Terms & Conditions

Summary

• This website is run by DW BARRON CONSULTING LLC, a company in Colorado, USA. It is independent. It is not part of UNHCR, any government or any resettlement agency.
• Anyone can read the public pages. To post, comment, like or RSVP, or to start or join a public group, you need an account. You also need an account for private messages, “looking for someone” notices, volunteering to answer questions, and the members’ part of the people directory. Accounts are for adults aged 18 or over.
• While sign-up is by invitation, you need an invite code from a member or a moderator, or a place from the waitlist. Nobody is asked for documents.
• You own what you post. You give us permission to show it on this website. You can delete it at any time.
• Everyone must follow the community guidelines. Moderators can reject or remove posts and can suspend accounts.
• Private messages are not reviewed, and moderators cannot read them. The only exception is a message that a member reports after receiving it.
• The information here is for learning and community. It is not legal, immigration, medical or financial advice.
• The website is offered as it is. We cannot promise that it is always correct or always available.
• You can delete your account, and everything you posted, at any time from your account page.

The summary is here to help you. The full text below is what applies.

1. Who runs this website

“Our Roots Connect · Bhutanese Refugee Connect” is a community website for the Bhutanese refugee diaspora and for anyone who wants to learn. It is run by DW BARRON CONSULTING LLC, a limited liability company in Colorado, USA. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “the site” mean this website and that company.

The site is independent. It is not affiliated with, paid by, or endorsed by UNHCR, any government, or any resettlement agency. Pages that describe these organisations are there for information only.

2. Who can have an account

• Adults only. You must be 18 years old or older. When you sign up, we ask you to confirm this.
• One account per person. Please do not create more than one account, and do not create an account for another person.
• A real email address that is yours. We send a 6-digit code to it to confirm your account. You also need it if you forget your password.
• A display name. This is the name other people see. It can be a nickname. It does not have to be your real name. It must not pretend to be an official, an agency, a moderator or site staff.

Sign-up may be open to everyone, open only to people with an invite code, or closed for a time. This can change.

Invitations and the waitlist

• While sign-up is by invitation, you need a one-time invite code to create an account. After that you sign in without a code. The public pages and the event listings stay open to everyone.
• Members who joined with a moderator’s invite or from the waitlist can each invite up to 5 people. Members who were invited by another member can each invite up to 2. Moderators can make as many invites as are needed, and each one is recorded.
• An invite can be used once and stops working after 14 days. You can take back an invite that nobody has used. Moderators can cancel unused invites and can pause invitations by members for a time.
• Invite people you trust to follow the community guidelines. Moderators can see who invited whom.
• If you have no invite, you can ask for a place on the waitlist on the sign-in page → A moderator looks at each request. Approval is not automatic. You can withdraw your request.
• An invite is a way to join, not proof that someone is a refugee. Nobody is asked for refugee documents or any other proof to give, get or use an invite.

You do not need an account to read the public pages and the public groups, to use the suggestions form, to send a correction from one of the history pages, or to report a post, a comment, an event or a group. Private messages, “looking for someone” notices and the list of volunteers are for signed-in members only. The people directory shows people who are not signed in only the profiles whose owners chose that.

3. Your account and its security

• Choose a password of at least 10 characters that you do not use on other websites.
• Keep your password private. Do not share your account with anyone.
• You are responsible for what is done with your account.
• Sign out when you use a shared phone or computer.
• Moderators and site staff will never ask you for your password.

If you think someone else has used your account, change your password on your account page → (this signs out every other session of your account) and tell us through the suggestions form →

4. Your content

“Your content” means the stories (with their photos and video), questions, comments, answers, events, camp visit and group call listings and “looking for someone” notices that you post, the topics you type, the public groups you start, your directory profile with its photo, your offer to answer questions as a volunteer, and the private messages that you send.

• You keep ownership. What you write stays yours. Your photos and videos stay yours.
• You give us permission to show it. When you post a story, a question, a comment, an answer or an event, or start a public group, you allow us to store your content and to display it on this website, to anyone who visits, next to your display name. This permission is free of charge. It covers every country, because the website can be read from anywhere. It is not exclusive: you may post the same words in other places.
• Some content is shown to fewer people. You allow us to store your directory profile and to show each detail of it to the people you chose for that detail: only you, signed-in members, or everyone. You allow us to store your notices and your volunteer offer and to show them to signed-in members only. You allow us to store a private message and to show it to the member you sent it to. Section 6 explains the one case in which moderators see a message.
• You can edit. You can edit your own stories, questions and events. An edited post or event may return to review before other people can see it again. The photos and the video on a story cannot be changed by editing it. A notice or a group cannot be edited: delete it and make a new one.
• The permission ends when you delete. You can delete a post, comment, event or notice, a group you started, your directory profile, or a message you sent, at any time. You can also delete your account, which removes everything you posted. See the privacy policy → for the short time that copies can stay in system backups.
• We do not sell your content and we do not use it for advertising. There is no advertising on this site.
• Post only what you have the right to post. Do not post another person’s writing, private information or story without their permission. Do not copy text from books, news sites or other websites unless you are allowed to. Post only photos and videos that are yours, or that you have the right to share.

