Acceptable Use Policy

1. Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") outlines what you may and may not do when using Kalaloka ("Platform"), a product of DigiYogi, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. This AUP is part of and supplements our Terms of Service. By using the Platform, you agree to comply with this AUP.

Violation of this AUP may result in temporary or permanent suspension of your account, removal of content, loss of monetization privileges, and in severe cases, legal action under applicable Indian law.

2. What You Can Do

You are encouraged to use the Platform to:

• Read, discover, and enjoy content published by other users in all supported languages.
• Write and publish original stories, poems, articles, and quotes.
• Follow and interact with other users through likes, comments, shares, bookmarks, and gifts.
• Participate in writing competitions and community events.
• Create and manage content series.
• Use the Platform's search and discovery features to find content that interests you.
• Customize your profile, reading preferences, and notification settings.
• Monetize your content through the Creator Program, subject to the Creator Monetization Agreement.
• Purchase Coins, Pens, and subscriptions to support creators and access premium features.
• Share content links on external social media platforms with proper attribution.
• Use the in-app chat feature for genuine communication with other users.
• Report content or users that violate our policies.

3. Prohibited Activities

You must NOT use the Platform for any of the following purposes:

3.1 Technical Abuse

• Scraping: Using automated tools, bots, spiders, crawlers, or scripts to extract, scrape, or harvest content, user data, or any information from the Platform.
• Automated Access: Accessing the Platform through automated means (scripts, bots, or third-party software) without express written permission from DigiYogi.
• Reverse Engineering: Decompiling, disassembling, reverse engineering, or attempting to derive the source code, algorithms, or underlying architecture of the Platform.
• Data Mining: Systematic extraction, collection, or aggregation of data from the Platform for any purpose, including training machine learning models, building databases, or creating derivative products.
• Circumventing Security: Attempting to bypass, disable, or interfere with any security features, access controls, or technical protection measures of the Platform.
• DDoS and Interference: Conducting denial-of-service attacks, flooding, or any actions intended to disrupt or degrade the Platform's performance or availability.
• Vulnerability Exploitation: Exploiting bugs, vulnerabilities, or errors in the Platform for personal gain or to cause harm. (Responsible disclosure to support@kalaloka.buzz is welcome.)

3.2 Content and Commercial Misuse

• Commercial Use Without Permission: Using content from the Platform for commercial purposes (including but not limited to print publications, merchandise, paid courses, or commercial media) without written permission from the original author and the Platform.
• Creating Competing Platforms: Using content, data, features, or designs from the Platform to build, enhance, or operate a competing product or service.
• Unauthorized Republication: Republishing Platform content on other platforms, websites, or media without the author's consent and proper attribution.
• Content Manipulation: Modifying, altering, or creating derivative works from other users' content without their express permission.

3.3 Account Abuse

• Account Sharing: Sharing your account credentials with others or allowing multiple individuals to access the Platform through a single account. Each user must have their own account.
• Multi-Accounting: Creating or operating multiple accounts to circumvent bans, manipulate metrics, multiply earnings, or gain unfair advantages. One person may maintain only one active account.
• Impersonation: Creating accounts that impersonate other individuals, organizations, or brands.
• Account Trading: Buying, selling, transferring, or renting accounts.

3.4 Engagement Manipulation

• Fake Engagement: Artificially inflating views, likes, comments, followers, or any other metrics.
• Paid Engagement: Paying or incentivizing users to engage with content for the purpose of manipulating metrics.
• Engagement Exchanges: Participating in "like for like," "follow for follow," or similar schemes designed to artificially inflate metrics.
• Spam: Posting repetitive, irrelevant, or unsolicited comments, messages, or content.

4. API Usage Rules

The Platform does not currently provide a public API. Any unauthorized access to internal APIs is a violation of this AUP and may constitute an offense under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (unauthorized access to computer systems).

If and when a public API is made available, its use will be governed by separate API & Developer Terms.

5. Rate Limiting

The Platform implements rate limiting on various features to ensure fair usage and platform stability. By using the Platform, you acknowledge and accept that:

• Rate limits are applied to content creation, commenting, messaging, gift sending, and other interactive features.
• Exceeding rate limits may result in temporary restrictions on specific actions.
• Repeated attempts to circumvent rate limits constitute a violation of this AUP.
• Rate limits may change without prior notice as needed for platform stability.

6. Enforcement

Violations of this AUP are handled progressively, depending on the severity and frequency:

• Warning: First-time or minor violations may result in a warning notification.
• Content Removal: Content that violates this AUP may be removed without prior notice.
• Feature Restrictions: Specific features (commenting, messaging, content creation) may be temporarily restricted.
• Account Suspension: Repeated or serious violations may result in temporary account suspension (7-30 days).
• Permanent Ban: Severe or repeated violations may result in permanent account termination.
• Legal Action: The Platform reserves the right to pursue legal remedies under the Information Technology Act, 2000, Indian Penal Code, and other applicable laws for serious violations.

7. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any activity that violates this AUP, please report it through:

• The in-app reporting feature (available on content and user profiles).
• Email: support@kalaloka.buzz

All reports are reviewed by our content moderation team and handled as described in our Grievance Redressal Policy.

8. Contact

For questions about this Acceptable Use Policy:

• Email: support@kalaloka.buzz
• Platform: Kalaloka (a product of DigiYogi)
• Address: Bangalore, Karnataka, India