Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to The Neon Moth ("we," "our," or "us"). These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our academic networking platform.

By accessing or using our Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use our Platform.

These Terms apply to all users of the Platform, including but not limited to current students, alumni, faculty and staff.

2. Description of Service

The Neon Moth is an independent, invitation-based academic networking platform whose members are individuals who identify themselves as current students, alumni, faculty, or staff of departments of the Central European University (CEU). It supports community connections among these individuals.

Important Notice:

• The Neon Moth is an independent, volunteer-run platform. It is not an official website or service of CEU, is not operated, endorsed, or authorized by CEU, and has no legal, contractual, or organizational relationship with CEU.
• It is a personal initiative created to make it easier for members of this community to stay in touch, share opportunities, and collaborate, on their own initiative and at their own discretion.
• Registration and participation are entirely voluntary. No user is required or expected to register, and no official university functions, obligations, or processes are conducted through this Platform.
• This platform is invitation-only. Users are responsible for who they send invitations to and should only invite individuals who genuinely identify as affiliated with their CEU department.

The Platform provides:

• Networking and collaboration tools including a searchable member directory
• Forum for department discussions, including the option to post anonymously
• News section for member-authored articles and event announcements
• Job, fellowship, grant, gig, and call-for-papers listings
• Direct messaging between members
• Resource sharing and bookmark collections
• Interactive maps showing member locations, job locations, and research footprints
• Research locations feature for sharing fieldwork and research sites
• In-app and optional email notifications

Our services are designed to facilitate academic collaboration, professional development, and scholarly communication.

3. User Eligibility and Account Registration

3.1 Eligibility

To use our Platform, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Identify as a current student, alumnus/alumna, faculty, or staff member of a CEU department
• Provide accurate and complete registration information
• Maintain the confidentiality of your account credentials
• Be responsible for all activities under your account

3.2 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account or any other breach of security.

3.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account for violations of these Terms or for conduct harmful to the Platform or other users. See Section 10 for full details.

4. User Conduct and Content

4.1 Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Platform only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe on intellectual property rights
• Harass, bully, intimidate, abuse, or harm other users, including via private messages where contact was established through the Platform
• Post false, misleading, defamatory, or misinformation content
• Engage in spam or unsolicited communications
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Interfere with the proper functioning of the Platform
• Use the Platform for commercial purposes without authorization
• Abuse the anonymous posting feature in the Forum to evade accountability for content that would otherwise violate these Terms
• Invite individuals who do not genuinely identify as affiliated with a CEU department
• Post content in languages other than English without providing a translation, so that admins and all members can understand and moderate it

4.2 Hate Speech and Violence

Any form of hate speech or discrimination is strictly prohibited, including but not limited to derogatory comments, images, audio, or other content targeting race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other personal or group characteristic. Hate speech and discrimination are understood in accordance with United Nations definitions.

It is forbidden to advocate for, endorse, or encourage any form of violence, whether physical, verbal, or psychological.

It is strictly forbidden to use the Platform to raise funds for military purposes intended to support a foreign country's war efforts, in accordance with Austrian law. Members who violate this rule may have their content removed and their account terminated.

4.3 Content Ownership and Rights

• Your Content: You retain ownership of content you submit but grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display and distribute it within the Platform solely for the purpose of operating the service.
• Our Content: All Platform content, features, and functionality are owned by us and protected by intellectual property laws.
• Academic Integrity: All content must comply with academic integrity standards.

4.4 Automated Pre-Screening

All user-generated content submitted to the Platform (forum posts and replies, and news posts) is automatically screened before publication using a local pattern-matching system that runs entirely on our servers. No content is sent to third-party AI services. The system checks for prohibited language including hate speech, slurs, threats, and severe insults. Content that matches a prohibited pattern is blocked and flagged for human review. No post is automatically deleted — a human admin makes the final decision in every case. The Platform conducts this screening voluntarily and does not lose its hosting liability protections under Article 6 and Article 7 of the EU Digital Services Act as a result of doing so.

4.5 Member Flagging

Members can flag any post or comment they believe violates these Terms directly from the content in question. Flags are submitted with an optional reason and are reviewed by the admin. All flags are handled confidentially — the identity of the reporting member is not disclosed to the reported member.

