Terms of Service

Updated 4 October 2026.

Commonside is a volunteer-run email service. These rules explain acceptable use and the limits you should understand before applying.

Joining and keeping your account secure

A valid invitation is required to apply. Volunteers review applications; approval is not guaranteed. Provide a reachable contact email and a genuine reason for joining.

Keep your credentials private, use a unique password of at least 12 characters, and save and confirm your recovery code. Do not sell account access or send your secrets to staff. Recovery without the necessary credentials is not guaranteed.

Acceptable use

Do not use Commonside for spam, phishing, fraud, harassment, illegal activity, unauthorized access or disruption. Do not evade limits, impersonate other senders or access another user's data without authorization.

Storage, sending and alias limits protect shared capacity. Accounts may be restricted, suspended or removed to address abuse or security incidents. Email support@commonside.org if you believe a decision is mistaken; review times are not guaranteed.

Availability and privacy

We do not guarantee uptime, inbox delivery or permanent availability. Messages can be filtered, delayed or lost. Keep independent backups. Mailbox encryption uses server-held keys for older mailboxes and password-linked keys for new and upgraded ones, and does not prevent privileged operator access. Read Privacy and Security before relying on the service.

Inactivity and account closure

After 12 calendar months without successful panel or mailbox access, the entire account is eligible for permanent deletion. Warnings go to the primary mailbox at least 30 and 7 days beforehand. Login before cleanup starts cancels it and sends confirmation. Connected authenticated IMAP sessions keep the account active; incoming mail, monitoring and SMTP-only login do not reset the period.

Delayed warning submission delays cleanup but does not prove delivery or reading. Voluntary closure also permanently deletes live account and mailbox data through queued cleanup. It cannot be reopened. Message purge keeps the account. Backups, security records and recipients' copies can remain; see Privacy.

Questions and changes

Use support@commonside.org for questions and abuse@commonside.org for abuse reports. Check this page for updates; individual notice of every change is not guaranteed.

Users and operators remain subject to applicable law. Nothing here removes rights or obligations that cannot legally be excluded.