Please remember that approved posts and groups are public. Anyone on the internet can read them and see their photos and video, and other people may copy them. We cannot control copies made by others. Think before you post, and read the privacy advice in the community guidelines →

All text on the site is plain text. A story can have photos and one video, and a directory profile can have one photo.

Topics

• The topic of a post is a choice from the list or words that you type yourself, up to 40 characters.
• A topic you type is part of your content and is public with the post. The community guidelines apply to it.
• The site shows everyone a list of the topics that recent approved posts use, with the number of those posts under each topic.

Photos

• A story can have up to 4 photos, and a directory profile can have one. Photos cannot be added to questions, comments, events, notices, groups or messages.
• Post only photos that are yours, or that you have the right to share. Ask the people in a photo before you post it. The community guidelines → have more rules for photos.
• Before a photo is stored, the system removes the hidden information inside the file, including the place where it was taken. It does not change what can be seen in the picture.
• Each photo has its own web address. The address is hard to guess, but it is not protected by a sign-in. Anyone who has the address can open the photo while the story is on the site.
• When a story is rejected, removed or deleted, its photos are no longer shown. Copies held by the delivery network can remain for up to one hour.
• Photo upload may be switched off for a time.

Videos

• A story can have one video, with or without photos. The file must be an MP4, MOV or WebM video of at most 50 MB. A video cannot be added to a question, comment, event, notice, group, directory profile or message.
• Post only a video that is yours, or that you have the right to share. Ask the people in a video before you post it. The community guidelines → have more rules for videos.
• Your browser sends the video straight to the site’s private storage area on Amazon S3, at an address that the server issues for that one upload. The address works for 15 minutes. The story is then created with the video.
• A video is not handled like a photo. The server does not make a new copy of the video and does not remove anything from the file. Before the upload, the site’s page in your browser blanks the part of an MP4 or MOV file where a phone usually saves the place of recording. A WebM file, and a file that your browser cannot read, is sent unchanged. The server does not check that this was done, and we do not guarantee that no hidden information is left in the file.
• Everything that can be seen and heard in a video is shared. Watch it before you post it.
• A video has its own web address. The address is hard to guess, but it is not protected by a sign-in. Anyone who has the address can open the video while the story is on the site.
• When a story is rejected, removed or deleted, its video is no longer shown. Copies held by the delivery network can remain for up to one hour.
• A video cannot be changed by editing the story. To change it, delete the story and post it again.
• Video upload may be switched off for a time. It is on when photo upload is on, and off when photo upload is off.

Public groups

• Any member can start a public group. A group has a name and a description. A new group may wait for review, in the same way as a post.
• Anyone on the internet can read an approved group: its name, its description, the display name of the member who started it, the number of its members, and the stories posted in it.
• Members can join a group and leave it at any time. The site records who has joined. It shows only the number of members, not a list of them.
• You can post a story into a group you have joined. It is an ordinary story: it is reviewed like any other, it also appears in the main list of stories, and it shows the name of the group.
• A group cannot be edited. The member who started it, or a moderator, can delete it. The stories that were posted in it stay on the site as ordinary stories.
• A group is started by a member, not by the site. The community guidelines apply to its name, its description and the stories in it. You can report a group like a post.

The people directory

• You are in the directory only if you make a profile and tick the box to be listed. You can change your profile, take yourself off the list, or delete the profile at any time.
• A profile shows your display name and what you choose to add: a one-line introduction, a camp, a country, a town or region, a short text about yourself, your interests, an avatar and a photo. Every one of these is optional. A photo of your face is never required, and a profile photo is not proof of who someone is or of refugee status.
• For each detail you choose who sees it: only you, signed-in members, or everyone. A new profile starts with every detail visible only to you. People who are not signed in see your profile only if you tick the box that shows it to them, and they cannot send you messages.
• Profiles are not reviewed before they show. Members can report a profile, and a moderator can delete one.

Questions, answers and volunteers

• Rules and processes differ from country to country. When you ask a question, you can say which country or region it is about. When you answer, you can say which country your answer is about and whether it comes from your own experience, your work, or an official source.
• These are your own statements. The site does not check them, and it does not check anyone’s job, licence or qualifications. Do not post licence numbers or identity documents.
• You can offer to answer questions as a volunteer, with the topics, countries and languages you choose, and you can change or withdraw the offer at any time. A volunteer is a member like any other and does not speak for the site.

