UNIGE social networks' Charter
Established by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), this user's charter applies to all users of the official UNIGE social networks or one of its structures (services, faculties, departments, etc.).
Its purpose is to remind the rules of use and good practice applicable to any interaction that may arise on these networks ("like", publication, comment, etc.). This charter is to be considered in addition to the general conditions of use adopted by each platform (Facebook; Instagram; X (Twitter); LinkedIn; YouTube), the legislation applicable in civil, administrative, and criminal matters and, for members of the UNIGE university community, the UNIGE internal regulations applicable to them.
UNIGE Social Networks
The UNIGE institutional social networks are intended to be a space open to all. The aim is to develop a friendly online community around UNIGE news, enabling it to meet in a virtual public arena for exchange through comments, videos, and photos or links.
The interactions published there must be related to the structure concerned and/or the UNIGE.
Rights and duties of users who are members of the UNIGE
Any use of the UNIGE social networks by a UNIGE member must comply with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for the Geneva Institutions of Higher Education.
UNIGE members must also ensure that they do not share the University's confidential information, respect research embargoes and act responsibly with the information entrusted to them.
Rights and duties of users
All use of the UNIGE social networks must comply with the laws in force, in conformity with public order and good morals, and must not infringe the rights of individuals. In particular, all interactions are prohibited:
- threatening, insulting, defamatory, inciting to violence, pornographic, obscene or discriminating against a race, creed, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation or referring to a hypertext link including such content;
- which do not respect privacy and include, for example, personal data without the consent of the person concerned (a person's telephone number, address, photo, etc.);
- which do not respect the intellectual property rights of third parties (e.g. use of works without the consent of the rightful owners).
Criticism and disagreements can be constructive and foster the quality of the exchanges. Nevertheless, they must be made with strict respect for people and the courtesy necessary for the smooth running of the discussions.
Furthermore, users are expected to use correct and understandable language and refrain from repetitive interactions that would render their relevance meaningless.
Moderation
The UNIGE's social network accounts are subject to a posteriori moderation. This means that the UNIGE does not have the possibility of checking users' interactions before they are published on these platforms.
Nevertheless, the moderator is entitled to delete, at any time after their publication, any interaction that he/she deems to be contrary to the above-mentioned principles and to the values advocated by the UNIGE or which is not related to the subject of the social network account concerned (e.g. advertisements, questions concerning another UNIGE structure, etc.). He/she is also entitled to ban any user who does not respect the said charter from the page.
Responsibility
Insofar as moderation takes place a posteriori, the UNIGE cannot exclude interactions that are contrary to the principles it advocates, nor can it guarantee the truthfulness of the remarks contained in these interactions. In any case, the UNIGE cannot be held responsible for interactions published by users on social network accounts linked to the UNIGE, nor for the consequences of an act of piracy caused by a third party on these accounts.
These interactions are published under the sole responsibility of their authors or, where applicable, the users who relay them.
Reporting
Any person may report to the moderator of these social networks or to the UNIGE social network manager () any interaction that he/she deems contrary to the principles advocated by this charter. The moderator has the discretionary power to delete or not the interaction in question, depending on whether he/she considers it to be contrary to the principles mentioned above or to the values advocated by the UNIGE or unrelated to the subject of the social network concerned.
Any person may also report content directly to each social network. This procedure may be used in parallel or together with the reporting to the moderator of the social network concerned.
The UNIGE also reserves the right to report any interaction that contradicts the general conditions adopted by these companies (i.e. social media) to the companies themselves.