Editing LiveJournal (section)

===Abuse Prevention Team decisions===
As LiveJournal has grown, it has had to deal with issues involving the content it hosts. Like most web logging hosts, it has adopted a basic [[Terms of Service]].<ref name="TOS">{{cite web |url=http://www.livejournal.com/legal/tos.bml |title=LiveJournal Terms of Service |publisher=Livejournal.com |access-date=2010-03-29 |archive-date=2011-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816041959/http://www.livejournal.com/legal/tos.bml |url-status=live }}</ref> The Terms of Service simultaneously expresses a desire for [[free speech]] by the users while outlining impermissible conduct such as [[spamming]], [[copyright]] violation, and [[harassment]]. LiveJournal created an Abuse Prevention Team and processes to handle claims about violations of the Terms of Service, violations of copyright, violations of the [[law]], and other issues. There is an ability for a user to report an entry as "spam", and it is a user's responsibility to separate spamming and bot activity from actual violations while reporting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.livejournal.com/support/faq/209.html |title=Spam |publisher=Community.livejournal.com |access-date=2012-11-10 |archive-date=2012-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109065828/http://www.livejournal.com/support/faq/209.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

If the Abuse Prevention Team determines that a violation has occurred, the user will be either required to remove the infringing material (as in the case of copyright violations);<ref name="TOS"/> the journal will be suspended until such time as the material can be removed (e.g., posting of home addresses or other various contact information of another); or, in cases of severe or multiple violations, the journal will be suspended (e.g., account hijacking, multiple instances of copyright violation, child pornography).<ref name="TOS"/> The offending user is notified by email of any journal suspension or, if any offending material must be removed, the user is given a deadline for its removal. When a journal is suspended, it effectively removes from sight everything the user has written on LiveJournal, including comments in other people's journals; however, the user is able to download the material while suspended. Those suspended users who have paid for LiveJournal's service do not have payments refunded.

A small controversy arose in November 2004 when a policy document used by the Abuse Prevention Team was leaked to a group of its critics before it was due to be released. The policy document has since been officially released.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.livejournal.com/abuse/policy.bml |title=LiveJournal Abuse Policies and Procedures |publisher=Livejournal.com |access-date=2010-03-29 |archive-date=2010-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409232901/http://www.livejournal.com/abuse/policy.bml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Another controversy arose when users complained after an unknown number of users were asked to remove default user pictures containing images of breast feeding that were considered inappropriate as they contained a view of nipples or areolae.<ref>{{cite web|author=Response from Six Apart May. 24th, 2006 at 3:00 PM |url=http://community.livejournal.com/boob_nazis/1763041.html |title=Response from Six Apart on Breastfeeding Userpic Controversy |publisher=Community.livejournal.com |date=2006-05-24 |access-date=2010-03-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022210621/http://community.livejournal.com/boob_nazis/1763041.html |archive-date=2006-10-22 }}</ref> The incident attracted the attention of [[lactivism|breast feeding advocacy]] groups such as Pro-Mom<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.promom.org/bf_info/pr.html |title=Popular Blogging Site Restricts Use of Breastfeeding Photos |publisher=Promom.org |access-date=2010-03-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218105330/http://www.promom.org/bf_info/pr.html |archive-date=2009-12-18 }}</ref> who publicized the issue to gain larger media awareness. LiveJournal responded by changing the FAQ on appropriate content for default user pictures. The current FAQ 111 says that nudity is not appropriate in ''default'' user pictures; the original FAQ 111 said that graphic sexual content was not appropriate. Breastfeeding pictures were not restricted by the original FAQ, and the current FAQ reflects the fact that they are only restricted from use as a default user picture.<ref>{{cite web |last=Haines |first=Lester |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/01/livejournal_kerfuffle/ |title=LiveJournal tells lactating mums to put 'em away |publisher=Theregister.co.uk |date=2006-06-01 |access-date=2010-03-29 |archive-date=2010-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606165041/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/01/livejournal_kerfuffle/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Breastfeeding pictures are still allowed as user pictures that may be manually chosen while posting but may not be the default.