Links to your own posts on other services

• A story can carry a link to your own post on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Add a link only to a post that is yours or that you have permission to share. You confirm this when you add the link.
• The site shows the link and nothing else. It does not copy the post, it never asks for your password for another service, and it does not post anything there for you.
• The other service has its own terms, audience and privacy settings. Deleting your story or your account here does not delete the post there, and deleting the post there does not delete your story here.

Group calls, camp visits and events by invitation

• A group call is an event with a link to a calling service that its host chose. The call takes place on that service, under that service’s own terms. This site lists the call. It does not carry, record or listen to it, and moderators are not present in it.
• The host of a group call can state its format: an open discussion in which everyone can speak, or a talk in which the host speaks and the others listen. The site only shows this. It cannot hold anyone to it, because the call is not on this site.
• A camp visit is an event in which a member who lives in a camp offers to receive visitors. It is listed and reviewed like any other event. The site does not check who the host is or where they live, and it does not arrange the visit.
• The host chooses who sees the link: everyone, signed-in members, or only the people the host lets in. If you RSVP to an event by invitation, the host sees your display name and decides whether to let you in.
• If you host a call, give its language, say what access support there is (for example captions or interpretation), and do not record it unless everyone taking part has agreed.
• The community guidelines apply to what you write in a listing. You can report a listing like any other event.

Private messages

• A private message goes from one member to one other member. Messages are plain text.
• You can write to a member only if they are listed in the directory and accept messages, or they have a notice that is listed now, or they have written to you before. Until they answer, you can send them at most 3 messages.
• You can block any member. A block stops messages between the two of you in both directions, and hides you from each other in the directory and the notices list. The other member is not told.
• When you delete a message you sent, it is removed for both of you. When you delete a conversation, only your own side is cleared.
• The community guidelines apply to private messages too.

“Looking for someone” notices

• A notice asks for help to find an adult you have lost touch with. Never post a notice about a child.
• Notices can be posted and read by signed-in members only. A new notice may wait for review, in the same way as a post.
• A notice is listed for 30 days from the day it was written. Then it is deleted. You can delete it sooner.
• People answer a notice by private message. While your notice is listed, any member can write to you.
• A notice is about another person, and that person has not been asked. Write only what the community guidelines → allow. The person, or anyone else, can ask for the notice to be removed. The privacy policy → explains how.

5. Rules of conduct

When you use this site, you agree to follow the community guidelines → They are part of these terms. In short: be kind and respectful, protect your own and other people’s privacy, never post about children, no scams or requests for money, no threats or hate, and do not pretend to be someone you are not. The guidelines also apply to photos, videos, topics you type, public groups, directory profiles, notices and private messages.

You also agree not to harm the website itself. Do not try to break in, get around the limits on how often you can post, collect information about members in bulk, or use automatic tools to post.

6. Moderation

• New posts may wait for review. A new post, comment, event, notice or group, or an edited post or event, may be checked by a moderator before other people can see it. While it waits, only you and the moderators can see it.
• Moderators may reject or remove content that breaks these terms or the community guidelines, or that puts someone at risk. A rejected or removed post or event is deleted after 90 days unless it is restored, together with the comments, likes and RSVPs under it. The photos and the video of a rejected or removed story are no longer shown. A rejected or removed group is deleted after 90 days unless it is restored; the stories that were posted in it stay. A notice is deleted at the latest 30 days after it was written.
• Moderators may delete a public group. The stories that were posted in it stay on the site as ordinary stories.
• Directory profiles are not reviewed before they show. Members can report a profile. A moderator can delete a profile that breaks these terms or the community guidelines.
• Private messages are not reviewed, and moderators cannot read them. There is one exception. When a member reports a message they received, a copy of that one message goes to the moderators with the report. A moderator can then delete the message.
• Moderators may suspend an account. A suspended member can still sign in, read the site, download their data, and delete their content and their account. A suspended member cannot post, edit, comment, like, RSVP, start or join a group, change their profile, send private messages or post notices. When an account is suspended, its profile is taken off the directory list and its notices are removed. Its groups and its memberships stay, and it can still leave a group or delete a group it started.
• There are daily limits on how many posts, comments, events, likes, RSVPs, reports, notices, private messages, new conversations, blocks, photo uploads, video uploads, new groups and profile changes one account can make. Joining and leaving a group count together with likes and RSVPs. This helps to stop spam and unwanted contact.

Moderators are people, and they can make mistakes. We do not read everything, and we cannot promise that every post is checked or that every harmful post is found.

Asking for a second look

If you think a moderator’s decision about your post or your account was wrong, you can ask for a second look. Until we have a contact address, please use the suggestions form → Write your display name, which post or decision you mean, and why you think it should be looked at again. A different moderator or an administrator will look at it where possible.