4.6 Enforcement, Warnings, and Appeals

Content that violates these Terms may be removed by the admin. The following process applies:

• Members who are disrespectful or post inappropriate content will receive up to three formal warnings via private message before their account is suspended or terminated, except in cases of severe violations (hate speech, violence, harassment, threats, or legal breaches), which may result in immediate removal without prior warning. Flagged and reported content will be reviewed within 72 hours of notification.
• Members whose accounts are suspended or terminated may appeal by submitting their case with argumentation via the contact form. The admin will review the appeal and respond within a reasonable time.
• Members can also report inappropriate content or behaviour using the problem report form. All reports are handled confidentially.
• The admin must act with impartiality when enforcing these Terms, not favouring individuals or political positions.

4.7 Chatbot

TheNeonMoth includes an AI-powered chatbot. By using it, you agree to the following:

• Your questions and recent conversation context are transmitted to Anthropic's API (Claude) to generate responses. Do not enter sensitive personal information, passwords, or confidential data into the chatbot.
• Chatbot responses are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, academic, or professional advice.
• Do not attempt to manipulate, jailbreak, or misuse the chatbot to produce content that would otherwise violate these Terms.
• The platform is not responsible for inaccuracies in chatbot responses. Always verify important information from authoritative sources.

5. Academic and Professional Standards

As an academic platform, we expect all members to uphold standards of scholarly integrity and professional conduct. This includes respecting academic ethics, engaging constructively in discussions, and not misrepresenting research, credentials, or affiliations. Violations may result in content removal, warnings, or account termination as described in Section 4.6.

6. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection and use of personal information are governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

By using our Platform, you consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your information as described in our Privacy Policy.

Some communications, such as our optional newsletter, are sent only with your separate, explicit consent and can be withdrawn at any time via your account settings or the unsubscribe link in the email — see Section 3.2 of our Privacy Policy for details.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Platform IP

The Platform and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by The Neon Moth.

7.2 Copyright Policy

We respect intellectual property rights and respond to valid copyright takedown requests in accordance with EU law, including the DSM Directive (Directive 2019/790) and the Digital Services Act. If you believe your work has been used without permission, please contact us via our contact form.

8. Disclaimers and Limitations

8.1 Service Disclaimers

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that the Platform will be uninterrupted or error-free.

8.2 Content Disclaimers

We do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy or reliability of user-generated content. Users are responsible for verifying information independently.

8.3 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Austrian and EU law, the platform and its operator shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform, including loss of data or service interruptions. Liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct cannot be excluded by law and remains unaffected.

8.4 Hosting Provider Status

The Neon Moth operates as a hosting service provider within the meaning of Article 6 of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). As a micro enterprise under the DSA, the Platform is not liable for user-generated content stored at users' request, provided it does not have actual knowledge of illegal content or, upon becoming aware of it, acts promptly to remove or disable access to it. Voluntary content moderation measures, including automated pre-screening, do not affect this exemption.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Neon Moth, its owner and contributors from any claims, damages, or losses brought by third parties arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Your use of the Platform in ways that cause harm to others
• Your infringement of any third-party rights
• Any content you submit or make available through the Platform

This provision is intended to protect the Platform from consequences of individual user misconduct and does not limit your rights as a user in good standing.

10. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to the Platform immediately, without prior notice, for any reason, including breach of these Terms.

Upon termination, your right to use the Platform will cease immediately. All provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive.

Where termination is not due to an urgent or severe violation, we will endeavour to notify you of the reason.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of Austria, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. If you are a consumer (i.e., you use the Platform for purposes outside any trade, business, or profession), this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection afforded to you by mandatory consumer-protection provisions of the law of the country in which you are habitually resident.

Disputes shall first be addressed through good faith negotiation between the parties.

If you are a consumer residing in an EU/EEA member state: nothing in these Terms limits your rights under the Brussels I Regulation (Recast) (EU) No 1215/2012. You may bring proceedings against us either in the Austrian courts or in the courts of the EU/EEA member state in which you are domiciled, and we may only bring proceedings against you in the courts of the member state in which you are domiciled.

For all other disputes — including disputes with members acting in a professional or business capacity, and disputes with members residing outside the EU/EEA — the competent courts of Vienna, Austria shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer-protection rights you may have under the law of your country of residence.

EU residents may also use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform or by email. Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or removed, and the remaining provisions will remain in effect.

14. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Neon Moth regarding your use of the Platform.

15. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please reach out via our contact form.