owned and operated by Karan in New Delhi, India, and registered as a micro enterprise under the Udyam (MSME) scheme of the Government of India ("OrbitSub", "we", "us", or "our") enforces our Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, AI Use Policy, and Copyright Policy. This Policy forms an integral part of our Terms of Service and is designed to comply with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ("IT Rules") and international platform governance standards (including the transparency and due-process principles of the EU Digital Services Act).

1. Core Moderation Principles

1. Safety & Legal Compliance: We act swiftly to remove unlawful content, protect minors, prevent real-world harm, and uphold statutory intermediary obligations.
2. Academic & Research Context: Scholarly work frequently engages with complex, controversial, clinical, historical, or sensitive themes. When evaluating reported content, we distinguish between good-faith academic inquiry and malicious, abusive, or harmful conduct.
3. Proportionality & Graduated Action: Except in cases of severe or unlawful violations, we prefer proportionate interventions that educate users and preserve legitimate research work.
4. Transparency & Due Process: Whenever we restrict content or an Account, we provide a clear notice explaining what action was taken, the rule or law breached, and how to appeal.
5. Human Accountability: While automated systems help detect abuse and enforce community filters, permanent content removal and account suspension or termination decisions are reviewed or confirmed by a human reviewer, except where immediate automated blocking is necessary to stop manifestly illegal content or active cyberattacks.

2. How Potential Violations Are Detected

We become aware of potentially violating Content or behaviour through four channels:

1. User & Public Reports (Report): Any registered user or member of the public can flag published research, comments, community posts, Live Room activity, or user profiles using the in-app Report button (specifying a structured reason and context) or by emailing team@orbitsub.com.
2. Automated Safety & Integrity Systems:
   • Community Automod (CommunityAutomodRule): Community owners and moderators can configure automated keyword, regex, and pattern rules that automatically hold, flag, or reject violating posts within their communities;
   • Platform Abuse Filters: We operate automated rate limiters, spam classifiers, and Orbit AI safety guardrails to block abusive prompts, spam floods, and credential abuse.
3. Community Moderators (CommunityMember): Designated moderators review reports and enforce supplemental rules within their respective communities.
4. Statutory, Court & Grievance Notices: We act on verified notices submitted under our Grievance Redressal Policy, Copyright Policy, and lawful orders issued by courts or authorised government agencies under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

We do not pre-screen all user-generated Content prior to publication, and we act as an intermediary under applicable law.

3. How We Evaluate Reports

When a report or flag is reviewed, we assess:

• The Specific Rule or Law: Whether the Content violates Clause 9 of our Terms of Service, our Community Guidelines, our AI Use Policy, or applicable statutory law;
• Scholarly & Documentary Context: Whether the material is part of a bona fide academic manuscript, literature review, clinical case study, or historical analysis;
• Severity & Harm Risk: Whether the Content poses an imminent risk of physical harm, privacy violation, non-consensual intimate exposure, or systemic platform disruption; and
• Account History: Whether the Account has prior warnings or a pattern of repeated violations.

4. Graduated Enforcement Ladder

Depending on the nature, severity, and recurrence of a violation, we may take one or more of the following actions:

Where required by law or where we believe there is an imminent threat to human life or child safety, we also report the matter and disclose relevant records to competent law enforcement authorities.

5. Statutory Action Timelines

We action moderation and takedown matters within strict timelines:

• Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery, Nudity & Impersonation (IT Rules Rule 3(2)(b)): Removed or disabled within 2 hours of receipt of a complaint.
• Court Orders & Authorised Government Directions: Complied with within 3 hours of receipt.
• Unlawful Content Notices under IT Rules Rule 3(1)(b) & Copyright Notices: Actioned within 36 hours of receipt.
• Report Acknowledgement: All formal reports and grievances are acknowledged within 24 hours.
• Standard Moderation Reports & Appeals: Resolved within 7 days.

6. Statement of Reasons & Notification

6.1 Notice to the Content Creator. Whenever we remove Content, restrict visibility, or suspend/terminate an Account, we notify the affected user via email or in-app notification with a clear statement of reasons specifying:

1. the specific Content or Account action taken;
2. the clause of our Terms/Policies or statutory provision breached; and
3. how to submit an appeal, except where providing notice is prohibited by law or court order, would compromise an ongoing criminal or security investigation, or would endanger any person's physical safety.

6.2 Notice to the Reporter. When you submit a report, we notify you once our review is complete and inform you of the outcome.

7. Right to Appeal

7.1 Internal Appeal (30-Day Window). If you believe an enforcement decision taken against your Content or Account—or a decision not to act on a report you submitted—was mistaken, you may appeal within 30 days of the decision by emailing team@orbitsub.com with the subject line Moderation Appeal, including:

• your Account email or username;
• the URL or identifier of the Content or decision; and
• a clear explanation (and any supporting evidence) of why you believe the decision was in error.

7.2 Fresh Human Review (7-Day SLA). Every appeal is reviewed afresh by a human reviewer (or our Grievance Officer) who was not solely relying on an automated flag. We will communicate our reasoned decision within 7 calendar days. If we uphold your appeal, we will promptly restore the Content or Account access.

7.3 External Escalation to the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC). If you remain dissatisfied after our Grievance Officer's decision, users in India have the statutory right to appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) established by the Government of India under Rule 3A of the IT Rules within 30 days via https://gac.gov.in, as detailed in our Grievance Redressal Policy.

8. Statutory Preservation of Evidence (180 Days)

In strict compliance with Rule 3(1)(g) and Rule 3(1)(h) of the IT Rules, 2021, whenever we remove or disable access to Content or terminate an Account due to a rule or legal violation, we preserve the removed Content and associated technical/transactional records in secure, access-restricted storage for at least 180 days (or longer if required by a court or law enforcement agency) for investigation and evidentiary purposes.

9. Repeat Offenders & Ban Evasion

Accounts that repeatedly violate our rules after receiving warnings or temporary restrictions are subject to permanent termination. Attempting to bypass a suspension or ban by registering a new Account is a material breach of our Terms of Service and will result in immediate termination of all associated Accounts.

10. Periodic Statutory Reminders

In accordance with Rule 3(1)(m) of the IT Rules, 2021, we issue periodic reminders (at least once every 3 months, or via in-app/email notices) informing users of our rules, regulations, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service, and advising that non-compliance may result in termination of access or usage rights and removal of non-compliant Content.

This Policy is effective from 1 October 2026 and was last updated on 25 October 2026.