The suggestions form is anonymous, so we cannot answer you directly at this time. If the decision is changed, your post will be visible again or your account will work again.

7. Reporting content and copyright complaints

If you see a post, comment, event or public group that is a scam, a threat, a privacy problem, spam, or that breaks the rules in another way, please use the Report button next to it. You do not need an account to report a post, comment, event or group. If you cannot use the Report button, use the suggestions form →

Signed-in members can also report a notice, a directory profile, or a private message they received. When you report a message, a copy of that one message goes to the moderators with your report.

Copyright complaints

If you believe something on this site copies your work without permission, tell us through the Report button (choose the reason “copyright”) or through the suggestions form. Please include:

• your name and a way to contact you, such as an email address;
• what the original work is, and where it can be seen if it is published;
• where the copy is on this site (the page, and the title or first words of the post);
• a statement that you are the owner of the work, or that you are allowed to act for the owner, and that the use on this site is not permitted;
• a statement that what you have written in the complaint is true.

We will look at the complaint and remove the content if it appears to copy your work without permission. Members who post such material again and again may be suspended.

Our designated copyright (DMCA) agent: [to be added: copyright agent — name, postal address and email address]

8. Historical and educational pages

The pages about history, camp life, UNHCR and resettlement are offered for learning. We try to link to sources and to show the period that a fact describes. Even so, these pages may contain mistakes, may be out of date, and may leave things out. The history of displacement is contested, and people remember it in different ways.

These pages are offered as they are. Please check important or current details with the organisation concerned before you rely on them. Read more on the About & accuracy page → If you find an error, please tell us. Each of these pages has a small form, “Is something on this page not accurate?”. It sends an anonymous message to the site team, with the address of the page it was sent from. It does not ask for your name and is not linked to an account. You can also use the suggestions form →

9. Not professional advice

Nothing on this site is legal, immigration, medical or financial advice. This is true for our own pages and for posts and answers from members. Answers from members are personal experience. They may be wrong for your situation or your country.

For a legal, immigration, health or money question, please ask a qualified person or organisation where you live. Never pay someone who promises refugee status or resettlement.

10. Other members and other websites

Posts, comments, events, notices, public groups, directory profiles and private messages are written by members, not by us. They show the view of the person who wrote them. We do not check that they are true. Be careful when you decide to meet someone, to go to an event, or to trust an offer. Events, including camp visits, are organised by the member who posted them, not by the site.

We do not check identity documents. A member who writes to you, or who answers your notice, may not be the person they say they are. Never send money or documents to someone you met through this site.

Some pages and posts link to other websites. We do not control those websites and are not responsible for what is on them.

11. No promises, and limits on our responsibility

There is no charge to use the site at this time. We run it with care, but we provide it “as it is”.

• We do not promise that the site will always be online, will work without errors, or will keep running in the future.
• We do not promise that information on the site is complete, correct or up to date.
• We do not promise that content you post will be kept for ever. Please keep your own copy of anything that matters to you. You can download your data from your account page.

As far as the law allows, DW BARRON CONSULTING LLC and the people who work on the site are not responsible for loss or harm that comes from using the site, from not being able to use it, from content posted by members, or from relying on information found here.

Some countries do not allow some of these limits. In that case, the limits apply only as far as the law in your country allows. Nothing in these terms takes away rights that the law gives you and that cannot be given up.

12. Ending your account

• You can leave at any time. Open your account page → and choose “Delete my account”. Your account and everything you posted are deleted. This includes your photos and videos, the public groups you started, your membership of other groups, your directory profile, your notices and the private messages you sent. The stories that other members posted in a group you started stay on the site as ordinary stories. This is usually immediate. For an account with a very large amount of content, it finishes over a few repeated steps while the page shows “Still deleting…”. The privacy policy → explains exactly what is removed and what is kept.
• We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms or the community guidelines, or that belongs to someone under 18.
• We may change or close the site. If we plan to close it, we will try to say so on the site first, so that members can download their data.

13. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms, for example when the site gets new features or after a lawyer has reviewed this draft. Each version has a version label and a date. They are shown at the top of this page.

When the terms change, signed-in members are asked to accept the new version. If you do not accept, you can still read the site, download your data and delete your account, but you cannot post, comment, like, RSVP, start or join a group, send private messages, post notices or use the people directory until you accept.

14. Law that applies

The operator is a company in Colorado, USA.

Which law applies to these terms, and where disputes are decided: [to be added: governing law and venue]

15. Contact

Operator: DW BARRON CONSULTING LLC, a Colorado, USA limited liability company.

Email: [to be added: contact email address]

Postal address: [to be added: postal address]

Until a contact address is published, please use the suggestions form. It is anonymous. Do not put private details in it.