Acceptable Use

Last Updated: 2026-03-24

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## TL;DR

- **DO** be respectful. Critique the work, not the person.
- **DO** contribute accurate, verifiable metadata and follow editorial guidelines.
- **DO** report security vulnerabilities responsibly instead of exploiting them.
- **DO NOT** harass, bully, doxx, or impersonate other users or staff.
- **DO NOT** manipulate votes, ratings, or engagement with multiple accounts or bots.

_This summary is for convenience only. The full policy below is legally binding._

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## 1. Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the rules for using the MangaBaka website, API, and all related services (the "Service"). This AUP is part of the [MangaBaka Terms of Service](/about/terms) and applies to all users, whether registered or unregistered.

By using the Service, you agree to comply with this AUP. Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent ban at our discretion.

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## 2. Community Conduct

MangaBaka is a community built around a shared interest in manga. We expect all users to treat each other with respect.

### 2.1 You Must Not

- **Harass, bully, or intimidate** other users, including through direct messages, comments, or any other communication channel on the Service.
- **Post hate speech** or content that promotes discrimination, violence, or hostility against any individual or group based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
- **Threaten or incite violence** against any person or group.
- **Stalk or doxx** other users, including publishing or threatening to publish their private or personal information without consent.
- **Impersonate** any person, user, moderator, or MangaBaka staff member, or falsely claim affiliation with MangaBaka.
- **Engage in sexual or romantic solicitation** of minors, or post content that sexualizes minors in any way.

### 2.2 Constructive Disagreement

Disagreements are natural in any community. You may criticize ideas, opinions, and creative works. You may not attack, demean, or harass the person behind them. The line is: critique the work, not the person.

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## 3. Content Standards

### 3.1 Prohibited Content

You may not submit, post, or distribute through the Service any content that:

- Is unlawful, fraudulent, or deceptive.
- Infringes the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights of any third party.
- Contains pornographic, sexually explicit, or obscene material. Manga content rated for mature audiences may be discussed and catalogued in appropriate contexts, but explicit sexual imagery must not be uploaded or posted by users.
- Promotes or provides instructions for illegal activities.
- Contains malware, viruses, or any code designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.
- Is spam, including unsolicited advertising, promotional material, or repetitive content.
- Contains personal information of third parties without their consent (phone numbers, addresses, financial information, government-issued identifiers).

### 3.2 Metadata and Tag Accuracy

MangaBaka relies on community-contributed metadata. When contributing metadata, tags, or editorial content:

- Be accurate and verifiable. Do not submit false, misleading, or fabricated metadata.
- Use the tagging and categorization systems as intended. Do not apply tags for the purpose of manipulating search results, recommendations, or rankings.
- Do not vandalize or deface existing metadata entries.
- Follow the contribution guidelines and editorial standards provided in the contribution interface.

### 3.3 Comments, Reviews, and Ratings

- Comments and reviews should be relevant to the work being discussed.
- Do not use ratings to brigade, manipulate, or artificially inflate or deflate scores.
- Do not post spoilers without appropriate warnings or markup.
- Do not use comments for advertising, self-promotion, or link spam.

### 3.4 Profile and Username

- Usernames must not impersonate other users, public figures, or MangaBaka staff.
- Usernames and profile content must not contain slurs, hate speech, or sexually explicit material.
- We reserve the right to reclaim or reassign usernames at our discretion.

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## 4. Technical Use

### 4.1 API and Automated Access

- All automated access to the Service must go through the MangaBaka API or database downloads in compliance with the [Data License](/about/data-license).
- Scraping, crawling, or programmatically accessing the website outside the API or database downloads is prohibited.
- You must respect published rate limits. Deliberate circumvention of rate limits is a violation of this AUP.
- You must not use the API to create a competing service, mirror, or bulk data archive. See the Data License for details.

### 4.2 Security

- You must not probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service or any associated system or network without prior written authorization.
- You must not attempt to access accounts, data, or systems that you are not authorized to access.
- You must not interfere with or disrupt the Service, its infrastructure, or the experience of other users.
- If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly to `security@mangabaka.org`. Do not exploit or publicly disclose vulnerabilities before they are resolved.

### 4.3 Authentication and Credentials

- You must not share, sell, or transfer your account credentials, session tokens, personal access tokens (PATs), or OAuth application secrets.
- You must not create OAuth applications that mislead users about their purpose, the data they access, or their affiliation with MangaBaka.
- Applications using OAuth must request only the scopes they actually need and must clearly inform users of what data they access.

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## 5. Voting and Engagement Integrity

- You must not use multiple accounts, bots, or other automated means to artificially manipulate votes, ratings, follows, or any other engagement metric.
- You must not coordinate with others to collectively manipulate engagement metrics.
- You must not offer or accept compensation (monetary or otherwise) in exchange for votes, ratings, or reviews.

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## 6. Enforcement

### 6.1 Actions We May Take

Violations of this AUP may result in one or more of the following actions, at our discretion:

- A warning issued to your account.
- Removal or modification of offending content.
- Temporary suspension of your account or specific features.
- Permanent ban of your account.
- Reporting to law enforcement if the violation involves illegal activity.

The severity of enforcement will be proportionate to the nature and frequency of the violation. We will generally follow a graduated approach (warning, then suspension, then ban) for minor violations, but reserve the right to take immediate action for severe violations such as threats of violence, doxxing, or exploitation of minors.

### 6.2 Appeals

If your account is suspended or banned, you may appeal by [contacting us](/about). Appeals will be reviewed by a member of the MangaBaka team. We will respond to appeals within a reasonable timeframe. Decisions on appeal are final.

### 6.3 Reporting Violations

If you witness a violation of this AUP, you may report it through the reporting tools available on the Service or by [contacting us](/about). All reports will be reviewed. We do not disclose the identity of reporters to the reported user.

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## 7. Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to modify this AUP at any time. Changes will be indicated by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. Material changes will be announced through the Service.

Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted means you accept of the modified AUP.

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## 8. Contact

For questions about this policy, to report a violation, or to appeal an enforcement action, [contact us](/about).

For security vulnerability reports: `security@mangabaka.org`